K. Walshe, M. Mckee, P. Groenewegen, J. Hansen, J. Figueras, S. Boccia, W. Ricciardi
In 2012 the European Regional Office of WHO published a new health policy strategy, Health 2020, and an accompanying European Action Plan [1, 2], with both documents since being endorsed by the 53 member states. Following consultation with member states, a series of overarching targets have been established in the three areas of Health 2020: i) reducing the burden of disease and risk factors; ii) enhancing health and well- being; and iii) improving governance and systems for health. The WHO is now working with member state governments to develop ‘Regional’ Health 2020 targets [3, 4]. If Health 2020 is to achieve these goals, the actions that flow from it must be based on the best...
{"title":"Reshaping the agenda of the European Commission for the health systems and policy research in Europe within Horizon 2020","authors":"K. Walshe, M. Mckee, P. Groenewegen, J. Hansen, J. Figueras, S. Boccia, W. Ricciardi","doi":"10.2427/8951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8951","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000In 2012 the European Regional Office of WHO published a new health policy strategy, Health 2020, and an accompanying European Action Plan [1, 2], with both documents since being endorsed by the 53 member states. Following consultation with member states, a series of overarching targets have been established in the three areas of Health 2020: i) reducing the burden of disease and risk factors; ii) enhancing health and well- being; and iii) improving governance and systems for health. The WHO is now working with member state governments to develop ‘Regional’ Health 2020 targets [3, 4]. \u0000If Health 2020 is to achieve these goals, the actions that flow from it must be based on the best...","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85280548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: cigarette smoking is the greatest known risk factor for lung cancer, and people with different smoking status may process risk information differently. While psychological distress has been linked with smoking status, little is known about the impact of distress on lung cancer perception or the moderating role of physical activity and race. This study explores the association of lung cancer perception and distress and investigates the effects of physical activity and race on that association. Methods: the study uses a national, biennial survey (the Health Information National Trends Survey) that was designed to collect nationally representative data on the American public’s need for, access to, and use of cancer-related information using a cross-sectional, complex sample survey design. Out of 5 586 participants, 1 015 were current smokers, 1 599 were former smokers, 2 877 were never smokers. Of the sample, 1 765 participants answered the lung cancer risk perception question and had no personal history of lung cancer. Statistical analysis contrasts smokers, former smokers, and never smokers to examine the association of lung cancer perception and distress and the moderating role of physical activity and race. Results: distress and lung cancer risk perception were significantly positively associated (p value < 0.001). Respondents who were current smokers and were distressed had very high odds of agreeing that they have a somewhat high chance (odds ratio=900.8, CI: 94.23, 8 611.75; p value < 0.001) or a very high chance (odds ratio=500.44 CI: 56.53, 4 430.02, p value < 0.001) of developing lung cancer in the future as compared to not distressed never smokers. However, race and physical activity status did not significantly affect perception of risk. Perceptions of risk are important precursors of health change. Conclusions: elevated distress level and higher perceived risk, in addition to physical activity status and race, could potentially be used to develop targeted interventions, such as tailoring quitting support for smokers at elevated distress levels, which may enhance success rate of quitting smoking and staying quit.
{"title":"Background: cigarette smoking is the greatest known risk factor for lung cancer, and people with different smoking status may process risk information differently. While psychological distress has been linked with smoking status, little is known about the","authors":"S. Mathur, M. Levy","doi":"10.2427/8839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8839","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Background: cigarette smoking is the greatest known risk factor for lung cancer, and people with different smoking status may process risk information differently. While psychological distress has been linked with smoking status, little is known about the impact of distress on lung cancer perception or the moderating role of physical activity and race. This study explores the association of lung cancer perception and distress and investigates the effects of physical activity and race on that association. \u0000Methods: the study uses a national, biennial survey (the Health Information National Trends Survey) that was designed to collect nationally representative data on the American public’s need for, access to, and use of cancer-related information using a cross-sectional, complex sample survey design. Out of 5 586 participants, 1 015 were current smokers, 1 599 were former smokers, 2 877 were never smokers. Of the sample, 1 765 participants answered the lung cancer risk perception question and had no personal history of lung cancer. Statistical analysis contrasts smokers, former smokers, and never smokers to examine the association of lung cancer perception and distress and the moderating role of physical activity and race. \u0000Results: distress and lung cancer risk perception were significantly positively associated (p value < 0.001). Respondents who were current smokers and were distressed had very high odds of agreeing that they have a somewhat high chance (odds ratio=900.8, CI: 94.23, 8 611.75; p value < 0.001) or a very high chance (odds ratio=500.44 CI: 56.53, 4 430.02, p value < 0.001) of developing lung cancer in the future as compared to not distressed never smokers. However, race and physical activity status did not significantly affect perception of risk. Perceptions of risk are important precursors of health change. \u0000Conclusions: elevated distress level and higher perceived risk, in addition to physical activity status and race, could potentially be used to develop targeted interventions, such as tailoring quitting support for smokers at elevated distress levels, which may enhance success rate of quitting smoking and staying quit. \u0000","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85374148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. Madotto, M. Riva, C. Fornari, L. Scalone, R. Ciampichini, C. Bonazzi, L. Mantovani, G. Cesana
Background: the aim of this study was to assess healthcare demand of specific groups of population and their costs borne by Italian Health System, using healthcare administrative databases. Methods: demographic, clinical and economic data were obtained from datasets available at the Regional Health System, combined into a data warehouse (DENALI), using a probabilistic record linkage to optimize the data matching process. The study population consisted of more than 1 million people registered in 2005 at one Local Healthcare Unit of Lombardy. Eight different segments were identified. Costs occurring in 2005 for hospital admissions, drug prescriptions, outpatient medical specialist visits were quantified in each segment. Results: healthy people accounted for 53% of the population and cost € 180 per-capita. Subjects with only one chronic disease made up 16% of the population and cost € 916 per-capita, those affected by several chronic diseases accounted for 13% and cost € 3 457 per-capita. Hospitalizations were the cost driver in five segments, ranging from 42% to 89% of total expenditures. Outpatient visits were the cost driver among healthy subjects (54%) and those with a possible chronic disease (42%), while drug costs ranged between 4% (“acute event”) and 32% (“one chronic disease”). Overall, healthcare cost was € 809 per-capita. Conclusions: healthcare costs were mainly determined by people affected by chronic conditions, even if “healthy people” ranked third for total expenditure. These costs need an appropriate identification of healthcare demand, that could be efficiently monitored through the use of administrative databases.
{"title":"Administrative databases as a tool for identifying healthcare demand and costs in an over-one million population","authors":"F. Madotto, M. Riva, C. Fornari, L. Scalone, R. Ciampichini, C. Bonazzi, L. Mantovani, G. Cesana","doi":"10.2427/8840","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8840","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000Background: the aim of this study was to assess healthcare demand of specific groups of population and their costs borne by Italian Health System, using healthcare administrative databases. \u0000Methods: demographic, clinical and economic data were obtained from datasets available at the Regional Health System, combined into a data warehouse (DENALI), using a probabilistic record linkage to optimize the data matching process. The study population consisted of more than 1 million people registered in 2005 at one Local Healthcare Unit of Lombardy. Eight different segments were identified. Costs occurring in 2005 for hospital admissions, drug prescriptions, outpatient medical specialist visits were quantified in each segment. \u0000Results: healthy people accounted for 53% of the population and cost € 180 per-capita. Subjects with only one chronic disease made up 16% of the population and cost € 916 per-capita, those affected by several chronic diseases accounted for 13% and cost € 3 457 per-capita. Hospitalizations were the cost driver in five segments, ranging from 42% to 89% of total expenditures. Outpatient visits were the cost driver among healthy subjects (54%) and those with a possible chronic disease (42%), while drug costs ranged between 4% (“acute event”) and 32% (“one chronic disease”). Overall, healthcare cost was € 809 per-capita. \u0000Conclusions: healthcare costs were mainly determined by people affected by chronic conditions, even if “healthy people” ranked third for total expenditure. These costs need an appropriate identification of healthcare demand, that could be efficiently monitored through the use of administrative databases. \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75525846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clustering methods are widely used in the analysis of gene expression data for their ability to uncover coordinated expression profiles. One important goal of clustering is to discover co–regulated genes because it has been postulated that co–regulation implies a similar function. In the context of agglomerative hierarchical clustering, we introduced a dissimilarity measure based on the Wilks’ Λ statistic that they called the Wilks’ dissimilarity and showed its usefulness in the identification of transcription modules. In this paper, we discuss the ability of the Wilks’ dissimilarity to identify clusters of co-expressed genes by providing an example where the most commonly used dissimilarity measures fail. Furthermore, we carry out a set of simulations aimed to investigate the use of a sparse canonical correlation technique in the estimation of the Wilks’ dissimilarity and provide guidelines for its use.
{"title":"Wilks’ dissimilarity for gene clustering: computational issues","authors":"F. M. L. D. Lascio, A. Roverato","doi":"10.2427/8761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8761","url":null,"abstract":"Clustering methods are widely used in the analysis of gene expression data for their ability to uncover coordinated expression profiles. One important goal of clustering is to discover co–regulated genes because it has been postulated that co–regulation implies a similar function. In the context of agglomerative hierarchical clustering, we introduced a dissimilarity measure based on the Wilks’ Λ statistic that they called the Wilks’ dissimilarity and showed its usefulness in the identification of transcription modules. In this paper, we discuss the ability of the Wilks’ dissimilarity to identify clusters of co-expressed genes by providing an example where the most commonly used dissimilarity measures fail. Furthermore, we carry out a set of simulations aimed to investigate the use of a sparse canonical correlation technique in the estimation of the Wilks’ dissimilarity and provide guidelines for its use.","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88626356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ernst L Wynder was a great epidemiologist who devoted his career to investigate harmful effects of tobacco smoke, in particular his studies represent a landmark in the history of epidemiological research on lung cancer. The commitment of Ernst Wynder was not limited to the risk factors related to tobacco. In fact, he studied also the role of nutritional factors in the incidence of tumors. His talent, enthusiasm and tireless energy have allowed him to obtain a complete victory despite the difficulties and the initial loneliness.
{"title":"Ernst L. Wynder: A Pioneer of No Tobacco World","authors":"Roberto Bucci, V. Colamesta, G. Torre","doi":"10.2427/8918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8918","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Ernst L Wynder was a great epidemiologist who devoted his career to investigate harmful effects of tobacco smoke, in particular his studies represent a landmark in the history of epidemiological research on lung cancer. \u0000The commitment of Ernst Wynder was not limited to the risk factors related to tobacco. In fact, he studied also the role of nutritional factors in the incidence of tumors. \u0000His talent, enthusiasm and tireless energy have allowed him to obtain a complete victory despite the difficulties and the initial loneliness. \u0000","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"114 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79225700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The aim of this note is to study the performance of the Gini concentration test for survival data in presence of unbalanced and small samples. We compared the performance of the asymptotic test with an alternative permutation distribution test, illustrating by simulation that if groups are very small the latter test should be used. Also, we show how the definition of the length of time considered in the construction of the test statistic can be chosen to improve the performance of the test.
{"title":"The Gini Test for Survival Data in Presence of Small and Unbalanced Groups","authors":"C. Gigliarano, M. Bonetti","doi":"10.2427/8762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8762","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this note is to study the performance of the Gini concentration test for survival data in presence of unbalanced and small samples. We compared the performance of the asymptotic test with an alternative permutation distribution test, illustrating by simulation that if groups are very small the latter test should be used. Also, we show how the definition of the length of time considered in the construction of the test statistic can be chosen to improve the performance of the test.","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74150357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: censuses in developing countries are prone to errors of age misreporting due to ignorance, low literacy levels and other social, economic and cultural factors. Ages are commonly rounded with great affinity for 0 or 5. This tendency to digit preference and/or avoidance results in age heaping or concentration of ages at certain digits. This study examined the extent of digit preference in the Nigerian census data of 1991 and 2006. Methods: this study utilized age data from the 1991 and 2006 Nigerian censuses reported in single years. The Whipple and Myers indices were used to determine the extent of digit preference. Results: both the 1991 and 2006 census data showed the expected pattern of errors, with Whipple and Myers indices being beyond acceptable levels. The Whipple index for 1991 and 2006 was 293 and 251 respectively, while the Myers index was 62.3 and 67.1 respectively. There was a strong preference for terminal digits 0 and 5, followed by 8 whereas terminal digits 1 and 9 were strongly avoided. Conclusions: the quality of age data in Nigerian census data is poor as a result of misreporting and no significant improvement or difference was observed between 1991 and 2006 censuses.
{"title":"Digit preference in Nigerian censuses data of 1991 and 2006","authors":"T. Dahiru, H. Dikko","doi":"10.2427/8843","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8843","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Background: censuses in developing countries are prone to errors of age misreporting due to ignorance, low literacy levels and other social, economic and cultural factors. Ages are commonly rounded with great affinity for 0 or 5. This tendency to digit preference and/or avoidance results in age heaping or concentration of ages at certain digits. This study examined the extent of digit preference in the Nigerian census data of 1991 and 2006. \u0000Methods: this study utilized age data from the 1991 and 2006 Nigerian censuses reported in single years. The Whipple and Myers indices were used to determine the extent of digit preference. \u0000Results: both the 1991 and 2006 census data showed the expected pattern of errors, with Whipple and Myers indices being beyond acceptable levels. The Whipple index for 1991 and 2006 was 293 and 251 respectively, while the Myers index was 62.3 and 67.1 respectively. There was a strong preference for terminal digits 0 and 5, followed by 8 whereas terminal digits 1 and 9 were strongly avoided. \u0000Conclusions: the quality of age data in Nigerian census data is poor as a result of misreporting and no significant improvement or difference was observed between 1991 and 2006 censuses. \u0000","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90848767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. O. Sam-Wobo, O. Akintola, J. Atungwu, U. Ekpo, Monsuru A. Adeleke, C. Mafiana
Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) are public health problems in communities which lack basic social amenities with poor hygienic conditions. Studies were carried out to determine the prevalence and effect of schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths infection on labour input on rice production in 9 rice-growing communities of Ogun State. Parasitological examinations of urine and faecal samples, and structured questionnaires were conducted on 243 consented individuals from May 2009 to March 2010. The results showed an overall prevalence of 17% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 12% for hookworms, 2% for Trichuris trichiura, 1% for Schistosoma haematobium and 1% for Schistosoma mansoni. A. lumbricoides and hookworms were more prevalent in Agbajege (25%), and varied in the other 8 communities. T. trichiura was prevalent in three communities, Agbajege (5%), Akodu (4.2%), and Moloko-Asipa (4.8 %); S. haematobium was prevalent only in Ayedere (2.6%) and Lufoko (8%), while S. mansoni was prevalent only in Moloko-Asipa (9.5%). Infections among the gender were varied as 26.3 % of males and 33.8 % of females had an overall prevalence of: A. lumbricoides (16.8%), hookworms (11.8%), T. trichiura (1.6%), S. haematobium (1.1%) and S. mansoni (1.1%). On frequency of infection to incapacitation per year, 45% of respondents were incapacitated 1-2 times, 27% 3-4 times and 19% were incapacitated more than 4 times. Understanding the effect of these two diseases will not only improve the health status of residents but also increase their productivity and ensure food security.
{"title":"Prevalence and effect of schistosome and soil-transmitted helminth infection on labour input in rice-growing communities of Ogun State, Nigeria","authors":"S. O. Sam-Wobo, O. Akintola, J. Atungwu, U. Ekpo, Monsuru A. Adeleke, C. Mafiana","doi":"10.2427/8841","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8841","url":null,"abstract":"Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) are public health problems in communities which lack basic social amenities with poor hygienic conditions. Studies were carried out to determine the prevalence and effect of schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminths infection on labour input on rice production in 9 rice-growing communities of Ogun State. Parasitological examinations of urine and faecal samples, and structured questionnaires were conducted on 243 consented individuals from May 2009 to March 2010. The results showed an overall prevalence of 17% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 12% for hookworms, 2% for Trichuris trichiura, 1% for Schistosoma haematobium and 1% for Schistosoma mansoni. A. lumbricoides and hookworms were more prevalent in Agbajege (25%), and varied in the other 8 communities. T. trichiura was prevalent in three communities, Agbajege (5%), Akodu (4.2%), and Moloko-Asipa (4.8 %); S. haematobium was prevalent only in Ayedere (2.6%) and Lufoko (8%), while S. mansoni was prevalent only in Moloko-Asipa (9.5%). Infections among the gender were varied as 26.3 % of males and 33.8 % of females had an overall prevalence of: A. lumbricoides (16.8%), hookworms (11.8%), T. trichiura (1.6%), S. haematobium (1.1%) and S. mansoni (1.1%). On frequency of infection to incapacitation per year, 45% of respondents were incapacitated 1-2 times, 27% 3-4 times and 19% were incapacitated more than 4 times. Understanding the effect of these two diseases will not only improve the health status of residents but also increase their productivity and ensure food security.","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"69 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77393919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
With the advent of open access publishing, coupled with easy electronic access to journals, many of the historical constraints towards access to the litterature – both as an author and as a reader – have recently been reshaped, and are still changing, raising among others issues about the quality of what is published. Many aspects are being looked at very carefully, but so far the role of the media has only occasionally been investigated. On one side, more and more scholars oppose the current use of...
{"title":"Open Access, impact and quality: an even harder future for gatekeepers?","authors":"F. Turone","doi":"10.2427/8953","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/8953","url":null,"abstract":"With the advent of open access publishing, coupled with easy electronic access to journals, many of the historical constraints towards access to the litterature – both as an author and as a reader – have recently been reshaped, and are still changing, raising among others issues about the quality of what is published. Many aspects are being looked at very carefully, but so far the role of the media has only occasionally been investigated. On one side, more and more scholars oppose the current use of...","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90401351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charles Everett Koop was a great Surgeon General, probably the most influential in the history of the United States of America. He never missed courage in his life and often he had used it to tackle professional and personal tough problems. In his public activity, he faced controversial health problems of American people as smoking, abortion and the first occurrence of the epidemic Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Koop was a rigorous man. The lodestar that guided Koop in his work, as a public servant was to do the best for health of Americans. In his prestigious and difficult role, he faced the pressing problems of health of millions of people trying to avoid political influence. During his mandate of eight years, Koop increased the influence and authority of his role. His appearance and behaviour were unmistakable: Lincolnesque beard and uniform, conduct hard and pure, exclusively oriented to the health of citizens, over the personal conveniences, political pressure and lobbying. An exemplary man, who for his passion for medicine and his sincere interest in promoting public health, was affectionately considered the "Family Doctor of America".
{"title":"Charles Everett Koop: the “Family doctor of America”","authors":"Roberto Bucci, V. Colamesta, G. Torre","doi":"10.2427/9046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2427/9046","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Charles Everett Koop was a great Surgeon General, probably the most influential in the history of the United States of America. He never missed courage in his life and often he had used it to tackle professional and personal tough problems. \u0000In his public activity, he faced controversial health problems of American people as smoking, abortion and the first occurrence of the epidemic Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Koop was a rigorous man. The lodestar that guided Koop in his work, as a public servant was to do the best for health of Americans. In his prestigious and difficult role, he faced the pressing problems of health of millions of people trying to avoid political influence. During his mandate of eight years, Koop increased the influence and authority of his role. His appearance and behaviour were unmistakable: Lincolnesque beard and uniform, conduct hard and pure, exclusively oriented to the health of citizens, over the personal conveniences, political pressure and lobbying. An exemplary man, who for his passion for medicine and his sincere interest in promoting public health, was affectionately considered the \"Family Doctor of America\". \u0000","PeriodicalId":45811,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83463542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}