Perceived neighborhood social cohesion and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach

BackgroundGrowing research documents associations between neighborhood social cohesion with better health and well-being. However, other work has identified social cohesion's “dark side” and its ability to promote negative outcomes. It remains unclear if such diverging findings are attributable to differences in study design, or other reasons. To better capture its potential heterogeneous effects, we took an outcome-wide analytic approach to examine perceived neighborhood social cohesion in relation to a range of health and well-being outcomes.MethodsData were from 12,998 participants in the Health and Retirement Study—a large, diverse, prospective, and nationally representative cohort of U.S. adults age >50. Multiple regression models evaluated if social cohesion was associated with physical health, health behavior, psychological well-being, psychological distress, and social well-being outcomes. All models adjusted for sociodemographics, personality, and numerous baseline health and well-being characteristics. To evaluate the effects of change in cohesion, we adjusted for prior social cohesion. Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple testing.ResultsPerceived neighborhood social cohesion was not associated with most physical health outcomes (except for reduced risk of physical functioning limitations and better self-rated health) nor health behavior outcomes (except for more binge drinking). However, it was associated with numerous subsequent psychosocial well-being (i.e., higher: positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism, purpose in life, mastery, health mastery, financial mastery; reduced likelihood of infrequent contact with friends) and psychological distress outcomes (i.e., lower depression, hopelessness, negative affect, loneliness) over the 4-year follow-up period.ConclusionsWith further research, these results suggest that perceived neighborhood social cohesion might be a valuable target for innovative policies aimed at improving well-being.     

A Preliminary Study of the Population-Adjusted Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Prevention Programming: Towards Making IOM Program Types Comparable

The Institute of Medicine distinguishes between programs based on who is targeted: the entire population (universal), those at risk (selective), or persons exhibiting the early stages of use or related problem behavior (indicated). Evaluations suggest that although universal programs can be effective in reducing and preventing substance use, selective and indicated programs are both more effective and have greater cost-benefit ratios. This paper tests these assumptions by comparing the impact of these program types in reducing and preventing substance use at the individual level (i.e., those exposed to intervention services) and in the population (i.e., those exposed and not exposed to intervention services). A meta-analysis was performed on 43 studies of 25 programs to examine program comparability across IOM categories. When examining unadjusted effect sizes at the individual level, universal programs were modestly more successful in reducing tobacco use, but selective and indicated programs were modestly more successful in reducing alcohol and marijuana use. When adjusted to the population level, the average effect sizes for selective and indicated programs were reduced by approximately half. At the population level, universal programs were more successful in reducing tobacco and marijuana use and selective and indicated programs were more successful in reducing alcohol use. Editors’ Strategic Implications: The authors’ focus on the public health value of a prevention strategy is compelling and provides a model for analyses of other strategies and content areas.     

An ecologically based examination of barriers to physical activity in students from grade seven through first-year university

PurposeThe first purpose was to identify barriers to physical activity that students in grade seven through first-year university experienced. A second purpose was to classify barriers using an ecological framework and to examine the pattern of barrier categories (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, public policy, and physical environmental) and specific barrier types as grade increased. The use of an ecological model addressed limitations in prior research revolving around the identification of salient barriers in a manner that makes the design of effective interventions difficult.MethodsParticipants in grades 7–8 (n = 35), 9–10 (n = 67), 11–12 (n = 80), and the freshmen year of university (n = 109) listed barriers to physical activity on an open-ended measure.ResultsFindings revealed a trend for the average number of barriers reported per student to increase as grade in school increased. First-year university students reported significantly more barriers than all other grade groupings. The frequency of barriers reported within the ecological categories was dependent on the specific grade groupings. Further, within each ecological category, distinct barriers were reported across the different grade groupings.ConclusionsFindings highlight the utility of using an ecological model to categorize barriers, rather than simply classifying barriers as internal or external to an individual, as done in prior research. Understanding the pattern of ecologically based barrier categories and specific types of barriers will help to inform the content of future research and interventions designed to alleviate salient barriers to physical activity.     

Public health medicine and drinking water in Scotland

The prevention of the spread of disease by drinking water relies on a tripartate arrangement among the supplier, the regulator and their medical advisers. This paper describes the role of Public Health Medicine in Scotland in preventing a ‘significant risk to health’ from potable water. The legislative framework is highlighted. The rationale of water monitoring is examined and the role of Consultant in Public Health Medicine. The concept of Significant Medical Risk Values is introduced and their derivation, uses, and levels presented.     

农村公共卫生投融资机制存在的问题及对策

当前,农村公共卫生投融资规模不能适应农村居民的卫生服务需要,投融资结构不合理,致使投融资效果不佳,不利于农村卫生事业的发展。为此,需要从四个方面改革农村公共卫生投融资机制:一是要建立健全国家财政投资保障制度,发挥财政在农村公共卫生投资中的主体作用;二是要改革运行模式,拓宽融资渠道;三是要改善投资结构,优化资源配置;四是要创新管理体制,提高农村公共卫生服务能力。     

攀枝花市公共场所基本卫生状况分析

本文攀枝花市公共场所环境卫生质量进行了调查和分析。结果表明：空气中细菌总数超标８２．７％，气湿超标７１％，风速超标５４．３％，噪声超标４５．６％，ＣＯ２超标１３．６％，ＣＯ超标９％。为改善公共场所卫生质量提出了建议。     

预期无残疾寿命的计算及应用

预期无残疾寿命（ＥＬＷＤ）在国外公共卫生及老年医学研究中已得到普遍重视，但ＥＬＷＤ的计算中却存在着若干错误，直接影响着ＥＬＷＤ的正确使用。文章简述了ＥＬＷＤ的概念及原理，推导了正确的计算公式，并以实例说明了计算步骤及方法，对ＥＬＷＤ在医学研究中的应用进行了讨论。     

严重耻骨联合分离合并胫腓骨开放性粉碎骨折1例报告

患者,男性,24岁。外伤后下腹部及左下肢肿胀、疼痛、活动受限5 h入院。患者2004年4月21日7时许骑摩托车与汽车相撞,伤后有短暂意识丧失。于当地医院行X线检查示:左小腿多段开放性粉碎性骨折,左内踝骨折。给予伤口加压包扎,下肢夹板外固定,因当地医院条件有限转入我院。入院后查:体温36·4℃,脉搏100次/m in,呼吸20次/m in,血压70/40 mmHg,意识清醒,全身多处软组织挫伤及皮肤擦伤。腹部无明显隆起,有压痛,无移动性浊音。左下肢夹板外固定,左小腿中段有一长约15 cm的皮肤裂伤,肌肉、骨骼外露,左踝关节畸形,活动受限,足趾活动自如,双侧足背动…     

基层公共卫生人员心身健康状况分析

目的了解基层公共卫生人员心身健康状况及影响因素,为提高其健康水平和工作质量提供科学依据。方法应用中国心身健康量表,采用分层整群抽样的方式,抽取胶州、嘉祥、兖州和邹城疾病预防控制中心及下属防保站的公共卫生人员584名进行问卷调查。结果基层公共卫生人员心身障碍发生率为39.43%,其中最高为骨骼系统14.17%,其次为神经系统12.73%;呼吸系统、心血管系统、焦虑、抑郁、精神病性5项因子评分小于全国常模;运用二分类Logistic逐步回归分析显示,从事本行业年限的增加是引起眼和耳疾病的危险性因素（OR=1.067）,职务的增高是导致心血管系统（OR=1.878）、消化系统（OR=1.675）、精神病性（OR=1.841）疾患的危险性因素;核心家庭（OR=0.136）、扩展家庭（OR=0.143）是降低抑郁发生的保护性因素。结论相关部门应采取综合措施,从工作和家庭环境等方面入手,提高基层公共卫生人员的心身健康水平。