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Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is age-dependent and has a high prevalence in the general population. Most patients are managed in ambulatory care. This systematic review provides an updated overview of quality and content of international clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis and management of non-dialysis CKD relevant to patients in ambulatory care. Methods: We identified guidelines published from 2012-to March 2018 in guideline portals, databases and by manual search. Methodological quality was assessed with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument.
Recommendations were extracted and evaluated.
Results: Eight hundred fifty-two publications were identified, 9 of which were eligible guidelines. Methodological quality ranged from 34 to 77%, with domains “scope and purpose” and “clarity of presentation” attaining highest and “applicability” lowest scores. Guidelines were similar in recommendations on CKD definition, screening of patients with diabetes and hypertension, blood pressure targets and referral of patients with progressive or stage G4 CKD. Definition of high risk groups and recommended tests in newly diagnosed CKD varied.
Conclusions: Guidelines quality ranged from moderate to high. Guidelines generally agreed on management of patients with high risk or advanced CKD, but varied in regarding the range of recommended measurements, the need for referrals to nephrology, monitoring intervals and comprehensiveness. More research is needed on efficient management of patients with low risk of CKD progression to end stage renal disease.
Background:
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has an age-dependent prevalence of 10% in adults. The majority of CKD patients are treated in general practice. Although international guidelines recommend referral in patients with GFR <30, the German Societies for Nephrology and Internal Medicine recommend specialist referral for all subjects with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <45 or eGFR 45-59 ml/min/ 1,73m2 with additional risk factors. This analysis was performed to evaluate the public health implications of lowering the threshold value for referral.
Methods:
Data of the population based cohort Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2) were analysed to estimate the proportion of subjects who meet different referral criteria, billing data to estimate actual referral rate and public health implications of implementing different referral criteria were estimated with regard to cost and health resources utilization.
Results:
Data of 2328 subjects from SHIP-2 (53% female; age M = 57 Jahre, SD = 14)were analyzed. 3% of subjects had eGFR<45ml/min/1,73m2. 6% had an eGFR between 45-59 ml/min/1,73m2. Proposed German referral criteria were met by 8% of subjects, with 41% in the age group 80+ meeting referral criteria, wheras NICE and KDIGO criteria limited referral to 1-2%. Yearly referral as estimated from billing data was ca.2%. Results are preliminary and data comparing cost and health resources utilization will be available at the conference.
Conclusions:
Adherence to the proposed German referral criteria would greatly increase the number of referrals, especially in the elderly. This can lead to a major increase in cost, as well as serious problems with respect to the capacity of the nephrological workforce. Because of lack of a specific nephrological therapy in earlier stages of CKD in patients without additional risk factors, the benefit of increasing referrals in this group seems doubtful. Referral criteria for common medical conditions should be evaluated rigorously.
Die Sozialepidemiologie befasst sich mit der sozialen Verteilung von Erkrankungsrisiken und Gesundheitschancen und den daraus resultierenden gesundheitlichen Ungleichheiten. Für die letzten 20 Jahre lässt sich ein kontinuierlicher Zuwachs an sozialepidemiologischen Forschungsbefunden in Deutschland konstatieren. Mit den gesundheitlichen Ungleichheiten und den sozialen Determinanten der Gesundheit adressiert die Sozialepidemiologie Kernbereiche von Public Health, deren Bearbeitung auch in Zukunft erheblichen Einfluss auf die wissenschaftlichen, politischen und praxisorientierten Perspektiven des Fachs haben dürfte.
Das Zusammenspiel zwischen Migration, Gesundheit und sozialer Lage ist durch verschiedene Wirkmechanismen gekennzeichnet. Die soziale Lage beeinflusst gesundheitliche Chancen und Risiken sowie die Migration selbst und trägt dazu bei, ob migrationsbedingte Einflüsse auf die Gesundheit verstärkt oder abgeschwächt werden. Migration ist bedeutend für die Erklärung gesundheitlicher Ungleichheit, obgleich Verzerrungen und Messartefakte bei Interpretationen berücksichtigt werden müssen.
Background:
The population-based mammography screening program (MSP) is aimed to reduce breast cancer mortality, to detect breast cancer at an early stage, and to allow for less invasive treatment. However, it also has
some potential harms, such as overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Therefore, it is necessary that women receive sufficient and balanced information to enable informed decision-making. We examined knowledge about benefits and harms of the MSP in Germany among first-time invitees of different socio-demographic backgrounds.
Methods:
This observational study assessed knowledge about benefits and harms of the MSP among women who were invited to the MSP for the first time by six multiple choice items, using a postal survey. We investigated (i)
single items of knowledge, (ii) the distribution of sufficient knowledge stratified by education, migration status and
invitation, and (iii) possible determinants of sufficient knowledge by analyzing Odds Ratios (ORs) using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression.
Results:
In total, 5397 women included in the analyses. 46.1% of the study population had sufficient knowledge about benefits and harms of the MSP. However, women with low educational level and migration background had
higher proportions of insufficient knowledge and used most frequently the option “don’t know”. Women had the most difficulties answering the numeric question and the question about the target group correctly. Results from the logistic regression showed that the odds of having sufficient knowledge were higher among well-educated women (OR 3.84, 95%CI 3.24–4.55), among women who already received the MSP invitation (OR 1.38, 95%CI 1.20–1.59) and lowest among Turkish women (OR 0.14, 95%CI 0.07–0.25).
Conclusions:
Women with low education and migration background need adapted information regarding benefits and harms of the MSP and are important target groups for further developing the information material about
mammography screening to reduce disparities in knowledge and enable informed decision-making.
Background: Health disparities, including adverse birth outcomes, exist between Turkish immigrants and the autochthonous population in Germany. The state of research on the risk of preterm birth (PTB, defined as <37 weeks of gestation), the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity, among Turkish immigrant women is mixed. Perceived discrimination is discussed in the context of health disparities related to migration. We examined whether PTB risk is also increased in Turkish immigrant women in Germany and whether perceived discrimination due to origin contributes to this risk.
Methods: We selected a sample from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study of German autochthonous and Turkish immigrant women who recently gave birth (between 2002 and 2016) (N = 2,525, incl. n = 217 Turkish immigrant women of which n = 111 completed an item on perceived discrimination). The included variables of central interest were immigrant status, perceived discrimination, gestational age, and socioeconomic situation.
Results: Logistic regression models indicated that PTB risk was significantly higher for Turkish immigrant women than autochthonous women (OR: 2.75, 95% CI [1.79–4.16]), even when adjusting for socioeconomic status. Within the subsample of Turkish immigrant women, perceived discrimination was related to a significantly higher PTB risk (OR: 4.91, 95% CI [1.76–15.06]).
Conclusions: Our study provides evidence for a higher PTB risk in Turkish immigrant women compared to autochthonous women in Germany. Perceived discrimination may contribute to this higher risk. The findings represent an important first step towards developing targeted interventions to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes in minority groups.
Hintergrund:
Im ersten Lebensjahr erfolgt ein schrittweiser Übergang von Muttermilch bzw. Säuglingsmilchnahrung zur Familienkost, wobei die erste Gabe von Beikost zwischen 5. und 7. Lebensmonat erfolgen soll. Es ist wenig bekannt über soziodemographische bzw. klinische Einflussfaktoren auf die Beikosteinführung.
Methodik:
Datengrundlage der vorliegenden Untersuchung waren Baseline und erstes Follow-Up der Bielefelder Geburtskohorte BaBi (2013 – 2016, n = 777). Angaben zur Stilldauer, Einführung von Beikost sowie der Getränkegabe vor und während der Einführung von Beikost wurden telefonisch erhoben, als die Säuglinge zwischen neun und 12 Monaten alt waren. Einflussfaktoren auf die Beikosteinführung wurden mittels bi-und multivariater Datenanalyse untersucht.
Ergebnisse:
Bei Einführung der Beikost waren die Säuglinge im Mittel 5,4 ± 1,2 Monate alt. 2,6% der Säuglinge waren jünger als vier Monate, 12,5% der Säuglinge waren älter als 6,5 Monate. Lineare Regressionsanalysen zeigten eine direkte Assoziation zwischen der ausschließlichen Stilldauer bzw. dem Säuglingsalter bei letzter Mutter-/Säuglingsmilchgabe und dem Beikostbeginn (b = 0,31 [95%KI = 0,26 – 0,36; p ≤ 0,001; b = 0,12 [95% KI 0,07 – 0,18], p ≤ 0,001). Mütterliche Determinanten wie Alter, Bildungsstatus, Migrationsstatus, Familienstand, Parität, pränataler BMI und Rauchstatus vor und während der Schwangerschaft hatten keinen Einfluss auf den Beginn der Beikostgabe. 73,6% der befragten Frauen gaben an, schon einmal Probleme mit dem Füttern seit Beginn der Beikosteinführung gehabt zu haben.
Diskussion:
In der vorliegenden Analyse erfolgte der Beikostbeginn unabhängig von soziodemographischen und klinischen Parametern, jedoch führte längeres ausschließliches Stillen bzw. längere Mutter-/Säuglingsmilchgabe zu einem späteren Beikostbeginn. Weitere Untersuchungen sind notwendig, um Art, Umfang und mögliche Auswirkungen berichteter Probleme bei der Beikosteinführung bzw. eines verzögerten Beikostbeginns auf Mutter und Kind zu quantifizieren.
Einleitung:
In Deutschland raucht noch immer etwa jede fünfte junge Frau Tabakzigaretten. Gleichzeitig erfreuen sich E-Zigaretten auch in Deutschland insbesondere unter jungen Erwachsenen zunehmender Beliebtheit. Maternaler Nikotinkonsum birgt schwerwiegende Risiken für die Schwangere und das Kind. Das Ziel dieser Studie war es, den Konsum von Tabak- und E-Zigaretten sowie die Risikowahrnehmung bezüglich E-Zigaretten unter Schwangeren zu erfassen.
Methode:
In der STudy on E-cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) wurden im Rahmen eines quantitativen Studienteils für 575 Schwangere an einer Geburtsklinik in Hamburg von April 2018 bis Januar 2019 die Tabak- und die E-Zigarettennutzung erfasst. In einem qualitativen netnographischen Studienteil wurden insgesamt über 1.000 Posts in webbasierten Schwangerschaftsforen inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet.
Ergebnisse:
Unmittelbar vor der Schwangerschaft nutzten 26,9% der Schwangeren Tabakzigaretten und 7,8% E-Zigaretten. Die Prävalenzen reduzierten sich dann im ersten Trimenon auf 9,0% für Tabakzigaretten und 0,5% für E-Zigaretten. Am Ende der Schwangerschaft rauchten noch 3,1% aller Befragten Tabakzigaretten – darunter jede Vierte mehr als 10 Zigaretten/Tag – und 0,2% nutzten durchgängig E-Zigaretten. Die netnographische Analyse zeigte eine große Verunsicherung bei Schwangeren hinsichtlich der Risiken der E-Zigarettennutzung.
Diskussion:
Die Ergebnisse zeigten für das hier untersuchte Kollektiv, dass noch immer etwa jede zehnte Schwangere zu Beginn der Schwangerschaft Tabakzigaretten raucht. Dagegen ist E-Zigarettenkonsum in der Schwangerschaft nur wenig verbreitet, wenngleich er im Internet teilweise als unschädlich, harmlos und als Alternative zur Tabakzigarette diskutiert wird. Im Rahmen der Prävention sollten die potenziellen Gesundheitsgefahren und die umstrittene Wirksamkeit der E-Zigarette als Tabakentwöhnungshilfe thematisiert und von der E-Zigarettennutzung in der Schwangerschaft dringend abgeraten werden.
Objective
Previous studies have shown that e-cigarettes are perceived as being less harmful than tobacco cigarettes by pregnant women and might be used to quit smoking during pregnancy. Our aim was to further explore and characterise perceived threats, benefits and barriers of e-cigarette use during pregnancy.
Methods
Our STudy on E-cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) was, among others, based on a netnographic approach of analysing existing threads in German-speaking online discussion forums dealing with perceived threats and benefits of e-cigarette use during pregnancy. For the analysis, we used an inductive-deductive qualitative content analysis.
Findings
Based on 25 online discussion threads containing 1552 posts, we identified perceived threats, perceived benefits and perceived barriers to e-cigarette use during pregnancy, among others, as main themes. Subthemes identified within the main theme perceived threats were severe nicotine related health risks, potential health risks of additional ingredients, relative risks and lack of knowledge and research studies. As perceived benefits, we identified possibility and facilitation of smoking cessation, harm reduction and financial benefits. Perceived barriers were lack of satisfaction and social stigma.
Conclusion
Our qualitative results suggest that the perception of the health threats related to e-cigarette use during pregnancy varies according to the nicotine content and the perception of relative risks compared with tobacco cigarettes. In addition to this, risk perception is defined through further health and non-health related barriers and benefits (e.g. suitability of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, social stigma).
Ziel der Studie: Die medizinische Versorgung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist von Verteilungsproblemen geprägt. Vor allem in ländlichen Regionen droht Unterversorgung. In dieser Studie wurde untersucht, wie ältere Bewohner des Landkreises Oberspreewald-Lausitz (OSL) des Bundeslandes Brandenburg ihre derzeitige medizinische Versorgungssituation einschätzen und welche Wünsche und Bedenken sie hinsichtlich deren zukünftigen Entwicklung im Jahr 2030 haben.
Methodik: In der vorliegenden Querschnitterhebung wurden 3006 Einwohner im Alter von 50–56 Jahren und von 65–71 Jahren des Landkreises OSL befragt. Ein Fragebogen mit geschlossenem und offenem Antwortformat wurde zur Erfassung der Zielstellung eingesetzt.
Ergebnisse: In der vorliegenden Untersuchung äußerten sich die Einwohner des Landkreises OSL aktuell zufrieden oder sehr zufrieden mit der hausärztlichen (93,1%) und der fachärztlichen Versorgung (83,3%). Innerhalb des Landkreises zeigen sich in einigen Regionen Defizite. Im Gebiet Lauchhammer/Schwarzheide äußerten sich insbesondere zur fachärztlichen Versorgung 27,1% der Befragten unzufrieden oder sehr unzufrieden. Alternative und ergänzende Versorgungsangebote wie die Community Nurse sind akzeptierte, jedoch derzeit unterrepräsentierte Maßnahmen zur Sicherstellung der zukünftigen medizinischen Versorgung.
Schlussfolgerung: Derzeit zeigen sich Bewohner des ländlichen, metropolenfernen Landkreises OSL zufrieden mit der ambulanten medizinischen Versorgung, jedoch stellen sich in einigen Regionen Defizite, insbesondere bei der zukünftigen Facharztversorgung dar. Alternative Versorgungsangebote wie Telemedizin sind seitens der Bewohner gewünschte Maßnahmen zur Ergänzung und Sicherstellung der zukünftigen medizinischen Versorgung im ländlichen Raum.
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.