Abortion trends in Japan, 1975-95

In this study, recent trends in the incidence of induced abortion are analyzed in order to identify the target population and its requirements for family planning policy in Japan. Abortion statistics from 1975 to 1995 from the Ministry of Health and Welfare are reviewed. The abortion rate (the number of cases of induced abortion per 1,000 women per year) for women younger than 20 increased during the study period. The abortion ratio (number of cases per 1,000 live births) remained the highest among women aged 40-44. An increase in the abortion ratio was seen in the two youngest groups (younger than 20 and 20-24), especially among those who were born after 1955. The proportion of abortions experienced by women younger than 25 increased from 18 percent between 1976 and 1980 to 30 percent between 1991 and 1995, and a slight increase was also observed among women aged 40-44. The proportion of abortions performed after eight weeks of a pregnancy for the two youngest groups remained higher than that for older age groups during 1975-95. The analysis demonstrates that women younger than 25 should be the principal concern of family planning policy in Japan. Further investigations on unintended pregnancy are recommended.     

Overweight and obesity mortality trends in Canada, 1985-2000

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the temporal trends in the mortality burden attributed to overweight and obesity in Canada between 1985 and 2000. DESIGN: Overweight and obesity prevalence data from six cross-sectional national population surveys, including the 1985 and 1990 Health Promotion Surveys, 1994, 1996 and 1998 National Population Health Surveys, and 2000 Canadian Community Health Survey, in conjunction with one published prospective cohort study on overweight, obesity and mortality. PARTICIPANTS: Adults 20-64 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The number of deaths attributable to overweight and obesity at the national and provincial levels. Attributable deaths were estimated using the Population Attributable Risk (PAR), which combined the prevalence data with the relative risks of mortality associated with overweight and obesity. A two-way sensitivity analysis was conducted by simultaneously varying the population prevalences and relative risk estimates by +/-10%. RESULTS: Between 1985 and 2000, the national PAR for overweight and obesity increased from 5.1% to 9.3%, and the annual number of deaths attributable to overweight and obesity increased from 2,514 (966-4,061) to 4,321 (2,114-6,542). Cumulatively, 57,181 (25,075-89,227) deaths were attributed to overweight and obesity between 1985 and 2000. Although overweight- and obesity-related mortality is increasing in every province, the problem is particularly pronounced in Eastern Canada. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity are important public health problems in Canada, accounting for approximately 57,000 deaths over the last 15 years. Immediate and sweeping public health campaigns and interventions are required to slow or reverse the recent trends.     

Pesticide-induced oxidative stress: perspectives and trends

Pesticide-induced oxidative stress as a possible mechanism of toxicity has been a focus of toxicological research for the last decade. Yet for certain pesticides, mechanisms leading to oxidative stress are only partly understood. Pesticide-induced oxidative stress is the final manifestation of a multi-step pathway, resulting in an imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Concomitantly, pesticide intoxication induces a derangement of certain antioxidant mechanisms in different tissues, including alterations in antioxidant enzymes and the glutathione redox system. In this article, we discuss the impact of certain factors that are important in the potentiation of pesticide-induced oxidative stress, immunotoxicity, and apoptosis. Understanding risk factors largely depends upon the cellular and molecular events underlying pesticide-induced stress in experimental animals. These factors must be considered in the safety/toxicity evaluation of any pesticide. The identification and characterization of plant products/drugs might be helpful for understanding the mechanisms of compensation and repair that are due to oxidative stress-induced injury. This paper reviews the nature of such damage, the cellular conditions in which it occurs, and oxidative-stress data that may be applied to the development of risk-assessment methods and models that are designed to reduce some of these uncertainties.     

Smoking and alcohol consumption among the elderly: trends and associations, 1985-2001

BACKGROUND: Despite their clear association with health, smoking and alcohol consumption among elderly people have not been extensively researched. This study examined changes in smoking and alcohol consumption and their sociodemographic patterning among the Finnish population aged 65-79 years over the period 1985-2001. METHODS: Population-based monitoring surveys conducted biennially from 1985 to 2001 were pooled into three time periods. Trends in smoking and alcohol consumption and their sociodemographic variations among 5870 men and 5923 women were calculated. Logistic regression was used as the main method of analysis. RESULTS: Smoking declined slightly among men, and consumption of higher levels of alcohol rose in both genders from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. Smoking among women remained at a very low level throughout the study period. Smoking and higher level of alcohol consumption were more prevalent among the younger elderly and among the men than among their counterparts. Higher alcohol use was more common among retired office workers than other former employees. Smoking was clearly more prevalent among unmarried than married people. CONCLUSIONS: Declining numbers of male smokers and remarkably few female smokers, together with positive changes already noted in diet and functional ability, suggest healthier senior years ahead. On the other hand, the rising trend of alcohol use poses a challenge to future public health.     

Passive smoke exposure trends and workplace policy in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study (1985-2001)

OBJECTIVE: There has been reduced active smoking, decreased societal acceptance for smoking indoors, and changing smoking policy since the mid-1980s. We quantified passive smoke exposure trends and their relationship with workplace policy. METHOD: We studied 2504 CARDIA participants (Blacks and Whites, 18-30 years old when recruited in 1985-86 from four US cities, reexamination 2, 5, 7, 10, and 15 years later) who never reported current smoking and attended examinations at 10 or 15 years. RESULTS.: In non-smokers with a college degree (n=1581), total passive smoke exposure declined from 16.3 h/week in 1985/86 to 2.3 h/week in 2000/01. Less education tended to be associated with more exposure at all timepoints, for example, in high school or less (n=292) 22.2 h/week in 1985/86 to 8.5 h/week in 2000/01. Those who experienced an increase in the restrictiveness of self-reported workplace smoking policy from 1995/96 to 2000/01 were exposed to almost 3 h per week less passive smoke than those whose workplace policies became less restrictive in this time period. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing presence of restrictive workplace policies seemed to be a component of the substantial decline in self-reported passive smoke exposure since 1985.     

HIV infection in Poland (1985-96)

Reported numbers of HIV infections have provided an indication of the order of magnitude of the size of the HIV epidemic in Poland, and how it has evolved in time. To the end of 1996, most documented infections had been observed among intravenous drug users (IDUs, n=2, 933/3,470) and, to a lesser extent, men who have sex with men (MSM, 289/3,470). Reported infections among non-IDU prostitutes and other non-IDU heterosexuals remained low. In this paper we describe surveillance systems and epidemiologic data in Poland from 1985 to 1996 for AIDS cases, HIV infections and other STDs. We also discuss the contributions of different vulnerable groups. Finally we discuss factors influencing the past spread of HIV infection and the potential for future spread, and propose recommendations for surveillance and research.     

Sex-specific trends in suicide method, Canada, 1971-1985

Between 1971 and 1985, sex-specific suicide rates in Canada have diverged, with male rates increasing and female rates decreasing. Using linear regression techniques, we examined changes in sex- and method-specific rates and their association with changes in overall sex-specific rates. 92% of the variability in the overall female rates was explained by the declining rate for poisoning by solid or liquid substances. The most important change for males was the increasing rate for hanging, strangulation and suffocation which explained 65% of the change in the overall rate.     

Political changes and trends in cardiovascular risk factors in the Czech Republic, 1985-92.

BACKGROUND: Mortality from cardiovascular diseases is substantially higher in central and eastern Europe than in the west. After the fall of communism, these countries have undergone radical changes in their political, social, and economic environments but little is known about the impact of these changes on health behaviours or risk factors. Data from the Czech Republic, a country whose mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases are among the highest, were analysed in this report. OBJECTIVES: To examine the trends in cardiovascular risk factors in Czech population over the last decade during which a major and sudden change of the political and social system occurred in 1989, and whether the trends differed in relation to age and educational group. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data from three cross sectional surveys conducted in 1985, 1988, and 1992 as a part of the MONICA project were analysed. The surveys examined random samples of men and women aged 25-64 in six Czech districts and measured the following risk factors: smoking, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. RESULTS: The numbers of subjects (response rate) examined were 2573 (84%) in 1985, 2769 (87%) in 1988, and 2353 (73%) in 1992. Total cholesterol and body mass index increased between 1985 and 1988 and decreased between 1988 and 1992. The prevalence of smoking was declining slightly in men between 1985 and 1992 but remained stable in women. There were only small changes in blood pressure. The decline in cholesterol and BMI in 1988-92 may be related to changes in foods consumption after the price deregulation in 1991. An improvement in risk profile was more pronounced in younger age groups, and the declines in cholesterol and obesity were substantially larger in men and women with higher education. By contrast, there was an increase in smoking in women educated only to primary level. CONCLUSION: Substantial changes in cholesterol, obesity, and women's smoking occurred in the Czech population after the political changes in 1989. Although a causal association cannot be claimed, national trends in foods consumption are consistent with changes in blood lipids and obesity. Further monitoring of trends is required to confirm these trends.     

Immunology in medical practice. XXVII. Vaccines against malaria: new perspectives

Malaria belongs to the five most important infections in the world and is responsible for 2-3 million deaths each year. A universally active vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum is not available to this day. However, the feasibility of a vaccine is underlined by the results of experimental studies in animal models as well as by the fact that immunity is acquired in humans after a number of infections. Vaccine development is hampered by the complex life cycle of the parasite as well as by the lack of knowledge about the key molecules involved in the cycle. Moreover the parasite shows an extraordinary capacity to evade the immune response. Over the last decade understanding of the immune response has improved; moreover, a number of Plasmodium derived proteins are in the process or on their way to clinical testing as a vaccine. The most recent activities focus on the delineation of the P. falciparum genome as well as on different strategies for vaccination.     

High burden of breast cancer in Belgium: recent trends in incidence (1999-2006) and historical trends in mortality (1954-2006)

Introduction  

In Belgium, breast cancer mortality has been monitored since 1954, whereas cancer incidence data have only been made available for a few years. In this article we update historical trends of breast cancer mortality and describe the recent breast cancer incidence.     

Fertility trends: 1950-75.

During the past 25 years, the world's population increased by 60 percent to 4 billion people. The period witnessed a momentous decline in mortality, which will probably continue in the developed countries. Fertility has fallen dramatically in the developed countries to quite low levels. In the developing countries, where the bulk of the world's population is concentrated, fertility is still high, although it has begun to decline in some countries. Reductions in fertility have been dramatic in Asia and the Pacific; substantial in Central and South America; and hardly noticeable in Africa. Increasingly, population policies will be considered as an integral part of social and economic development; and family planning will receive increasing attention as a human right, as an element of improved maternal and child health, and also as a means of moderating high rates of population growth.     

Household food availability in Brazil: distribution and trends (1974-2003)

OBJECTIVE: Data from household food budget surveys were examined in order to describe the regional and socio-economic distribution of household food availability in Brazil in 2002-2003 and trends from 1974 to 2003. METHODS: The study uses data from the "Pesquisa de Or?amento Familiar 2002-2003" budget survey conducted by the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) from July 2002 to June 2003, including a national sample of 48,470 households. In each household, during seven consecutive days, all monetary and non-monetary expenses with food and beverages for family consumption were registered. Crude weights of purchased foods were transformed into calories and nutrients with the use of food composition tables. RESULTS: Adequate protein content and a high proportion of animal protein were found in all regions and income strata. These were the most important positive aspects identified in the household food availability in Brazil. On the other hand, all regions and socio-economic strata showed excess calories from sugar and little availability of fruits and vegetables. An excessive proportion of calories came from total and saturated fat in the more economically developed regions and in the urban milieu, as well as among higher-income families. Time-trends in metropolitan areas indicated a decline in the consumption of basic, traditional foods, such as rice and beans; notable increases (up to 400%) in the consumption of processed food items, such as cookies and soft drinks; maintenance of the excessive consumption of sugar; and a continuous increase in total fat and saturated fat content in the diet. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns and trends regarding household food availability in Brazil are consistent with the increasing participation of chronic non-communicable diseases in morbidity and mortality and with the continuous increase in the prevalence of obesity.     

The nursing labour market in Canada (1985-1999)

This literature review analysed both published and unpublished scientific and professional studies on the nursing labour market in Canada within the period of 1985 to 1999. The goal was to conduct a situational analysis utilising statistical data and canvassing all concerned parties to extract their points of view. The analysis revealed significant cyclical variations in the evolution of the workforce, particularly with respect to auxiliary nurses, such as the perceived existence of major problems in recruiting new professionals in the field and retaining existing professionals in their organisations, the lack of homogeneity in educational training programmes, and the co-existence of several operational structures for organising nursing care, of which there is a lack of evaluation on their effectiveness. The results of the literature review identify the necessity to further develop the knowledge base on such a relevant dimension of the nursing labour market.