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Children with a migration background are more at risk of health-related problems than those without a migration background. The German health system still does not adequately meet the challenges of on increasingly heterogeneous population, not least due to a lack of adequate epidemiological data and models. The BaBi study contributes to gaining new insights in the development of health inequalities due to cultural diversity in Germany, with a focus on pregnancy and early childhood.
Inequalities in the utilisation of primary and specialist physicians in Europe - a systematic review
(2019)
Background: The evidence on inequalities in health clearly shows that people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) have poorer health and higher mortality. Nevertheless, generalized evidence for inequalities in healthcare is lacking. So far, the international literature was only summarised with regard to inequalities in the utilisation of disease-specific treatment. Therefore, our aim was to synthetize the literature on socioeconomic inequalities in the utilisation of primary and specialist physicians in the general population.
Methods: This systematic review searched Medline und Web of Science from 2004 to 2018. Articles that reported quantitative data on the association of SES with utilisation of primary or specialist physicians in Europe were included. Title and abstract screening were performed by two independent researchers and 50 full texts are currently sifted whether they fulfil the inclusion criteria.
Results: The studies analysed utilisation of physicians in terms of probability or frequency. The initial check of the studies indicates that socioeconomic inequalities in the utilisation of physicians differ between primary and specialist care. Specialist physicians were found to be visited with a higher probability and more often by the least disadvantaged in most studies. Inequalities in the utilisation of primary physicians revealed to be more diverse with a weak pattern of equally distributed probability of GP visits and more frequent utilisation by the disadvantaged.
Conclusions: The preliminary results indicate that pro-rich utilisation seems to be more pronounced in visiting specialists compared to primary health care. Aiming to reduce inequalities in healthcare, public health actions might primarily focus on reaching a needs-based consultation of specialist physicians.
Background: Neighbourhood possesses attributes, structural, physical and social, for which pathways to health inequalities could be hypothesized. Hence, neighbourhood is a complex mixture of factors which cannot be simply defined by a delineation on a map, making common definitions of neighbourhood (e.g. administrative borders) problematic. We present a new concept for the evaluation of contextual health inequalities in an urban setting.
Methods: An ego-centred approach to neighbourhood effects on health allows to establish to what degree the health outcomes of a person are on average correlated to the health outcomes of his/her neighbours. This approach does not necessitate the definition of what a neighbourhood is, or of its boundaries. Using data from the BaBi birth cohort following up 958 mother-child pairs in Bielefeld/Germany we illustrate how the method provides information about the spatial structure of a possible association between unmeasured neighbourhood factors and birthweight. Spatially correlated birthweight indicates a neighbourhood effect on maternal health.
Results: A parametric model of the correlation structure gives two indicators: a distance after which health outcomes are no longer correlated (practical range), and the strength of correlation (RSV). We modelled birthweight directly and residuals after controlling for (spatially correlated) covariates. After adjusting for the mother’s demographics and neighbourhood characteristics, birthweights remained spatially correlated with RSV of 11% and a practical range of 128 m.
Conclusions: Modelling the spatial correlation of a health outcome provides a measure of the degree of health correlation, thus offering new evidence on the production of health inequalities while incorporating current modelling approaches. Moreover, it measures heterogeneity in a city. This could be used as an indicator for policy makers or town planners to identify areas in need of socioeconomic investment.
Die Bevölkerungsgruppe der Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund umfasst fast ein Viertel der Gesamtbevölkerung in Deutschland und ist höchst heterogen. Pauschalisierende Aussagen zum Gesundheitsstatus dieser Gruppe sind daher nicht möglich. Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund sind nicht grundsätzlich gesünder oder kränker als die Mehrheitsbevölkerung. Allerdings können sie sich aufgrund von Expositionen vor, während und nach der Migration in ihren Gesundheitschancen und -risiken von der Mehrheitsbevölkerung unterscheiden. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung sollten daraus resultierende spezifische Bedarfe ebenso berücksichtigen wie die Diversität der Bevölkerung insgesamt. Erfolgversprechend ist eine Kombination aus diversitätssensiblen, für die Gesamtbevölkerung zugänglichen Angeboten und migrationsspezifischen Ansätzen in besonders risikoreichen Situationen. Kommunale, settingorientierte sowie soziokulturell angepasste Angebote verbessern die Erreichbarkeit der Zielgruppen maßgeblich.
Background: Immigrants in Germany exhibit higher levels of social disadvantage when compared to the non-immigrated population. Turkish-origin immigrants constitute an important immigrant group in Germany and show disparities in some health domains that are evident from birth onwards. Several studies have shown the mechanisms by which social disadvantage is biologically embedded to affect health over the lifespan. Relatively little, however, is still known about if and how the maternal social situation is transmitted to the next generation. This study therefore aims to analyse the effects of maternal socioeconomic status and migration status on stress-related maternal-placental-fetal (MPF) biological processes during pregnancy on infant birth and health outcomes.
Methods: This longitudinal cohort study of N = 144 child-mother dyads is located at two study sites in Germany and includes pregnant women of Turkish origin living in Germany as well as pregnant German women. During pregnancy, MPF stress biology markers from maternal blood and saliva samples, maternal socio-economic and migration-related information, medical risk variables and psychological well-being are assessed. After birth, infant anthropometric measures and developmental outcomes are assessed. The same measures will be assessed in and compared to Turkish pregnant women based on a collaboration with BABIP study in Istanbul.
Discussion: This is the first study on intergenerational transmission of health disparities in Germany with a focus on women of Turkish-origin. The study faces similar risks of bias as other birth cohorts do. The study has implemented various measures, e.g. culturally sensitive recruitment strategies, attempt to recruit and follow-up as many pregnant women as possible independent of their social or cultural background. Nevertheless, the response rate among lower-educated families is lower. The possibility to compare results with a cohort from Turkey is a strength of this study. However, starting at different times and with slightly different recruitment strategies and designs may result in cohort effects and may affect comparability of the sub-cohorts.
Introduction: The neighbourhood in which one lives affects health through complex pathways not yet fully understood. A way to move forward in assessing these pathways direction is to explore the spatial structure of health phenomena to generate hypotheses and examine whether the neighbourhood characteristics are able to explain this spatial structure. We compare the spatial structure of two cardiovascular disease risk factors in three European urban areas, thus assessing if a non-measured neighbourhood effect or spatial processes is present by either modelling the correlation structure at individual level or by estimating the intra-class correlation within administrative units. Methods: Data from three independent studies (RECORD, DHS and BaBi), covering each a European urban area, are used. The characteristics of the spatial correlation structure of cardiovascular risk factors (BMI and systolic blood pressure) adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment and income are estimated by fitting an exponential model to the semi-variogram based on the geo-coordinates of places of residence. For comparison purposes, a random effect model is also fitted to estimate the intra-class correlation within administrative units. We then discuss the benefits of modelling the correlation structure to evaluate the presence of unmeasured spatial effects on health. Results: BMI and blood pressure are consistently found to be spatially structured across the studies, the spatial correlation structures being stronger for BMI. Eight to 22% of the variability in BMI were spatially structured with radii ranging from 100 to 240 m (range). Only a small part of the correlation of residuals was explained by adjusting for the correlation within administrative units (from 0 to 4 percentage points). Discussion: The individual spatial correlation approach provides much stronger evidence of spatial effects than the multilevel approach even for small administrative units. Spatial correlation structure offers new possibilities to assess the relevant spatial scale for health. Stronger correlation structure seen for BMI may be due to neighbourhood socioeconomic conditions and processes like social norms at work in the immediate neighbourhood.
Background
Health disparities in children of immigrants are prevalent from birth and are hypothesized to – in part – emerge as a biological consequence of migration’s unfavorable social and psychological sequelae. The aim of this study was to examine whether maternal migrant background is associated with inflammation during pregnancy - a key pathway by which maternal states and conditions during pregnancy may influence fetal development and subsequent pregnancy, birth, and child developmental and health outcomes.
Material and Methods
Data was available from 126 pregnant women who participated in a population based multi-site prospective birth cohort study in Bielefeld and Berlin, Germany. The study included two study visits in mid- and late pregnancy. At each visit, a composite maternal pro-inflammatory score was derived from circulating levels of plasma inflammatory markers (IL-6, CRP). Migrant background was defined by country of origin of participants and their parents’ (Turkey or other) and generation status (1st or 2nd generation). We applied hierarchical linear models (HLM) in order to quantify the relationship between different migrant background variables and inflammation during pregnancy after adjustment for potential confounders (including socioeconomic status).
Results
Migrant background was significantly associated with inflammation during pregnancy. When compared to women without migrant background, levels of inflammation were increased in 1) pregnant women with migrant background in general (B = 0.35, SE = 0.12, p < .01); 2) 1st (B = 0.28, SE = 0.15, p < .10) and 2nd generation (B = 0.40, SE = 0.15, p < .01); 3) women with a Turkish migrant background (B = 0.28, SE = 0.14, p < .10) and women with another migrant background (B = 0.42, SE = 0.15, p <.01); and 4) 2nd generation Turkish origin women (B = 0.38, SE = 0.20, p <.10), 1st generation women with other migrant background (B = 0.44, SE = 0.26, p <.10), and 2nd generation women with other migrant background (B=0.43, SE = 0.17, p <.05).
Discussion
Our findings support a role for maternal inflammation as a pathway of intergenerational transmission of migration-related health inequalities, suggest that the effect seems to persist in 2nd generation immigrants, and highlight the need for future research and targeted interventions in this context.
Objective: Official German recommendations advise women to start taking folic acid supplementation (FAS) before conception and continue during the first pregnancy trimester to lower the risk of birth defects. Women from lower socioeconomic background and ethnic minorities tend to be less likely to take FAS in other European countries. As little is known about the determinants of FAS in Germany, we aimed to investigate the association between FAS and formal education and migration background, adjusting for demographic factors.
Design: We used data (2013-2016) on nutrition and socioeconomic and migration background from the baseline questionnaire of the BaBi cohort study. We performed multivariate regressions and mediation analyses.
Setting: Bielefeld, Germany.
Participants: 947 women (pregnant or who had given birth in the past two months).
Results: 16.7% of the participants (158/947) didn't use FAS. Migration-related variables (e.g. language, length of stay) were not associated with FAS in the adjusted models. FAS was lower in women with lower level of formal education and in unplanned pregnancies. Reasons given by women for not taking FAS were unplanned pregnancy and lack of knowledge of FAS.
Conclusions: Health practitioners may be inclined to see migrant women as an inherently at-risk group for failed intake of FAS. However, it is primarily women who did not plan their pregnancy, and women of lower formal education level, who are at risk. Different public health strategies to counter low supplementation rates should be supported, those addressing the social determinants of health (i.e. education) and those more focussed on family planning.
Healthcare workers (HCW) play a vital role in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic control. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the risk of COVID-19 infections in a cohort of HCW from four different risk groups (from intensive care unit to administration) of a hospital of a primary care level in rural Germany. The outcomes were monthly measures of antibody seroprevalence over a period of 6 months. Overall, a seroprevalence of 13.41% was determined, with significantly higher prevalence rates among HCW working in areas with more frequent contact to confirmed or suspected cases (30.30%, p = 0.003). The group specific differences in the risk of infection from COVID-19 were detected, as HCW groups with frequent exposure seemed to have an increased risk (RR = 3.18, p = 0.02; CI95 1.09–9.24). The findings contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in an unvaccinated population group, which is highly relevant for the pandemic management.
Background
From birth to young adulthood, health and development of young people are strongly linked to their living situation, including their family’s socioeconomic position (SEP) and living environment. The impact of regional characteristics on development in early childhood beyond family SEP has been rarely investigated. This study aimed to identify regional predictors of global developmental delay at school entry taking family SEP into consideration.
Method
We used representative, population-based data from mandatory school entry examinations of the German federal state of Brandenburg in 2018/2019 with n=22,801 preschool children. By applying binary multilevel models, we hierarchically analyzed the effect of regional deprivation defined by the German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD) and rurality operationalized as inverted population density of the children’s school district on global developmental delay (GDD) while adjusting for family SEP (low, medium and high).
Results
Family SEP was significantly and strongly linked to GDD. Children with the highest family SEP showed a lower odds for GDD compared to a medium SEP (female: OR=4.26, male: OR=3.46) and low SEP (female: OR=16.58, male: OR=12.79). Furthermore, we discovered a smaller, but additional and independent effect of regional socioeconomic deprivation on GDD, with a higher odds for children from a more deprived school district (female: OR=1.35, male: OR=1.20). However, rurality did not show a significant link to GDD in preschool children beyond family SEP and regional deprivation.
Conclusion
Family SEP and regional deprivation are risk factors for child development and of particular interest to promote health of children in early childhood and over the life course.
Background:
Clinical practice guidelines recommend specialist referral according to different criteria. The aim was to assess recommended and observed referral rate and health care expenditure according to recommendations from:
• Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO,2012)
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE,2014)
• German Society of Nephrology/German Society of Internal Medicine (DGfN/DGIM,2015)
• German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM,2019)
• Kidney failure risk equation (NICE,2021)
Methods:
Data of the population-based cohort Study of Health in Pomerania were matched with claims data. Proportion of subjects meeting referral criteria and corresponding health care expenditures were calculated and projected to the population of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Results:
Data from 1927 subjects were analysed. Overall proportion of subjects meeting referral criteria ranged from 4.9% (DEGAM) to 8.3% (DGfN/DGIM). The majority of patients eligible for referral were ≥ 60 years. In subjects older than 60 years, differences were even more pronounced, and rates ranged from 9.7% (DEGAM) to 16.5% (DGfN/DGIM). Estimated population level costs varied between €1,432,440 (DEGAM) and €2,386,186 (DGfN/DGIM). From 190 patients with eGFR < 60 ml/min, 15 had a risk of end stage renal disease > 5% within the next 5 years.
Conclusions:
Applying different referral criteria results in different referral rates and costs. Referral rates exceed actually observed consultation rates. Criteria need to be evaluated in terms of available workforce, resources and regarding over- and underutilization of nephrology services.
Background
Evaluation of the current physical therapy practice for German stroke rehabilitation with respect to the ‘Rehabilitation of Mobility after Stroke (ReMoS)’ guideline recommendations and the associated implementation factors.
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study employing an online survey was performed among German physical therapists in 2019. The survey consisted of three sections with open and closed questions: 1) self-reported use of ReMoS recommendations, 2) barriers of guideline use and 3) socio-demographic characteristics. The benchmark level for guideline adherent physical therapy was set at > 80%.
Results
Data from 170 questionnaires were eligible for analysis. Participants’ mean age was 41.6 years, 69.4% were female, while 60.1% had no academic degree. The ReMoS guideline was unknown to 52.9% of the responders. Out of all the 46 ReMoS guideline recommendations, only ‘intensive walking training without a treadmill’ was reported to be performed in a guideline adherent manner. Respondents usually denied any personal limitations, such as limited knowledge, or that the ReMoS guideline did not fit their routine practice.
Conclusions
Among German physical therapists, the ReMoS guideline is not well-known and many interventions are not performed as recommended, illustrating the discrepancies between the ReMoS guideline recommendations and current physical therapy practice. Interventions aimed at overcoming this gap should consider both knowledge of existing barriers and facilitators of guideline usage.
Objective: Evidence-based guidelines are important for informing clinical decision-making and improving patient outcomes. There is inconsistent usage of guidelines among physical therapists involved in stroke rehabilitation, suggesting the existence of a gap between theory and practice. Addressing the German guideline “evidence-based rehabilitation of mobility after stroke (ReMoS),” the aims of this project are (1) to describe the current physical therapy practice within the context of stroke rehabilitation in Germany, (2) to evaluate barriers and facilitators of guideline usage, (3) to develop, and (4) to pilot test a theory-based, tailored implementation intervention for the benefit of guideline recommendations.
Materials and Methods: This study uses a stepwise mixed methods approach for implementing a local guideline. A self-reported online questionnaire will be used to survey the current physical therapy practice in stroke rehabilitation. The same survey and systematic-mixed methods review will be used to evaluate the barriers and facilitators of guideline usage quantitatively. Semi-structured interviews will add a qualitative perspective on factors that influence ReMoS guideline implementation. The Behavior Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework will be used to support the development of a tailored implementation intervention which will be pilot tested in a controlled study. Patient and physical therapy-related outcomes, as well as the appropriateness, such as acceptance and feasibility of the tailored implementation intervention, will be analyzed.
Conclusion: This will be the first endeavor to implement a guideline in German stroke rehabilitation with a focus on changing care provider behavior based on the knowledge of current practice and determining factors using a tailored and theory-based intervention.
Angesichts der immer stärker werdenden Diskussion um die Bedeutung von Gesundheit für den schulischen und außerschulischen Bildungs- und Lernprozess und der Risiken wachsender gesundheitlicher Ungleichheit bei Kindern und Jugendlichen (Hurrelmann/Richter 2013, Lampert et al. 2019) ist die Etablierung eines Studienganges „Gesundheitspädagogik und Gesundheitsdidaktik“ längst überfällig und von besonderer Bedeutung für gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit (Goldfriedrich & Hurrelmann, 2021a; 2021b).
Dieses Konzeptpapier stellt einen Modellstudiengang vor, bei dem insbesondere die Vermittlungsebenen – also die gesundheitsdidaktischen Gegenstandsbereiche – im Vordergrund stehen. Die Ausarbeitungen des Entwurfs basieren auf der Grundlage politischer Bestrebungen, der bisherigen Forschung zur Gesundheitspädagogik und Gesundheitsdidaktik, den Erkenntnissen der Erziehungs- und Gesundheitswissenschaften sowie wissenschaftlichen und interprofessionellen Beiträgen des Netzwerks Gesundheitsdidaktik (bestehend aus 33 Expert*innen aus 24 Fachbereichen).
Hintergrund: Die Sozialepidemiologie in Deutschland konnte in den letzten Jahrzehnten in wichtigen Fragen zur internationalen Forschung aufschließen. Dennoch bestehen hierzulande im Vergleich zu vielen anderen Ländern weiterhin einige Datenlücken und „blinde Flecken“, z.B. hinsichtlich sozialer Unterschiede in der ursachenspezifischen Mortalität oder dem Zusammenspiel von individuellen und sozialräumlichen Einflüssen auf Gesundheit. Diese hängen u.a. mit fehlenden Verknüpfungsmöglichkeiten von Gesundheits- und Sozialdaten auf Individual- und Raumebene zusammen. Der German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD) des Robert Koch-Instituts stellt ein Maß zur Verfügung, mit dem ein Beitrag zur Bearbeitung dieser Fragen geleistet werden kann.
Methoden: Anhand von Anwendungsbeispielen werden Analysepotentiale des GISD für die Sozialepidemiologie in Deutschland aufgezeigt. Dafür wird der GISD mit Daten 1) der amtlichen Statistik (z.B. Todesursachenstatistik), 2) der Schuleingangsuntersuchung sowie 3) der Studie Corona-Monitoring bundesweit (RKISOEP- 2) auf kleinräumiger Ebene verknüpft. Zur Anwendung kommen epidemiologische Methoden wie die Berechnung altersstandardisierter Raten und relativer Risiken, u.a. mittels (Mehrebenen-)Regressionsmodellen.
Ergebnisse: 1) Für nahezu alle häufigen Todesursachen zeigt der GISD regionale sozioökonomische Gradienten in der Mortalität. Bei Krebserkrankungen beispielsweise weisen Frauen und Männer, die in sozioökonomisch hoch deprivierten Kreisen leben, eine bis zu dreimal höhere Lungenkrebssterblichkeit auf als jene in wohlhabenden Kreisen. 2) Hinsichtlich des allgemeinen Entwicklungsstandes von Kindern bei der Schuleingangsuntersuchung werden bei Kindern aus höher deprivierten Gemeinden häufiger Entwicklungsverzögerungen festgestellt, selbst nach Kontrolle für den familiären sozioökonomischen Status. 3) Die niedrigste COVID-19-Impfquote zeigte sich unabhängig von der regionalen sozioökonomischen Deprivation bei Personen mit niedrigen Bildungsabschlüssen. Stratifiziert nach GISD-Quintilen wird ersichtlich sich, dass diese Bildungsunterschiede in der Impfquote mit steigender sozioökonomischer Deprivation der Wohnregion zunehmen.
Diskussion: Der GISD bietet für die sozialepidemiologische Forschung ein breites Analysepotenzial. Insbesondere bei der Analyse gesundheitlicher Ungleichheit kann er für verschiedene Gesundheitsoutcomes und Lebensphasen zur Erschließung bislang ungenutzter Routinedatenquellen (z.B. Todesursachenstatistik) sowie Ergänzung von Routine- und Primärdaten dienen, um „blinde Flecke“ der Sozialepidemiologie in Deutschland zu verringern.
Use and attitudes toward digital technologies in health context: A nationwide survey in Germany
(2023)
Introduction Digital technologies, such as health apps, can contribute to health promotion and disease prevention. This study investigated the use and attitudes toward digital technologies in health context using a nationwide survey.
Methods Adult internet users (n=1020) from 16 federal states in Germany participated in computer-assisted telephone interviews in November 2022. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses.
Results Overall, 61% of participants reported internet use in health context. Among the users, digital technologies were used to obtain general health information by 63% and to support physical activity or to obtain information on cancer by less than 50%. Over 90% of users rated such technologies as easy to use and useful to obtain health information, to support physical activity or to obtain information on cancer. However, confidence in using the internet for health decisions was low. Digital technology use in health context was associated with higher eHealth literacy. Digital technologies were preferred by younger participants to support physical activity and by older participants to obtain information on cancer.
Conclusion Although digital technologies are easy to use, the use of digital technologies for health promotion and disease prevention and confidence in using the internet for health decisions were low among internet users in this study. Factors that promote digital technology use for health promotion and prevention need to be investigated in further studies.
Objective: People of Turkish origin (also referred to as “with a Turkish migrant background”) are one of the largest migrant groups in Germany and show disparities across different stress-related health outcomes. Specifically, women of Turkish origin in Germany have a greater risk for some mental health issues and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes compared to women without migrant background. We tested differences between women of Turkish origin and women without migrant background in self-reported pregnancy and postpartum stress experiences and depressive symptoms. Methods: 32 women of Turkish origin (mean age 29.7 years) and 77 women without migrant background (mean age 32 years) participated in a multi-site prospective cohort study with two study visits during pregnancy and one month postpartum. Women provided sociodemographic data and completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Center for Epidemiology – Depression (CESD) scale at each study visit. Results: Using hierarchical linear models, we found that women of Turkish origin (both first and second gen-
eration) reported more perceived stress (b = 0.57, CI: 0.29–0.84, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (b = 0.32, CI = 0.14–0.49, p < 0.001) compared to women without migrant background across gestation. A linear regression analysis showed that there was also a significant difference in depressive symptoms at one month postpartum (b = 0.35, CI = 0.03–0.66, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Tailored psychosocial interventions are needed to address mental health needs of pregnant Turkish origin women and to intervene on the possible transmission of stress-related health disadvantages to their offspring.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing public health issue in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs), making up about 90% of the global burden of GDM. Additionally, LMICs' healthcare systems are already overwhelmed by the prevalence of communicable diseases. It is crucial to understand the patterns of GDM in sub-Saharan African countries. Early detection, lifestyle and medication interventions, regular prenatal visits and effective postpartum management can help avert the future development of type 2 diabetes. GDM services present opportunities for preventive and treatment strategies for women with GDM. However, various factors contribute to challenges and obstacles in accessing GDM services, particularly suboptimal postpartum screening and follow-up. This study aims to investigate the societal and healthcare factors that facilitate or hinder access to and use of GDM services, as well as the factors that promote or obstruct the management and treatment of GDM, in Kenya, using a postcolonial theoretical approach.
Background
Social health inequalities are still of great public health importance in modern societies. The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected social inequalities in people's health due to containment measures. As these measures particularly affected children, they might have been particularly vulnerable to increased social inequalities. The aim of the study was to describe health inequalities during the pandemic based on language delay (LD) in children in order to inform public health interventions for a population at risk of long-term health and education inequalities.
Methods
Data of 5–7 year old children from three consecutive school entry surveys in the German federal state of Brandenburg were used, including data compulsorily collected before the pandemic (2018/2019: n = 19,299), at the beginning of the pandemic (2019/2020: n = 19,916) and during the pandemic (2020/2021: n = 19,698). Bivariate and multivariate binary regression analyses [OR, 95% CI] cross-sectionally examined the relationship between the prevalence of LD [yes/no] and social inequalities, operationalized by family socioeconomic position [SEP low/middle/high], migration background [native-German language/non-native German language] and length of kindergarten attendance [< 4 years/ ≥ 4 years]. Factors contributing to inequality in LD were examined by socioeconomic stratification.
Results
Cross-sectionally, LD prevalence has decreased overall (2018/2019: 21.1%, 2019/2020: 19.2%, 2020/2021: 18.8%), and among children from both high SEP and native German-speaking families. As LD prevalence increased among children from families with low SEP and remained stable among non-native German speakers, social inequalities in LD prevalence increased slightly during the pandemic i) by low SEP (2018/2019: OR = 4.41, 3.93–4.94; 2020/2021: OR = 5.12, 4.54–5.77) and ii) by non-German native language (2018/2019: OR = 2.22, 1.86–2.66; 2020/2021: OR = 2.54, 2.19–2.95). During the pandemic, both migration background and kindergarten attendance determined LD prevalence in the high and middle SEP strata. However, the measured factors did not contribute to LD prevalence in children from families with low SEP.
Conclusion
Social inequalities in LD increased due to opposing trends in prevalence comparing low and high SEP families. To promote health equity across the life course, early childhood should be of interest for tailored public health actions (e.g. through targeted interventions for kindergarten groups). Further analytical studies should investigate determinants (e.g., parental investment).
Migration und Gesundheit
(2023)