Sozial- und Praventivmedizin最新文献

Objectives: To provide information on smoking differences between university faculties.

Methods: Data from smoking surveys performed on 1,441 staff members and 2,308 students at the University of Tartu, Estonia, soon after the fall of communism, were analysed by faculties, using similar data from the University of Oulu, Finland (1,830 staff members, 5,947 students) for reference.

Results: Wide variations in smoking were found between faculties in Tartu, the prevalence being high among male students of theology (54%) and low among staff and students in the faculties of exercise & sports sciences (< 5%) and mathematics (< 15%). Less variation was seen in Oulu. The medical faculty showed low smoking rates in Oulu but not in Tartu.

Conclusions: High percentages of smokers were typical of Tartu faculties representing disciplines closely connected with the country's transition (e.g. theology), and low percentages in faculties emphasising physical and mental performance (e.g. sports). The relatively high percentage of smokers in the Tartu medical faculty compared with that in Oulu can be interpreted as delayed diffusion of medical information beyond the former Iron Curtain.

Objectives: To show selected findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Methods: Representative sample of 16918 school children aged 13-15 years; data were obtained through uniform questionnaires. The fieldwork was conducted in 2002 and 2003.

Results: Age at initiation of smoking was particularly earlier in Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia than in Hungary. Over one third of the students reported current cigarette smoking in Czech Republic (34.9%) and Hungary (33.5%) compared to about one-fourth in Slovakia (24.3%) and Poland (23.3%). Among current smokers, about two thirds in Slovakia (64.0%) desired to stop smoking, while only one third in Hungary (36.7%). The prevalence of current cigarette smoking was similar between genders.

Discussion: Smoking prevalence in these countries is considerably higher than worldwide data. Women's smoking could be an important public health problem in the future. Repeated surveys could show trends and give a clearer picture of the epidemiological situation.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of high ambient temperatures, including the summer 2003 heat-episode, on NHS Direct usage and its suitability as a surveillance tool in heat health warning systems.

Methods: Analyses of data on calls to NHS Direct in English Regions in the period Dec 2001-May 2004. Outcomes were daily rates of all symptomatic calls, and daily proportion of calls for selected causes (fever, vomiting, difficulty breathing, heat/sun-stroke)

Results: Total calls were moderately increased as environmental temperature increased; this effect was greatest in calls for young children and for fever. Total calls were moderately elevated during two summer heat episodes in 2003: calls specifically for heat/sun stroke increased acutely in response to these episodes. No association was apparent between environmental temperature and proportion of calls for vomiting and difficulty breathing.

Conclusions: Calls to NHS Direct are sensitive to daily temperatures and extreme weather. NHS Direct is timely and has great potential in health surveillance. Calls for heat- and sun-stroke are now routinely monitored as part of the UK Heat-wave plan

Objectives: To investigate health risk perception as well as to assess the prevalence of self-reported symptoms attributed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and other environmental exposures in the general population of Switzerland.

Methods: Between May and June 2004, telephone interviews of a representative sample of the Swiss population (n=2048, >14 years old) about: (1) health symptoms attributed to five environmental factors (one of which was EMF), (2) health risk perception related to 12 environmental risk factors (five of which were different EMF sources).

Results: We found a prevalence of 5% (95% CI 4-6%) for electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) in our study sample. The most common health complaints among EHS individuals were sleep disorders (43%) and headaches (34%), which were mostly attributed to power lines and mobile phone handsets. In addition, 53 percent (95% CI 51-55%) were worried about adverse health effects from EMF, without attributing their own health symptoms to them.

Conclusions: The large proportion of the population who is concerned or attributes own symptoms to EMF may cause societal conflicts given the ubiquity of EMF in our everyday life.

Objectives: Trend in immunization coverage of 28 months old children in Geneva, 1995-2000.

Methods: Comprehensive analysis of routinely collected child immunization cards. Sample survey of non-responding parents.

Results: Among 25,288 children (response rate, 91%) immunization coverage (three doses) was 96% for diphtheria and tetanus, 94% for whooping-cough and poliomyelitis and 84% for Haemophilus influenzae. Immunization coverage was 88% for measles (one dose). There was no significant change over time.

Conclusions: Immunization coverage can be monitored by routinely collecting data from child immunization cards. Measles vaccination coverage is too low to prevent epidemics in Geneva.

Objectives: To assess whether socio-economic health differences persist into old age in Poland and if there are SES-related differences in health by age group and gender.

Methods: 528 randomly chosen, not institutionalized elderly people aged 65-85 living in Krakow were interviewed about their socio-economic status (occupation, education, income, house ownership), health status (self-rated health) and quality of life (Cantril's ladder).

Results: People with higher level of education and higher occupational status reported significantly better health and better quality of life compared to people who were not as well off. Income level and house ownership had a significant influence on the quality of life of elderly people. In addition, some findings indicate differences in the patterning of health inequalities across particular age and gender groups.

Conclusion: There are socio-economic differences in health and quality of life among the urban elderly population in Poland which are unfavourable for lower social strata.

This paper examines the question of capacity building for risk factor surveillance in developed countries, with reference to the Canadian experience. Special attention is accorded the issue of building capacity for utilization of surveillance information. The paper describes the development, evolution and current status of risk factor surveillance in Canada. It notes that there is evidence of ongoing improvement in surveillance capacities over the past 20 years, but that there remains considerable room for improvement--particularly in relation to building capacity for the utilization of surveillance information. A vision-driven approach to capacity building is recommended and described building upon concepts and principles followed by international organizations addressing analogous issues.