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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.
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: Informed choice is of ethical and practical importance in mammography screening. To assess the level to which decisions regarding such screening are informed is thus imperative, but no specific instrument has been available to measure informed choice in the German mammography screening programme. The aims of this study were to develop the Informed Choice in Mammography Screening Questionnaire (IMQ) and to find first evidence for the factor structure, reliability and validity of its different components.
Methods: The IMQ was sent to 17.349 women aged 50 in Westphalia-Lippe, Germany. The instrument has been developed after consideration of (1) the results of qualitative interviews on decision making in the mammography screening programme, (2) relevant literature on other informed choice instruments and (3) a qualitative study on influencing factors. The IMQ comprises 3 scales (attitude, norms, and barriers), 1 index (knowledge) and singular items covering intention to participate and sociodemographic variables. To assess the psychometric properties of the components of the IMQ, confirmatory factor and item response theory analyses were conducted. Additionally, reliability, validity and item statistics were assessed.
Results: 5.847 questionnaires were returned (response rate 33.7%). For attitude, the confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure. For norms, the model fit was not acceptable. Reliability levels were good with a Cronbach‘s α of.793 for attitude (4 items) and.795 for norms (5 items). For barriers, 9 items were deleted because of low discrimination indices; 6 items remained. The hypothesised assumption-subscale and the importance-subscale were confirmed, but these subscales showed poor reliabilities with Cronbach‘s α=.525 (4 items) and.583 (2 items). For the knowledge index, item response theory analysis showed that 6 out of 7 items were suitable. Hypotheses concerning the correlations between the different components were confirmed, which supported their convergent and divergent validity.
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the IMQ is a multidimensional instrument. Further development of the barriers and norms scales is necessary. The IMQ can be utilised to assess the level of informed choices as well as influencing factors.
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.
Background:
Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the most severe risk factors for early child death and developmental impairment. Epidemiological research suggests that immigrants from lower to higher income countries exhibit a health decline over time that is transmitted to the offspring generation in which health disparities become prevalent already at a very early age in terms of adverse birth outcomes. Perceived discrimination (PD) is discussed in the context of health disparities related to migration. The relationship between PD and health outcomes is still understudied among Turkish immigrants in Germany. We examined whether PD contributes to PTB risk in Turkish immigrant women.
Methods:
We used data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). The newborn questionnaire (“Mother-Child: Age 0-1”, 2003 – 2016, v33) provided information on birth outcomes and we included information on maternal socioeconomic situation, migration background and PD due to origin (for Turkish immigrant women only) that were collected in the survey before birth. The final sample comprised N = 2,525 (8.60% Turkish immigrant women). A dummy variable indicating occurrence of PTB (0 = non PTB, i.e. ≥ 37 wks of gestation, 1 = PTB, i.e. < 37 weeks of gestation) was used as the outcome variable in logistic regression models.
Results:
Logistic regression models on the whole sample indicated a higher risk of PTB among Turkish compared to German native women (OR: 2.75) that remained after adjusting for socioeconomic status. Within the subsample of Turkish women, prenatal PD was related to a higher risk for PTB (OR: 4.91).
Conclusions:
Unlike in other studies we found evidence for a higher prevalence of PTB among Turkish immigrant women in the SOEP data. PD may explain the prevalence of PTB among Turkish immigrant women in Germany. There is a need for further research examining the impact of discrimination on the intergenerational transmission of health disparities among Turkish immigrants in Germany.
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: 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.
Aim: In Germany, very little is known about the need for assistance and nursing care support among cancer patients after hospitalization. The aim of this study was to describe nursing care support for cancer patients and to analyse whether these patients need more care assistance than other persons in need for care.
Methods: This was a registry linkage study conducted in 2011. Cases were identified from the population-based cancer registry for the Muenster District in north-western Germany and in factually anonymised form linked by a semi-automatic probabilistic procedure (the standard procedure of the cancer registry) with medical examination records of patients applying for assistance and nursing care support from the regional statutory health insurance. The application records of 4,029 patients with colon, breast and prostate cancer were compared to a reference group of 13,104 non-cancer patients.
Results: In only 41.7% of colon, 45.8% of breast and 37.4% of prostate cancer patients was the malignancy the main underlying diagnostic cause for the application of assistance and nursing care. These patients were on average younger (mean age 71.1 vs. 76.8 years) than the non-cancer reference group, required higher levels of support (79.5 vs. 58.1% “considerable” or higher level care need) and their applications were less likely to be rejected (odds ratios [ORs] 0.26, 0.28, and 0.31, respectively). By contrast, the proportion of successful applications and the level of support granted did not differ between multimorbid cancer patients with other main diagnoses as compared to non-cancer applicants.
Conclusion: Patients with colon, breast or prostate cancer do not need per se more nursing care than non-cancer patients. Only if cancer is the main underlying diagnosis for nursing care support, higher levels of support are needed.