Journal of health monitoring最新文献

Background: Regional deprivation indices enable researchers to analyse associations between socioeconomic disadvantages and health outcomes even if the health data of interest does not include information on the individuals' socioeconomic position. This article introduces the recent revision of the German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD) and presents associations with life expectancy as well as age-standardised cardiovascular mortality rates and cancer incidences as applications.

Methods: The GISD measures the level of socioeconomic deprivation using administrative data of education, employment, and income situations at the district and municipality level from the INKAR database. The indicators are weighted via principal component analyses. The regional distribution is depicted cartographically, regional level associations with health outcomes are presented.

Results: The principal component analysis indicates medium to high correlations of the indicators with the index subdimensions. Correlation analyses show that in districts with the lowest deprivation, the average life expectancy of men is approximately six years longer (up to three years longer for women) than for those from districts with the highest deprivation. A similar social gradient is observed for cardiovascular mortality and lung cancer incidence.

Conclusions: The GISD provides a valuable tool to analyse socioeconomic inequalities in health conditions, diseases, and their determinants at the regional level.

Background: In 2020/2021, the COVID-19 pandemic and the protective measures associated therewith severely limited the opportunity to participate in prevention and health promotion measures. The article examines the utilisation of the measures and possible factors that are associated with a lower participation during these pandemic years.

Methods: It is based on data acquired between March and August 2021 from the study 'COVID-19 vaccination rate monitoring in Germany' (COVIMO), a cross-sectional telephone survey. The data was used to examine the participation in preventive measures in the last 12 months in terms of sociodemographic factors and to analyse a decreased participation with regard to pandemic-related factors. The analysis sample includes individuals aged 18 years and over (n=3,998).

Results: 63% of participants generally did not use these programmes, 7% indicated an unchanged participation, 28% reported having participated in fewer measures, and 2% in more measures. Men reported significantly more often than women that they generally do not participate in prevention and health promotion measures. A relevant pandemic-related factor for decreased participation of men was the less clearly perceived comprehensibility of the regulations against the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Conclusions: Prevention and health promotion should be part of the contingency planning in epidemically significant situations to prevent a decreased participation and to promote health and gender-related equal opportunities even in a crisis.

Background: Measures for containing the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 resulted in drastic changes in physical activity and dietary habits that also impacted body weight.

Methods: The representative study German Health Update (GEDA 2021) includes self-reported information about body weight and body height for adults aged 18 years and older (n=2,985) from July to October 2021. In addition, the study asked about changes in body weight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: For 59% of participants, body weight has not changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, 26% report weight gain, and 15% report weight loss. Younger people indicate weight gain more often than older people, and individuals with obesity report weight gain more often than individuals without obesity. 1.5 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average weight change within the population is approximately +0.34kg.

Conclusions: The effects of restrictions in everyday life with regard to the possible negative impacts on body weight should be given greater consideration and should be monitored in the future.

Background: Sedentary behaviour is increasingly perceived as a risk factor for the development of diseases and for increased mortality. In particular, increased time spent sitting in combination with low physical activity seems to have negative health consequences.

Methods: In the nationwide cross-sectional study German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS), the indicator 'sitting' was captured by the self-report of the participants.

Results: For at least eight hours a day, 16.7% of women and 22.3% of men sit: Men more often than women, younger persons more often than older persons and the proportion increases significantly from the low to the high education group. Similarly, about one fifth of adults in Germany sit for at least four hours a day and do not engage in physical activity in their leisure time.

Conclusion: The results indicate that preventive measures are needed to reduce time spent sitting and increase physical activity.

Background: Smoking is a significant health risk and the leading cause of premature death. Passive smoke causes the same negative effects on health as smoking, albeit to a lesser extent. The reduction of tobacco consumption and the protection against passive smoke are thus important health objectives.

Methods: The study German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS) is a cross-sectional telephone survey (04/2019 to 09/2020) of the resident population in Germany with questions relating to the current smoking behaviour and relating to the passive smoke exposure. The analysis sample comprises 22,708 persons from 18 years of age.

Results: 24.0% of women and 33.9% of men from 18 years of age smoke currently, at least occasionally. Among both sexes, adults from 65 years of age smoke significantly more rarely than adults in the younger age groups. 4.1% of adults, who do not smoke themselves, are subjected daily to passive smoke exposure indoors. This affects in particular young adults and men. There are educational differences in tobacco consumption and in passive smoke exposure to the disadvantage of adults from lower educational groups.

Conclusions: In Germany, there is still a need for action for effective measures for tobacco prevention, smoking cessation and tobacco control policy, which are effective in all population groups and which take into account the concerns of socially disadvantaged groups.

Background: Overweight and obesity and their associated secondary diseases are of high public health relevance.

Methods: Self-reported body weight and body height data are available in the study German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS). The body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) was calculated and overweight (including obesity, BMI ≥25 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) were derived.

Results: According to this self-report, 53.5% of adults in Germany are overweight, men more often than women. The obesity prevalence for both sexes is 19.0%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity increases with age in both women and men. Obesity is significantly more prevalent in low education groups compared to high education groups. Compared to GEDA 2012, the prevalence of overweight is unchanged, but the obesity prevalence has continued to increase, particularly among 45- to 64-year-olds.

Conclusion: The prevention potential of avoiding overweight and obesity remains high.