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Migrant*innen haben gesundheitliche Vor- und Nachteile gegenüber der nicht-migrierten Bevölkerung. Der Zusammenhang zwischen Migration und Gesundheit ist mehrdimensional, weitere – insbesondere soziale – Faktoren müssen bei der Interpretation beachtet werden. Erklärungsmodelle bilden die Komplexität des Zusammenhangs ab. Die zentralen Modelle haben eine Perspektive auf den gesamten Lebenslauf von migrierten Menschen (vor, während und nach der Migration). Sie helfen der kommunalen Gesundheitspolitik, geeignete Daten zu erheben und wirksame Interventionen zu entwickeln.
Migrants and their offspring, referred to as people with a migration background in this article, are an utmost heterogeneous group whose health situation can be better, similar or worse compared to the health of the population without a migration background. A better understanding of the health of people with a migration background requires the consideration of their individual life course as well as several additional explanatory factors. The latter include, for instance, their social position, age, and gender, as well as the policies, health care system, social climate, living situation, and length of stay in the destination country. Particularly promising public health strategies for migrant health include a combination of migration sensitive and migration specific offers, setting approaches, and inclusionary public health approaches that critically reflect on mechanisms of othering, marginalization, and exclusion.
Background: In Germany, more than 4.65 million people are currently living with a cancer diagnosis. Patients can benefit from a healthy lifestyle both during and after therapy. In order to provide patients with practical and scientifically based information on health behavior, the authors developed “Aktiv leben mit Krebs” (ALMIK) using participatory program planning.
Methods: A non-blinded randomized controlled trial with intervention (IG) and wait list control group (WCG) was conducted at NCT/UCC Dresden and UCCSH in Kiel in 2022/2023 with a convenience sample of n=227 patients during and after therapy (65.7 years ± 11.7, 54.2% male). IG and WCG received a questionnaire at baseline and after 1 month. IG received the ALMIK brochure and a link to the website with videos. Changes in health literacy (HLS-EU Q) and acceptance were assessed.
Result: Acceptance of ALMIK in IG was high: 94.1% of all n=109 patients in the IG reported having used the brochure. 40.4% had visited the website. Videos were used by 36.7%. Almost all patients rated the brochure as understandable (97.8%), relevant (90.3%) and clearly presented (98.9%).
Patients also rated the website as well-structured (95.6%) and attractively designed (97.6%), and the videos as understandable (93.0%) and relevant (79.1%). Overall, 97.8% were satisfied with the program and 98.9% would recommend it to others. Patients of IG did not achieve higher HLS-score
in comparison to WCG (p=0.75).
Discussion: The brochure was used by many patients and was very well accepted. The website and videos were used less frequently, but overall by more than one-third of patients, who were also satisfied with them. Health literacy was not increased by ALMIK, which may be due to the low
intervention strength.
Conclusion: The high number of participants who used ALMIK indicates a high need for health behavior information for cancer patients. Patient involvement has proven to be an important component in creating well accepted program materials
Background: In Germany, various preventive services are offered to children and adolescents. These include regular standardized examinations (so called U/J examinations) and several vaccinations. Although strongly recommended, most of them are not mandatory. Our aim is to identify factors associated with the use of U/J examinations and vaccination against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib, pertussis, polio, and tetanus. While previous research has focused on sociodemographic factors, we also include socioeconomic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors.
Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 15,023 participants (aged 0-17 years) of the nationwide representative KiGGS Wave 2 Survey. Participation in U/J examinations was assessed using a questionnaire, filled out by participants and/or their parents. Information on vaccination status was drawn from the participants' vaccination booklets. To identify relevant determinants for the use of preventive examinations and vaccinations, unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were employed with up to 16 different independent variables.
Results: Various independent variables showed an association with the use of preventive services. Higher socioeconomic status, absence of migration background, and lower household size were associated with significantly higher utilization of U examinations. Parents' marital status, area of residence, behavioral and psychosocial factors yielded insignificant results for most U/J examinations. Higher vaccination rates were found for children with no migration background, with residence in eastern Germany, lower household size, and with married parents.
Conclusion: This study attempted to depict the influence of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors on the use of several preventive services. Our results indicate that predominantly sociodemographic variables influence the use of preventive services. Further efforts should be made to investigate the interplay of different determinants of healthcare use in children and adolescents.
Background: Besides macrolevel characteristics of a health care system, mesolevel access characteristics can exert influence on socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare use. These reflect access to healthcare, which is shaped on a smaller scale than the national level, by the institutions and establishments of a health system that individuals interact with on a regular basis. This scoping review maps the existing evidence about the influence of mesolevel access characteristics and socioeconomic position on healthcare use. Furthermore, it summarizes the evidence on the interaction between mesolevel access characteristics and socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare use.
Methods: We used the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO and followed the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR)' recommendations. The included quantitative studies used a measure of socioeconomic position, a mesolevel access characteristic, and a measure of individual healthcare utilisation. Studies published between 2000 and 2020 in high income countries were considered.
Results: Of the 9501 potentially eligible manuscripts, 158 studies were included after a two-stage screening process. The included studies contained a wide spectrum of outcomes and were thus summarised to the overarching categories: use of preventive services, use of curative services, and potentially avoidable service use. Exemplary outcomes were screening uptake, physician visits and avoidable hospitalisations. Access variables included healthcare system characteristics such as physician density or distance to physician. The effects of socioeconomic position on healthcare use as well as of mesolevel access characteristics were investigated by most studies. The results show that socioeconomic and access factors play a crucial role in healthcare use. However, the interaction between socioeconomic position and mesolevel access characteristics is addressed in only few studies.
Conclusions: Socioeconomic position and mesolevel access characteristics are important when examining variation in healthcare use. Additionally, studies provide initial evidence that moderation effects exist between the two factors, although research on this topic is sparse. Further research is needed to investigate whether adapting access characteristics at the mesolevel can reduce socioeconomic inequity in health care use.
Research suggests that children of low-educated parents face greater health burdens during the passage from adolescence to young adulthood, as they are more likely to become low-educated themselves, establish behavioural and psychosocial disadvantages, or being exposed to unhealthy working conditions. However, studies examining the development and drivers of health inequalities during this particular life stage are limited in number and have produced varied results. This study investigates trajectories of self-rated health and overweight from 14 to 25 years of age, stratified by parental education, and explores the role of potential mediators (educational achievement, health behaviours, psychosocial factors, working conditions). We rely on prospective cohort data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), a representative sample of 14,981 German ninth graders interviewed yearly from 2011 to 2021 (n = 90,096 person-years). First, we estimated random-effects growth curves for self-rated health and overweight over participants’ age and calculated the average marginal effect of high versus low parental education. Second, a series of simulation-based mediation analyses were
performed to test how much of health inequalities were explained by children’s educational attainment (years of school education, years in university), health behaviours (smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity), psychosocial factors (number of grade repetitions, years in unemployment, chronic stress, self-esteem) and working conditions (physical and psychosocial job demands). We accounted for potential confounding by controlling for age, sex, migration background, residential area, household composition, and interview mode. Results show that higher parental education was related to higher self-rated health and lower probabilities of being overweight. Interaction between parental education and age indicated that, after some equalisation in late adolescence, health inequalities increased in young adulthood. Furthermore, educational attainment, health behaviours, psychosocial factors, and early-career working conditions played a significant role in mediating health inequalities. Of the variables examined, the level of school education and years spent in university were particular strong mediating factors. School education accounted for around one-third of the inequalities in self-rated health and one-fifth of the differences in overweight among individuals. Results support the idea that the transition to adulthood is a sensitive period in life and that early socio-economic adversity increases the likelihood to accumulate health disadvantages in multiple dimensions. In Germany, a country with comparatively low educational mobility, intergenerational continuities in class location seem to play a key role in the explanation of health inequalities in
youth.
Digitalisierung und Gesundheit: Ergebnisse einer zweiten bundesweiten Befragung in Deutschland
(2024)
Diese Studie untersuchte Einstellungen zu und Nutzung von digitalen Technologien im Gesundheitskontext anhand einer zweiten bundesweiten Befragung von Internetnutzenden in Deutschland. Unser Ziel war es zu ermitteln, ob und wie sich Einstellungen zu und Nutzung von digitalen Technologien im Gesundheitskontext zwei Jahre nach der ersten Befragung verändert haben.
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.
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.
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)
Background
Midwifery care is increasingly discussed in terms of its ability to promote a self-determined childbirth. The degree of self-determination (SD) depends on the extent to which women's preferences are negotiated and implemented. From the perspective of midwives in different obstetric settings in Germany, this study answered the research question: “How do midwives deal with women's preferences during birth?”.
Methods
11 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with active midwives. The sample showed a high variance in terms of obstetric settings (clinics, birth centers, home births), regions, and participants’ characteristics (e. g. experience, age). All interviews were recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed using the Grounded Theory Methodology (Strauss/Corbin, 1994).
Results
A model consisting of 7 steps was developed: 1) Interpret the situation; 2) Prioritize relevant parameters; 3) Determine a frame of possibilities; 4) Match the preference(s) to the frame of possibilities; 5) Negotiate preference(s); 6) Continuously monitor contextual/situational changes; 7) Adjust the frame of possibilities. The actions are related to contextual conditions (structural; interpersonal; personal; health situation; course of birth; understanding of birth). The model shows how midwives can promote SD even if prior preferences are discarded or modified at birth.
Conclusions
The model describes how midwives in Germany deal with women's preferences during birth, which factors they consider decisive in doing so, and how SD may be promoted despite of discarded or modified preferences. Further research should examine the role of relationship building, test the model with regard to its generalizability, and use it to analyze and support person-centered midwifery care.
Key messages
• The model describes how midwives in different obstetric settings in Germany deal with women’s preferences during birth and, thereby, influence self-determination.
• Midwives can promote self-determination also if prior preferences are discarded, modified, or redeveloped at birth.
Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect depressive symptoms? Longitudinal analysis of health worker data
(2023)
Background
Health workers play a vital role in response to outbreaks under pandemic circumstances, but are also highly vulnerable to stress-related mental health issues (e.g., due to pandemic workload). There are knowledge gaps regarding temporal development of the emergence of depressive symptoms among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and their determinants. This study examined the trajectory of depressive symptoms and their association with a) stress perception, b) own COVID-19 infection and c) COVID-19 exposure at work.
Methods
This cohort study with 91 health workers (90% female, x⎯⎯=45
years) from a German general hospital included (1) medical, nursing and therapeutic staff and (2) administrative staff. Data were collected longitudinally every month from July to December 2020. Linear multilevel models were used to evaluate associations between trajectories of depression scores (German ‘General Depression Scale’) with perceived stress (‘Perceived Stress Scale’). Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection was tested as a moderator of depressive symptom development. Trajectoires of depressive symptom modalities (e.g., somatic, emotional) were analysed stratified by COVID-19 exposure at work.
Results
Depression scores increased across the study period (b=.03, .02-.05). Perceived stress was associated with depression scores (b=.12, .10-.14). The presence of health workers’ own COVID-19 infection was associated with a higher increase (b=.06, .01-.10). Somatic symptoms of depression increased over time only among health workers directly exposed to COVID-19 patients at work (b=.25, .13-.38).
Conclusions
The increase in depressive symptomatology among health workers exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace points to the need for further research. Since the infection with COVID-19 is associated with an increase of depressive symptoms across time, awareness should be raised about measures to protect against virus transmission, especially during a pandemic.
Exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace is associated with increased somatic depressive symptoms.
Migration and its influence on population health is a very dynamic but also normal and continuous phenomenon happening permanently in human history and most societies. Immigrants may have been exposed in ways that differ from those of the non-migrant population over their whole life course, including the period before migration, the migration process, and the period after migration. Epidemiological studies on the health experience of migrants have provided important insights into disease etiology but obviously also serve to identify exposure and risk differences between different population groups, and their determinants. This chapter presents an overview of the history and importance of studies among migrants and ethnic minorities. It provides insights into concepts, definitions, and terminology, as well as data sources that can be used for epidemiological research in this field. Key studies that shape the research field are presented. Detailed data both for the migrant populations of interest and for comparison populations are required for a comprehensive, theory-based assessment of the changing health of migrants. Modern, diversity-sensible epidemiological and health research needs to routinely endorse all fundamental quality requirements of epidemiological research and should strive for a system’s perspective to fully understand the interplay of influences and conditions shaping the health of migrant populations and population health in general.
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.
Health inequalities exist between people with and without a migration background in many societies. These inequalities seem to be perpetuated to the offspring generation born in the host country. This phenomenon is also observed among people of Turkish origin in Germany. Stress psychological and stress biological processes during pregnancy may play an important role in how maternal conditions may be transmitted to the child. We present here findings on the role of Turkish migration background for psychological stress experiences and stress biology during pregnancy. 140 pregnant women (81 non migrant German, 33 of Turkish origin, 26 of other origin) participated in a prospective cohort study that was carried out in Bielefeld and Berlin and that encompassed two study visits during pregnancy at first and second trimester pregnancy (Spallek et al., 2020). At both study visits, we derived concentrations of maternal inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6) and diurnal cortisol profiles, and participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Multilevel models showed that Turkish-origin women had increased inflammatory levels (Spallek et al., 2021), a blunted cortisol awakening response and flatter diurnal cortisol slope (Entringer et al., 2022), and they exhibited higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms during pregnancy compared to non-migrant women after adjustment for socioeconomic factors. Women of Turkish origin show increased stress levels on the psychological and biological level during pregnancy.
The potential role of this elevated stress for the offspring’s health is subject to future analyses.
Hintergrund und Stand der Forschung: Die Förderung einer selbstbestimmten Geburt wird in öffentlichen, fachlichen und politischen Diskursen zunehmend als ein Charakteristikum guter Geburtshilfe diskutiert. Der Grad der Selbstbestimmung hängt maßgeblich davon ab, inwieweit die Präferenzen (Wünsche, Vorstellungen) Gebärender verhandelt und umgesetzt werden (können). Bislang liegt jedoch keine aktuelle, empirisch informierte Theorie zum Umgang von Hebammen mit den Präferenzen Gebärender in Deutschland unter der Berücksichtigung verschiedener Geburtshilfe-Settings vor.
Fragestellung und Zielsetzung, Hypothese: Im Rahmen des qualitativen Forschungsprojekts „Wie erleben Hebammen in Deutschland die Selbstbestimmung Gebärender?“ (2021–2024) wurde die folgende Fragestellung aus der Perspektive der teilnehmenden Hebammen untersucht: „Wie gehen Hebammen in Deutschland mit den Präferenzen Gebärender um?“.
Methode: Es wurden 11 problemzentrierte Einzelinterviews mit Hebammen durchgeführt. Eingeschlossen wurden Hebammen mit laufender oder abgeschlossener Ausbildung, deren letzte begleitete Geburt max. 6 Monate zurücklag. Ziel des Samplings war eine größtmögliche Varianz in Bezug auf repräsentierte Settings (Kliniken, Geburtshäuser, Hausgeburten), geografische Regionen und individuelle Merkmale (u.a. Erfahrung, Alter) der Teilnehmenden. Die Interviews wurden aufgezeichnet, transkribiert, anonymisiert und mittels der Grounded Theory Methodologie nach Strauss/Corbin ausgewertet. Ein positives Ethik-Votum liegt vor.
Ergebnisse: Das Modell umfasst 7 Handlungsschritte:
1. Situationsdeutung; 2. Abwägen und Priorisieren relevanter Parameter; 3. Bestimmen des Möglichkeitsrahmens für die Gestaltung der Geburt; 4. Abgleich der Präferenz(en) mit dem Möglichkeitsrahmen; 5. Verhandeln der Präferenz(en); 6. Kontinuierliches Überwachen kontextueller/situativer Änderungen; 7. ggf. Anpassen/Neubestimmung des Möglichkeitsrahmens.
Die Handlungen stehen in wechselseitiger Beziehung zu kontextuellen Bedingungen (strukturell; interpersonell; persönlich-individuell; gesundheitliche Situation; Geburtsverlauf; Geburtsverständnis). Selbstbestimmung ist gemäß des Modells auch dann möglich, wenn vorherige Präferenzen unter der Geburt verworfen, geändert und/oder neu entwickelt werden.
Diskussion: Das empirisch informierte Modell beschreibt, wie Hebammen mit den Präferenzen Gebärender umgehen und dadurch Selbstbestimmung unter der Geburt beeinflussen. Es trifft keine Aussage darüber, inwieweit eine Geburt als „gut“ erlebt wird oder gelten kann. Im weiteren Verlauf der Studie wird untersucht, inwieweit die Beziehungsgestaltung sich auf die Handlungsschritte auswirkt. Das induktiv entwickelte Modell sollte im Zuge weiterer Forschung hinsichtlich seiner Generalisierbarkeit überprüft werden.
Implikation für die Forschung: Das Modell leistet einen Beitrag zum Verständnis dessen, wie Hebammen mit den Präferenzen Gebärender umgehen, welche Einflussfaktoren und Abwägungen dabei von Bedeutung sind und inwieweit Selbstbestimmung auch verworfene, geänderte oder neu entwickelte Präferenzen unter der Geburt einschließt.
Background
People of Turkish origin constitute one of the biggest migrant groups in Germany. They have an increased risk to develop stress-related health disadvantages, and this risk is also prevalent in the offspring generation from early ages on. We have conducted a multi-site prospective cohort study to examine the role of stress and stress biology in this intergenerational perpetuation of health disparities.
Methods
140 pregnant women (33 of Turkish origin) participated in a prospective cohort study with two study visits during pregnancy and one after birth (T1: 20-25 weeks of gestation, T2: 30-35 weeks of gestation, T3: four weeks after birth). At T1 and T2, women completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and collected saliva samples after awakening, 30 minutes after awakening, and in the evening, and venous blood samples were collected for analysis of CRP and IL-6 concentrations.
Results
Multilevel models showed that Turkish-origin women exhibited higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms, had increased inflammatory levels (Spallek et al., 2021), a blunted cortisol awakening response and flatter diurnal cortisol slope during pregnancy compared to non-migrant women after adjustment for socioeconomic factors.Some of the effects were mainly driven by 2nd generation migrants.
Conclusions
Increased levels of psychosocial stress and stress-related biological alterations among Turkish-origin pregnant women may contribute to the intergenerational transmission of health disadvantages in this group.
Objective
Few studies have investigated health inequalities among young workers. The objectives of this study are to assess the extent of health inequalities in a sample of job starters and to explore the contribution of job demands and organisational factors.
Methods
We analyze data from the BIBB/BAuA Youth Employment Survey 2012. The cross-sectional survey includes a representative sample of 3214 German employees, apprentices, and trainees aged 15–24 years. Individuals were grouped by their years of schooling into low (< 12 years) and high levels of education (≥ 12 years). Regression analysis estimated the link between education and four health outcomes: self-rated health, number of health events, musculoskeletal symptoms, and mental health problems over the last 12 months. Counterfactual mediation analysis tested for indirect effects of education via working conditions (i.e., physical and psychosocial job demands) and company characteristics (i.e., company size, health prevention measures, financial situation, downsizing). All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, nationality, region, working hours, job tenure, employment relationship, and economic sector.
Results
Highly educated workers reported better self-rated health (b = 0.24, 95% CI 0.18–0.31) and lower numbers of health events (Rate Ratio (RR) = 0.74, 95% CI 0.67–0.82), musculoskeletal symptoms (RR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.66–0.80) and mental health problems (RR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.76–0.93). Total job demands explained between 21.6% and 87.2% of the educational differences (depending on health outcome). Unfavourable company characteristics were associated with worse health, but showed no or only small mediation effects.
Conclusions
Health inequalities are already present at the early working career due to socio-economically stratified working hazards. To enhance prevention measures that aim at reducing inequalities in workplace health, we propose shifting attention towards earlier stages of life.
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.