Trends in Physical Fitness Among 12-Year-Old Children in Urban and Rural Areas During the Social Transformation Period in China

Aims

To investigate the 29-year (1985–2014) trends in body dimensions and physical fitness test performances among 12-year-old Chinese children living in urban and rural areas.

Prevalence of Key Forms of Violence Against Adolescents in the Arab Region: A Systematic Review

Purpose

This article presents a systematic review of the prevalence of violence against adolescents in the 22 countries of the Arab League.

Trends in Induced Abortions in Greece: A Cross-sectional Study

Study ObjectiveTeenage pregnancies and associated induced abortions represent an important public health issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the time trends, and associated factors of teenage induced abortions in Greece.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted between 2018 and 2019.SettingThird Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.ParticipantsAll pregnant women who underwent a second trimester anomaly scan were eligible for the study.Interventions and Main Outcome MeasuresEpidemiological characteristics were recorded and 5 age groups were created. Trends in the rates of teenage induced abortions were analyzed and we compared several parameters between women with and without history of abortions.ResultsOverall, 3370 women were eligible and agreed to participate in the study. The prevalence of women who reported a history of at least 1 abortion at 15-19 years was 9.7% (n = 328/3370). The abortion rates across the 5 age groups were: 20-24: 7.5%; 25-29: 8.4%; 30-34: 8.2%; 35-39: 12%; and 40 years and older: 13.9%. Moreover, a history of 1 or more teenage abortions was more common in multiparous women (58.2% vs 46.5%; P < .001; odds ratio, 1.605; 95% confidence interval, 1.274-2.022) and in current smokers (27.4% vs 11%; P < .001; odds ratio, 3.066; 95% confidence interval, 2.346-4.008).ConclusionA significant decline in the teenage induced abortion rates was identified in the study population. A history of teenage induced abortion was associated with smoking and multiparity. More efforts are needed to provide appropriate education on effective contraception and family planning.     

Changing epidemiology of invasive non-typhoid Salmonella infection: a nationwide population-based registry study

ObjectivesNon-typhoid Salmonella (NTS) may invade beyond the intestine, causing bacteraemia, sepsis, and infection of normally sterile sites. The epidemiology of invasive NTS (iNTS) infection is under-researched. We determined trends, risk factors, serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and attributable sources of iNTS infection in a high-income setting.Methods22,837 records of culture-confirmed human salmonellosis cases and 10,008 serotyped Salmonella isolates from five putative animal reservoirs (pigs, cattle, broilers, layers, reptiles) in the Netherlands during 2005–2018 were retrieved from national surveillance registries. Risk factors for iNTS infection were identified using logistic regression analysis. Source attribution modelling was based on serotyping, prevalence, and exposure data.ResultsThe average annual percentage of iNTS infections was 4.6% (range 3.5–5.7%). An increase in iNTS infections was observed since 2012 (odds ratio (OR) 1.09, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04–1.14). Increased iNTS infection risk was associated with wintertime (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12–1.66), male sex (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.51–1.99), older age (ORs: 3.27 to 16.33, depending on age groups), and living in rural areas (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.23–1.93). While 52% of iNTS infections (n = 950) were caused by serotypes Enteritidis and Typhimurium, those displaying the highest invasiveness relative to their occurrence were Dublin (32.9%, n = 163), Panama (21.6%, n = 106), and Poona (14.1%, n = 71). Cattle were a larger source of iNTS than non-iNTS infections (12.2% vs. 7.6%). Lower AMR and multi-resistance rates were observed among iNTS (37.9%) than non-iNTS isolates (48.6%).DiscussionThe increase in iNTS infections, which is reported also in other countries, is of public health and clinical concern. The underlying reasons seem to be multi-factorial in nature. iNTS infection risk depends more on the infecting serotypes and patient demographics, and less on the attributable reservoirs and AMR profiles.     

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors among Chinese Children: Recent Trends and Correlates

Objective This study was aimed at examining the trends and correlates of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors among Chinese children. Methods A total of 4,341 subjects (6,936 observations) aged 6–17 years who participated in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2004–2015) were included. Of the subjects, 41％ participated in the survey twice or more. Random-effects ordinal regression models and repeated-measures mixed-effects models were used to examine the PA trends. Quantile regression models were applied to examine the factors influencing PA and sedentary behaviors. Results From 2004 to 2015, the prevalence of physical inactivity among Chinese children aged 6–17 years increased by 5.5％ [odds ratio (OR), 1.51; 95％ confidence interval (CI), 1.19–1.90; P < 0.001]. The PA volume declined by 5.8 metabolic equivalent of task-hr/week (P < 0.001), and the time spent in sedentary behaviors increased by 1.8 hr/week (P < 0.001). Age, ethnicity, and region showed significant effects on the PA volume across the quartiles (P < 0.001). Across the quartiles, sedentary time was significantly higher in the children residing in urban areas (P < 0.001) or areas with high urbanization levels (P ≤ 0.005) than in their counterparts. Conclusions A declining PA trend among Chinese children aged 6–17 years was observed from 2004 to 2015, and certain subgroups and geographical areas are at higher risk of physical inactivity.