Emotional,behavioural problems and cigarette smoking in adolescence: findings of a Greek cross-sectional study

Background  

Although several studies have reported findings concerning the association between smoking and emotional/behavioural problems, little research has investigated this association after controlling for confounding factors which have been found to be significantly correlated with both cigarette smoking and emotional/behavioural problems and may have a strong effect on the relationship between adolescents' mental health and smoking. The present study attempted to assess the association between adolescents' smoking status and their emotional/behavioural problems after controlling for a number of possible confounders (i.e. age, gender, parental smoking status, exposure to family smoking, family socioeconomic status, adolescents' leisure time) in a Greek nation-wide school-based sample.     

Health disparities by occupation,modified by education: a cross-sectional population study

Background  

Socio-economic disparities in health status are frequently reported in research. By comparison with education and income, occupational status has been less extensively studied in relation to health status or the occurrence of specific chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate health disparities in the working population based on occupational position and how they were modified by education.     

Severe MUPS in a sick-listed population: a cross-sectional study on prevalence, recognition, psychiatric co-morbidity and impairment

Background  

Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) have a high prevalence in the general population and are associated with psychiatric morbidity. There are indications that MUPS are an important determinant of frequent and long-term disability.     

Respiratory symptoms and occupation: a cross-sectional study of the general population

Background  

This study focused on respiratory symptoms due to occupational exposures in a contemporary general population cohort. Subjects were from the Dutch Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases (MORGEN). The composition of this population enabled estimation of respiratory risks due to occupation from the recent past for both men and women.     

某体检人群血压水平与颈动脉斑块相关性的横断面研究

目的探讨血压水平与颈动脉斑块患病风险的相关性。方法选取2017年在解放军总医院第四医学中心进行颈部超声检查的某单位体检人群为研究对象,采集血压等生理、生化指标。将血压指标按连续变量(收缩压、舒张压和脉压差)和分类变量(是否高血压、血压分级和脉压差四分类)进行分析,采用Logistic回归模型分析该人群血压水平与颈动脉斑块的关联性。结果共纳入研究对象716名,其中男性321名(44.8%),女性395名(55.2%),高血压和颈动脉斑块的患病率分别为40.9%(293例)和40.4%(289例)。≥60岁、糖尿病、高血压以及腰围增加、收缩压、空腹血糖、糖化血红蛋白升高者的颈动脉斑块患病率更高(P<0.05)。随着血压分级和脉压差四分类水平的升高,颈动脉斑块患病风险呈现增高趋势(Ptrend<0.05)。Logistic回归模型分析结果显示,收缩压每升高1 mmHg使颈动脉斑块的患病风险增加了1.4%(95%CI:1.005~1.024);以非高血压人群为对照组,高血压人群的颈动脉斑块的患病风险增加了62.9%(95%CI:1.146~2.316),其中,女性高血压人群的颈动脉斑块患病风险增加106.3%(95%CI:1.242~3.427);以正常血压人群为对照组,正常高值、1级高血压、2和3级高血压的颈动脉斑块的患病风险分别增加了86.8%(95%CI:1.175~2.946)和84.8%(95%CI:1.098~3.110)和119.6%(95%CI:1.165~4.142);以脉压差<60 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)人群为对照组,脉压差≥60 mmHg组的颈动脉斑块的患病风险增加56.2%(95%CI:1.049~2.326),其中女性脉压差≥60 mmHg人群的颈动脉斑块风险增加了73.3%(95%CI:1.007~2.983);以脉压差四分类Q1(≤42 mmHg)人群为对照组,Q3(50~61 mmHg)和Q4(≥62 mmHg)人群颈动脉斑块的患病风险分别增加了92.2%(95%CI:1.173~3.149)和95.0%(95%CI:1.147~3.316)。结论血压和脉压差水平升高与颈动脉斑块患病风险升高相关联,防控血压和脉压差升高可能是防控颈动脉斑块的有效措施之一。     

Lean mass,muscle strength,and physical function in a diverse population of men: a population-based cross-sectional study

Background  

Age-related declines in lean body mass appear to be more rapid in men than in women but our understanding of muscle mass and function among different subgroups of men and their changes with age is quite limited. The objective of this analysis is to examine racial/ethnic differences and racial/ethnic group-specific cross-sectional age differences in measures of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function among men.     

Self-medication with antibiotics in rural population in Greece: a cross-sectional multicenter study

Background

Urinary infection in otherwise healthy women has largely been a straightforward matter of diagnosis by identifying bacteria in the urine, and then cure by appropriate antibiotics. Recent research has shown this to be over-simplified. Evaluation of methods of self-management of symptoms has been neglected.

Discussion

Firstly trial data show that women with what used to called 'urethral syndrome' (urinary symptoms but sterile urine) obtain relief from antibiotics. Other trial data have shown a surprisingly large placebo effect from the resolution of symptoms among women who feel their care has been 'positive'. In addition, data published this month in BMC Medicine show that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs provide symptom relief to women with conventional infections (positive urine bacteriology) as much as antibiotics.

Conclusions

These recent findings provide an opportunity to consider how clinicians might change practice, and sets a new research agenda. We need to know (1) whether the effect of NSAIDs is replicable; (2) why some women in previous trials have had more symptoms if not treated with antibiotics sooner; (3) whether NSAIDs and antibiotics have an additive effect on relieving symptoms; (4) how we can harness the placebo effect better to assist out patients with this distressing and common complaint. See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/8/30     

Association between dietary patterns and serum adiponectin: a cross-sectional study in a Japanese population

The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between dietary pattern, adiponectin and insulin resistance. The study population consisted of 612 men and women aged 35–69?years old who had participated in the baseline survey of Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study in Tokushima Prefecture. Diets and lifestyle related variables were assessed by questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the relations between dietary patterns and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin. For further analysis, path analysis was used to test the hypothesised model of association between dietary pattern, serum adiponectin and insulin resistance. The result showed that higher score of bread and dairy pattern was directly associated with increased serum level of adiponectin in women, which was inversely related to homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). In conclusion, higher consumption of bread and dairy products, and low intake of rice may be associated with increased serum adiponectin in women.     

Socio-economic status and serum lipids: a cross-sectional study in a Chinese urban population.

Socio-economic status and serum lipids are important factors in the progression of cardiovascular disease. We studied the association between socio-economic status and serum lipids in a Chinese urban population. In all, 4,541 respondents (2,231 men and 2,310 women) between 25-64 years of age participated in a cross-sectional population survey carried out in Tianjin, China, and provided blood samples. Three socio-economic indicators (education, occupation, and income), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were determined. People in higher socio-economic groups had a more unfavorable serum lipid profile compared with those in lower socio-economic groups. This significant association was especially apparent in men. Education seemed to be the most important predictor of serum lipids in the three socio-economic indicators. The direction of the association between high socio-economic status and poor serum lipid profiles appears to be opposite to those observed in the developed countries.     

Age at retirement and mortality in a general population sample: the Greek EPIC study

Investigation of the health effects of retirement and age at retirement is limited, but the issue is particularly important given the pressure for an increase in the retirement age in Europe. In the Greek segment of the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, 16,827 men and women enrolled from 1994 to 1999 were either gainfully employed or had retired from such employment at enrollment; had not previously been diagnosed with stroke, cancer, coronary heart disease, or diabetes mellitus; and had complete information on important covariates and documented survival status as of July 2006. All-cause and cause-specific mortality in relation to employment status and age at retirement (among retirees) was analyzed through Cox regression models, controlling for potential confounders. In comparison to subjects still employed, retirees had a 51% increase in all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval: 16, 98). Among retirees, a 5-year increase in age at retirement was associated with a 10% decrease in mortality (95% confidence interval: 4, 15). Findings were more evident for cardiovascular than for cancer mortality, whereas, for injury mortality, there was no evidence of association. Results indicate that early retirement may be a risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in apparently healthy persons.     

Dietary inflammatory index,bone health and body composition in a population of young adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Diet quality has been postulated as a relevant factor in disorders like obesity and osteoporosis as it modulates inflammatory biomarkers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the dietary inflammatory index (DII) is associated with bone health status and body composition parameters in a population of young adults. The study population consisted of 599 young adults (aged 20.41?±?2.72). Linear regression analysis revealed that weight and fat-free mass (FFM) were significantly associated with the DII after adjustments for age, sex and total energy (β?=??0.91, 95% CI ?1.782, ?0.213, p?=?.013 and β?=??0.059, 95% CI ?0.842, ?0.107, p?=?.011, respectively). Our results suggest that the inflammatory potential of diet, measured using the DII, is associated with obesity-related parameters such as FFM and weight, although it may not contribute to osteoporosis in early adulthood.     

Seroepidemiology of Bordetella pertussis infections in the Spanish population: a cross-sectional study

A study was conducted on a representative sample (n=4084) of the Spanish population to assess the prevalence of antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA). A total of 1982 men and 2102 women aged 5-59 years were stratified by sex and age (5-12, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years). Antibodies to PT were found in 46% samples and to FHA in 74% and increased with age (p<0.0001), ranging from 35% in the 5-12 year age group to 52% in the 50-59 year age group for anti-PT and from 65 to 80% for anti-FHA, respectively. As vaccine induced-immunity wanes over time, the observed age distribution of antibodies suggests that Bordetella pertussis infection is widespread in the Spanish population and that pertussis booster vaccination in adolescents and adults with the newly developed acellular vaccines, should be considered if it is deemed necessary to control the circulation of the organism.     

Effects of area deprivation on health risks and outcomes: a multilevel, cross-sectional, Australian population study

Objectives:  Our aim was to examine the effect of local area socio-economic disadvantage after accounting for individual socio-economic status (SES), and to determine if these differ between various health and risk factor variables. Methods:  The North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS) is a biomedical representative population study of adults. The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD), produced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census data at the level of Collector Districts (200 dwellings) was used as an indicator of local area disadvantage. Multi-level modeling techniques examined the effects of IRSD level on a variety of health outcomes and risk factors, after accounting for individual socio-economic factors. Results:  Significant, independent associations were seen between IRSD and obesity, smoking, and health-related quality of life, with 5 % to 7.2 % of the variance located at the neighborhood level. No independent associations were seen between IRSD and estimated cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes, physical activity, or at-risk alcohol use. Conclusions:  Aggregated area-level characteristics make modest, but significant independent contributions to smoking, obesity and quality of life, but not for other health outcomes. Submitted: 29 November 2007; revised: 15 July 2008, 01 December 2008; accepted: 04 December 2008     

Combined body mass index and abdominal obesity,lifestyle and health in a Norwegian adult population: a cross-sectional study

Aim

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of combined body mass index and waist circumference (BMI-WC) disease risk categories in a Norwegian adult population aged 18–51 years and describe selected health indicators (lifestyle factors, medical conditions, self-perceived health and high sensitive serum C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)) within these categories.

Subjects and methods

A sample of 1318 adults (aged 18–51 years) answered a comprehensive questionnaire covering lifestyle factors, medical conditions, self-perceived health and background variables in the population-based cross-sectional Telemark study, Norway, 2014–2015. BMI, WC and hs-CRP were determined as part of a broader medical examination. Four combined BMI-WC risk categories were constructed, based on recommendations provided by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and associations with health indicators examined using multiple logistic regression analyses.

Results

More than half of the participants represented combined BMI-WC categories with elevated disease risk (27% with increased risk, 11% with high risk and 19% with very high risk). Unfavourable health indicators (low physical activity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) history, physician-diagnosed high blood pressure and diabetes, lowered self-perceived health and elevated hs-CRP) increased in line with BMI-WC disease risk. Associations were observed independent of gender, age, education level and residential area.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the importance of using both BMI categories and WC for personalised assessment of obesity-related risk and need for follow-up. The findings are considered relevant to public health intervention programmes targeting adults with overweight and obesity. Follow-up studies are warranted to study morbidity development in the BMI-WC risk categories.

     

Cheese consumption and prevalence of overweight and obesity in a Basque adult population: a cross-sectional study

Studies have reported a negative association between dairy product consumption and weight status. However, not as much research has focused on cheese; therefore, the aim of this study was to study the association between cheese intake and overweight and obesity in a representative Basque adult population. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was obtained from a random sample of 1081 adults (530 males and 551 females, 17–96 years old). Cheese consumption data were expressed as g/1000?kcal/day. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher in men (55.1%) than in women (35.4%) (p?相似文献   

Environmental noise exposure and population health: a cross-sectional study in the Province of Rome

Background The aim of the present study is to analyse the relationship between exposure to environmental noise and population health-perceived status in a cross-sectional setting in Italy. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out, in a population in the Province of Rome (Castelnuovo di Porto), in order to evaluate the auditory impact of road and railway infrastructures on population quality of life (QOL). Environmental noise due to road and railway traffic was assessed by phonometric samples during 1 week. Health status of participants was assessed using the Italian version of the Short-Form 36 item questionnaire (SF-36). Differences between groups in the SF-36 scales were tested using the Mann-Whitney test. Furthermore, we conducted a multiple linear regression analysis in order to assess the influence on the SF-36 scales (dependent variable) of the explanatory variables age (continuous variable), gender (dichotomous variable with males as reference group), educational level (low level as reference group), hours spent at home (continuous variable) and acoustic exposure level (low level as reference group). Results One hundred and fifty-nine people entered into the study (81 males and 78 females, mean age 41.28 years). We found a significantly lower (worse) Mental Health Scale score in those highly exposed to environmental noise (level over 65 dBA) (inverse association), both at univariate (mean scores: 66.4 vs 68.9) and multivariate analysis (beta = − 4.779; p < 0.05). Conclusions The use of the SF-36 questionnaire for measuring the association between physical and social factors in the built environment and mental well-being is very recent. Our study, to our knowledge, is the first attempt in Italy to find a relationship between environmental noise exposure and health status, measured with a standard questionnaire, in a specific population. The results for the Mental Health Scale of SF-36 are particularly interesting, as we found an inverse association with level of environmental noise exposure.     

Physical activity and serum lipids: a cross-sectional population study in eastern Finnish men.

The authors studied the association of the type, amount, and intensity of physical activity with serum lipids in 2,492 randomly selected eastern Finnish men aged 42-60 years during 1984-1989, controlling for the major confounding factors. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and HDL2 cholesterol were associated positively and triglycerides inversely with total, occupational, and leisure time activity in a multivariate regression model (p < 0.001). HDL3 cholesterol was associated positively only with total activity (p < 0.001). The adjusted relative differences in HDL cholesterol, HDL2 cholesterol, HDL3 cholesterol, and triglycerides between extreme total (occupational, leisure time) activity quartiles were 10.7% (9.0%, 5.7%), 12.2% (10.3%, 9.5%), 5.9% (2.9%, 0%), and 22.7% (9.2%, 10.4%), respectively. HDL cholesterol and HDL2 cholesterol were the highest and triglycerides the lowest at a conditioning activity intensity of more than 6 metabolic units (p < 0.001). The strongest associations were found for the 24-Hour Recording, which suggests short-term effects of physical activity on serum lipids. The beneficial effects of physical activity on serum lipids appear to be mediated partially by a reduced serum insulin concentration and decreased body adiposity. These data provide further confirmation for the concept that both regular or at least moderate intensity leisure time activity and occupational physical activity have a favorable impact on serum lipids.     

Blood lead level and Helicobacter pylori infection in a healthy population: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether elevated blood lead level (BLL) is a risk factor for Helicobacter pylori infection. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed on 2,625 subjects who visited a university hospital for general health examination. H. pylori infection was detected using histologic examination with Giemsa staining, and BLLs were measured. The mean BLL was 2.83?±?1.31?μg/dL. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 27.8%. The BLL was significantly higher in the H. pylori infection-positive group compared to the non-infected group (2.96?±?1.33?μg/dL vs. 2.78?±?1.30?μg/dL, p?<?0.001), which remained significant after adjusting for other confounders. H. pylori infection significantly increased as the BLL increased (OR: 1.143, 95% CI 1.068–1.223). We found a relationship between BLL elevation and H. pylori infection rate.     

The validity of self-reported weight in US adults: a population based cross-sectional study

Background  

Investigating the validity of the self-reported values of weight allows for the proper assessment of studies using questionnaire-derived data. The study examined the accuracy of gender-specific self-reported weight in a sample of adults. The effects of age, education, race and ethnicity, income, general health and medical status on the degree of discrepancy (the difference between self-reported weight and measured weight) are similarly considered.     

Health-state utilities in a prisoner population: a cross-sectional survey

Background  

Health-state utilities for prisoners have not been described.