The 1999 and 2004 Health Survey for England included 996 Bangladeshi women aged 16 years and above, 302 with a valid saliva sample and 694 without. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of under-reported tobacco use.

Fifteen per cent of Bangladeshi women with a saliva sample under-reported their personal tobacco use. Under-reporters were very similar to self-reported users except for being much more likely to report chewing paan without tobacco (47% versus 9%, P < 0.001). Under-reporters differed significantly from cotinine-validated non-users in most respects. Regression analyses confirmed that under-reporters and self-reported users were similar in age, education level and exposure to passive smoking. Under-reporters were older and less educated than cotinine-validated non-users. Both self-reported users [odds ratio (OR): 0.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04–0.30] and cotinine-validated non-users (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.20–0.89) were far less likely to report chewing paan without tobacco compared with under-reporters.

Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, under-reporters were not young, British-born, English-speaking women likely to be concealing smoking but resembled self-reported tobacco users except for being much more likely to report chewing paan without tobacco.

Temporal patterns in BC incidence rates, lung cancer (LC) death rates, smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption across time by sex were analyzed by calculating annual percent changes (APCs), using joinpoint regression, for Spain (1973–97), Sweden (1958–97) and the UK (1960–97).

APCs for overall BC incidence rates were increasing for both sexes, ranging from 1.43% (1.25; 1.60) (British men) to 3.79% (3.15; 4.44) (Spanish men). APCs for overall LC death rates were also increasing in Sweden and Spain, but the UK showed decreasing APCs for LC death rates in men: –0.48% (–0.86; 0.10). Spain showed decreasing APCs for smoking prevalence among men and increasing APCs among women, –1.65% (–1.79; –1.51) and 2.48% (1.97; 3.00), respectively, but no differences by sex were found for the UK and Sweden.

Findings indirectly reflected lag-time of minimum 30 years between smoking and onset of BC. The lack of sex differences for APCs of BC across these countries suggests potential contributions of changes in other population exposure levels.

A mall-intercept study was conducted with adult smokers (n = 312) and non-smokers (n = 291) in Ontario, Canada. Participants viewed pairs of cigarette packages that differed along a single attribute and completed ratings of perceived taste, tar delivery and health risk.

Respondents were significantly more likely to rate packages with the terms ‘light’, ‘mild’, ‘smooth’ and ‘silver’ as having a smoother taste, delivering less tar and lower health risk compared with ‘regular’ and ‘full flavor’ brands. Respondents also rated packages with lighter colors and a picture of a filter as significantly more likely to taste smooth, deliver less tar and lower risk. Smokers were significantly more likely than non-smokers to perceive brands as having a lower health risk, while smokers of light and mild cigarettes were significantly more likely than other smokers to perceive brands as smoother and reducing risk. Perceptions of taste were significantly associated with perceptions of tar level and risk.

The findings suggest that current regulations have failed to remove misleading information from tobacco packaging.

Survey data were collected from a sample of 1294 adolescents 13–20 years of age—from three under-privileged suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. Scores were calculated to measure the knowledge of and the perceived susceptibility by a series of statements related to the consequences of tobacco use. Bivariate and multivariate methods were used to assess the association of knowledge and perceived susceptibility with smoking, controlling for socio-demographic variables.

A logistic regression model showed that the odds of ever smoking among adolescents who had less knowledge of smoking were 1.9 times those of adolescents with more knowledge. Similar odds were demonstrated for adolescents who did not perceive themselves susceptible to smoking hazards compared with those who did.

These results suggest that awareness campaigns should focus on raising the perceived susceptibility of adolescents by including items that are more within the realm of an adolescent's frame of mind such as smelly clothes and discolored teeth.

A prospective cohort study of 1551 men and women aged around 55 years in 1988 when typical alcohol consumption was recalled using a 7-day grid. An average of 3.4 years later (1990/92), study participants were re-surveyed (n = 1259; 84.7% of the target population) when they responded to nurse-administered enquiries regarding minor psychiatric morbidity, self-perceived health, hypertension, accidents, overweight/obesity and financial difficulties. Study members were followed up for mortality experience over 18 years.

In fully adjusted analyses, surpassing guidelines for sensible alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of hypertension [daily guidelines only: P-value(trend): 0.012], financial problems [weekly guidelines: P-value(difference): 0.046] and, to a lesser degree, accidents [weekly guidelines: P-value(difference): 0.065]. There was no association between either indicator of alcohol intake and mortality risk.

In the present study, there was some evidence for a detrimental effect on health and social circumstances of exceeding current internationally recognized weekly and daily guidelines for alcohol intake.

Previous estimates of NHS costs attributable to alcohol consumption were identified by systematic literature review. The mortality and morbidity due to alcohol consumption was calculated using information from the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Project and routinely collected mortality data. Direct health-care costs were derived using information on population attributable fractions for conditions related to alcohol consumption and NHS cost data.

We estimate that alcohol consumption was responsible for 31 000 deaths in the UK in 2005 and that alcohol consumption cost the UK NHS £3.0 billion in 2005–06. Alcohol consumption was responsible for 10% of all disability adjusted life years in 2002 (male: 15%; female: 4%) in the UK.

Alcohol consumption is a considerable public health burden in the UK. The comparison of the health and economic burden of various lifestyle factors is essential in prioritizing and resourcing public health action.

Covariate capture–recapture methods to estimate (i) IDU prevalence; respondent driven sampling to measure (ii) prevalence of HCV and HIV and record linkage to measure (iii) mortality risk.

(i) The overall estimated number of IDU was 5540 (95% confidence interval, CI: 4710–6780) for all cases and 3280 (95% CI: 1940–4610) for cases matched to primary care register, i.e. a prevalence of 2.2 and 1.3% aged 15–54, respectively. (ii) The prevalence of HCV, hepatitis B and HIV was: 53, 32 and 0.7%. Over 70% of IDU in Bristol reported having at least one vaccination for HBV; more than half of those who were HCV positive were undiagnosed. (iii) The all-cause and overdose mortality rates for IDU were 0.75 and 0.4% respectively; and the standardized mortality ratio was 7.8 (95% CI: 5.4–10.8).

Locally specific and useful intelligence on injecting and its health consequence can be generated to inform local public health action, and may contribute information to validate national prevalence estimates.

Two local channels and three national channels, during a period of 7 h on weekday afternoons and 6 h on weekend mornings, were recorded for 7 days. A total of 235 h were recorded and analyzed.

A total of 8299 advertisements were registered; 22% were food-related and 50% were geared toward children. The average of food-related advertisements (FRAs) per half an hour was 4, and half of them were geared toward children. During the time that children may be watching television, 50% of all FRAs were potato and corn chips, desserts and cakes, juices, sweetened cereals, candies, cookies, sweetened beverages and fast foods, which comprises a higher percentage of adult-oriented FRA (32 versus 22%).

Children are systematically more exposed than adults to advertisements for high-energy-dense foods.

Prevalence ratios were calculated for 3740 children aged 1–59 months from 92 randomly selected villages of rural Pakistan using a cluster-adjusted log-binomial model. Level 1 variables included child and household characteristics and level 2 included village characteristics.

There were 25 more girl deaths than boys per 1000 live births (95% CI: 13.9, 48.6) among post-neonates and 38 more among children aged 12–59 months (95% CI: 10.5, 65.5). However, in adjusted analysis, gender was not a significant predictor of illness reporting, visit to health facilities, choice of provider, hospitalization and health expenditure. Significant predictors of health care were child's age, illness characteristics, number of children in the family, household socio-economic status and absence of girls' school in the village.

Differential care seeking for boys and girls is not seen in Thatta despite clear differences in mortality ratios. This calls for more creative research to identify pathways for gender differential in child mortality. Factors identified as influencing child health care and amenable to modification include poverty alleviation and girls' education.

Data from the Trent Cancer Registry were used to identify all women with invasive breast cancer, diagnosed in 1998–2006. Risk of diagnosis with late-stage breast cancer was calculated to quantify strength of association between exposure and outcome.

Women outside the age group for routine screening were approximately 30% [<50 years, relative risk (RR) = 1.34 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.26–1.43) and >70 years, RR = 1.27 (95% CI: 1.19–1.36)] more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer; the most deprived women were 37% [RR = 1.37 (95% CI: 1.01–2.56)] more likely to be diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer; ethnic minority women were 15% [RR = 1.15 (95% CI: 1.09–1.22)] more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and women resident in 5 of 11 Trent Primary Care Trusts (PCT) had a greater than 30% increased risk of diagnosis with late-stage breast cancer than those in Nottingham City PCT.

These findings highlight the need for appropriate targeted interventions to address compositional and contextual inequalities that are evident in breast cancer stage at diagnosis.

We analyzed the LBW proportion of single live babies born to 2032 first-time mothers between 2004 and 2005. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, analysis of variance, the Scheffe test and logistic regression.

About 14.8% of Aboriginal mothers and 18.7% of Aboriginal teen mothers gave birth to infants of LBW. Aboriginal mothers were found to be at higher risk of delivering LBW infants; however, after controlling for marital status and education, the influence of aboriginality and age was no longer significant.

Marital status and education are more important determinants of LBW than aboriginality and age in mountain townships of Taiwan.

Hospital Episode Statistics were used to explore inequalities in the provision of primary hip/knee operations in English NHS hospitals in 2002. Multilevel Poisson regression modelling was used to estimate rates of surgical provision by socio-demographic, hospital and distance variables. GIS software was used to estimate road travel times and create hospital catchment areas.

Rates of joint replacement increased with age before falling in those aged 80+. Women received more operations than men. People living in the most deprived areas obtained fewer hip, but more knee operations. Those in urban areas received less hip surgery, but there was no association for knee replacement. Controlling for hospital and distance measures did not attenuate the effects. Geographical variation across districts was observed with some districts showing inequality in socio-demographic factors, whereas others showed none at all.

This study found evidence of inequalities in the provision of joint replacement surgery. However, before we can conclude that there is inequity in receipts of healthcare, future research must consider whether these patterns are explained by variations in need across socio-demographic groups.

The design was an economic evaluation alongside a multicentre randomized controlled trial, in which 131 eligible women were randomly allocated to receive 18 months of intensive home visiting (n=67) or standard services (n=64). Due to the public health nature of the intervention a cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken from a societal perspective.

The mean ‘societal costs’ in the control and intervention arms were £3874 and £7120, respectively, a difference of £3246 (p<0.000). The mean ‘health service only’ costs were £3324 and £5685 respectively, a difference of £2361 (p<0.000). As well as significant improvements in maternal sensitivity and infant cooperativeness there was also a non-significant increase in the likelihood of the intervention group infants being removed from the home due to abuse and neglect. These incremental benefits were delivered at an incremental societal cost of £3246 per woman.

The results of the study provide evidence to suggest that, within the context of regular home visits, specially trained home visitors can increase maternal sensitivity and infant cooperativeness and are better able to identify infants in need of removal from the home for child protection. The extent to which these benefits are ‘worth’ the societal cost of £3246 per woman however is a matter of judgment.

The study reviewed 58 etoricoxib published trials (54 papers) to determine if they met the gender recommendations of the Guidelines of Food and Drug Administration (1993) and the Sex, Gender and Pain Special Interest Group Consensus Working Group Report (2007).

Women formed 70% of a total of 49 835 subjects included in the etoricoxib trials, but only 31% of the subjects were in Phase I. About 85.7% of trials did not show sex-stratified data. About 90.6 and 93.3% did not provide efficacy and adverse effects data by sex, respectively. There is scarce information about the influence of issues that specifically affect women.

Women are under-represented in the published etoricoxib trials, specifically, in Phase I. Sex-stratified data on efficacy and adverse effects are scarce in etoricoxib trials. Together with the lack of data on women-specific issues, this suggests that etoricoxib may pose the same potential problems for women as other cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.

Systematic review of quantitative (longitudinal before and after) and qualitative studies (1997–2008) reporting on the health (and health inequalities) effects of public health partnerships in England.

Eighteen electronic databases (medical, social science and economic), websites, bibliographies and expert contacts.

Only 15 studies, relating to six different interventions, met the review criteria and most of these studies were not designed specifically to assess the impact of partnership working on public health outcomes. Of the studies reviewed, only four included a quantitative element and they produced a mixed picture in terms of the impacts of partnership working. Qualitative studies suggested that some partnerships increased the profile of health inequalities on local policy agendas. Both the design of partnership interventions and of the studies evaluating them meant it was difficult to assess the extent to which identifiable successes and failures were attributable to partnership working.

This systematic review suggests that there is not yet any clear evidence of the effects of public health partnerships on health outcomes. More appropriately designed and timed studies are required to establish whether, and how, partnerships are effective.

A representative sample of 2374 Greek children aged 1–5 years was examined (GENESIS study). Several anthropometric, socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics were recorded.

The mean value of children's TV viewing time was 1.32 h/day. Twenty six percent of participants spent ≥2 h/day in TV viewing. The percentage of children whose TV viewing time was longer than 2 h/day was higher in children aged 3–5 years (32.2%) than in those aged 1–2 years (11.1%). Multiple logistic regression revealed that the time parents spent viewing TV and the region of residence were significantly associated with child's TV viewing time among children aged 3–5 years. Among children aged 1–2 years, the maternal educational status, the region of residence and the maternal TV viewing time were found to be related to child's TV viewing time.

The current findings suggest that almost one third of Greek preschoolers exceed the limit of 2 h/day TV viewing and that parental TV viewing time may be the most important determinant of children's TV viewing time.

We used name search methods to identify South Asians in a regional diabetes database. We compared prevalence rates, processes and outcomes of care between November 2003 and December 2004. We used standard literature search techniques.

The prevalence of diabetes in South Asians was 3–4 times higher than non-South Asians. South Asians were 1.11 times (95% confidence interval 1.06, 1.16) more likely to have a structured review. South Asian women were 1.10 times more likely to have a record of body mass index (95% CI 1.04, 1.16). HbA1c levels were 1.03 times higher (95% CI 1.00, 1.06) among South Asians, retinopathy 1.36 times more common (95% CI 1.03, 1.78) and hypertension 0.71 times as common (95% CI 0.58, 0.87).

We found evidence of equity in many aspects of diabetes care for South Asians in Tayside. The finding of higher HbA1c and more retinopathy among South Asians needs explanation and a service response. These findings from a region with a small non-White population largely support the recent findings from other parts of the UK.

Analysis of mortality for people aged 20 years and over using the 2001 Census data and death data from 1999 and 2001–2003.

England and Wales.

Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for alcohol-related deaths and HCC.

Mortality from alcohol-related deaths (23 502 deaths) was particularly high for people born in Ireland (SMR for men [M]: 236, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 219–254; SMR for women [F]: 212, 95% CI: 191–235) and Scotland (SMR-M: 187, CI: 173–213; SMR-F 182, CI: 163–205) and men born in India (SMR-M: 161, CI: 144–181). Low alcohol-related mortality was found in women born in other countries and men born in Bangladesh, Middle East, West Africa, Pakistan, China and Hong Kong, and the West Indies. Similar mortality patterns were observed by country of birth for alcoholic liver disease and other liver diseases. Mortality from HCC (8266 deaths) was particularly high for people born in Bangladesh (SMR-M: 523, CI: 380–701; SMR-F: 319, CI: 146–605), China and Hong Kong (SMR-M: 492, CI: 168–667; SMR-F: 323, CI: 184–524), West Africa (SMR-M: 440, CI, 308–609; SMR-F: 319, CI: 165–557) and Pakistan (SMR-M: 216, CI: 113–287; SMR-F: 215, CI: 133–319).

These findings show persistent differences in mortality by country of birth for both alcohol-related and HCC deaths and have important clinical and public health implications. New policy, research and practical action are required to address these differences.

A systematic review was carried out of studies identifying and supporting smokers from disadvantaged groups for smoking cessation, and providing and improving their access to smoking-cessation services. A wide range of electronic databases were searched and unpublished reports were identified from the national research register and key experts.

Over 7500 studies were screened and 48 were included. Some papers were of poor quality, most were observational studies and many did not report findings for disadvantaged smokers. Nevertheless, several methods of recruiting smokers, including proactively targeting patients on General Physician's registers, routine screening or other hospital appointments, were identified. Barriers to service use for disadvantaged groups were identified and providing cessation services in different settings appeared to improve access. We found preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of some interventions in increasing quitting behaviour in disadvantaged groups.

There is limited evidence on effective strategies to increase access to cessation services for disadvantaged smokers. While many studies collected socioeconomic data, very few analysed its contribution to the results. However, some potentially promising interventions were identified which merit further research.

A survey was carried out on 8702 adults living in 161 municipalities in Quebec areas with intensive farming activities. Data were collected by a telephonic interview on diarrheal symptoms that occurred during the previous week of the interview, on water consumption and on selected risk factors. Statistical analysis was performed using a ‘generalized estimating equations’ model.

Prevalence of diarrhea was found to be highest in adults aged between 25 and 34 years. No association was found between swine density or liquid manure application and diarrheal prevalence. There was also no association between cattle or total animal density and diarrheal prevalence. In the areas studied, there was no increase in risk associated with the consumption of tap water with suboptimal treatment and susceptible to microbiologic contamination.

Significant livestock production and excess of manure were not associated with the risk of diarrhea in adults.

Data from SOS Médecins were analysed and compared with data from the Sentinel network. The sensitivity and specificity of SOS Médecins system were evaluated for different simulated thresholds.

A relationship between the number of visits for influenza from SOS Médecins and the number of influenza cases from the Sentinel network was observed; data from the two systems were highly correlated. We showed the capacity of SOS Médecins system to identify outbreaks with a sensitivity and specificity of 93%.

The sensitivity and specificity of SOS Médecins for early outbreak detection showed the value of these data in monitoring influenza activity.

Time series of NHS Direct calls concerning ‘cold/flu’ and fever syndromes for England and Wales were compared against influenza-like-illness clinical incidence data and laboratory reports of influenza. Poisson regression models were used to derive NHS Direct thresholds. The early warning potential of thresholds was evaluated retrospectively for 2002–06 and prospectively for winter 2006–07.

NHS Direct ‘cold/flu’ and fever calls generally rose and peaked at the same time as clinical and laboratory influenza data. We derived a national ‘cold/flu’ threshold of 1.2% of total calls and a fever (5–14 years) threshold of 9%. An initial lower fever threshold of 7.7% was discarded as it produced false alarms. Thresholds provided 2 weeks advanced warning of seasonal influenza activity during three of the four winters studied retrospectively, and 6 days advance warning during prospective evaluation.

Syndromic thresholds based on NHS Direct data provide advance warning of influenza circulating in the community. We recommend that age-group specific thresholds be developed for other clinical influenza surveillance systems in the UK and elsewhere.

This study compiles the Cochrane reviews whose outcome measure is maternal mortality. Nine reviews documented the effectiveness of specific drugs given during pregnancy while six reviews demonstrated that particular drug regimens and procedures actually increase maternal death. Two of the Cochrane reviews found no significant difference in maternal mortality risk due to antioxidant use or in training traditional births attendants.

The dearth of evidence highlights the need for increased focus on clinical and community-based interventions that are feasible in sub-Saharan Africa. This cannot be accomplished without a stronger commitment to reducing maternal mortality by global health practitioners and researchers.

It was a population-based health survey utilizing a random cluster sampling design conducted in June 2005. Participants were recruited from the total population of primary school children attending years 1–4 with ages ranging from 8 to 10 years. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was assessed using the combined Raven's test, second edition. Linear regression analyses were applied to test for any association between water iodine concentration and IQ.

A total of 1229 students were recruited with a mean IQ of 105.8 (95% CI: 104.2–107.3). Water analyses indicated iodine concentrations were high in one rural region and exceedingly high in another with median values of 137.5 and 234.7 µg/l, respectively. There was a significant association between residing in the very high water iodine region and a reduction of IQ by an average of about nine points (P = 0.022), after adjusting for the potential confounding factors.

Exposure to high iodine concentrations in drinking water has detrimental effects on the intelligence of children.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of 827 secondary students enrolled in public and private schools in Beirut. Using a series of multiple logistic regression techniques, socio-demographic variables which significantly associated with violent behavior were included as potential confounders in building the models for risk behavior.

Nearly 42 and 17% of adolescents reported being involved in physical fights and weapon carrying, respectively. Boys were significantly more likely to use violence than girls. Whereas associations with physical fights were stronger for socio-economic variables and perceived rank in class, weapon carrying was significantly associated with problem behaviors, such as unintentional injury, substance abuse and sexual activity, with effect measures being stronger than those estimated for physical fighting.

Compared with other countries, the rates of violent behavior in Lebanon are relatively high. The results from this study are discussed in light of the political ecology of Lebanon which may contribute to a culture that perpetrates violent behavior and may have influenced the clustering pattern of risk behaviors.

In this cross-sectional survey, a sample of households was systematically selected from the central province of Trabzon and its nine towns. A total of 4809 adult subjects (2601 women and 2208 men) were included in the study. Demographic and socioeconomic factors, family history of selected medical conditions, and lifestyle factors were obtained for all participants. Systolic blood pressure (BP) and diastolic BP levels were measured for all subjects. The persons included in the questionnaire were invited to the local medical centers for blood examination between 08:00-10:00 following 12 hours of fasting. The levels of serum glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (Total-C), high density cholesterol (HDL-C), low density cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides were measured with autoanalyzer. Definition and classification of HT was performed according to guidelines from the US JNC-7 report. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of HT were assessed.

The prevalences of HT and preHT were 44.0% (46.1% in women and 41.6% in men) and 14.5% (12.6% in women and 16.8% in men), respectively. Overall, only 41% of the hypertensive individuals had been previously diagnosed. Furthermore, 54.5% of the hypertensive subjects were being treated with antihypertensive drugs (AHD), but only 24.3% of treated subjects had their BP adequately controlled. Among all hypertensive subjects (known and newly diagnosed), only 5.43% had their BP under control. The prevalence of HT increased with age, being highest in the 60- to 69-year-old age group (84.4%) but lower again in the 70+ age group. Interestingly, the prevalence was 16.9% in the 20-to 29-year old age group. HT was associated positively with marital status, parity, cessation of cigarette smoking, and negatively with level of education, alcohol consumption, current cigarette use, and physical activity. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that HT were significantly associated with age, male gender, BMI, low education level, nonsmoking, positive family history of selected medical conditions, occupation, and parity.

The Trabzon Hypertension Study data indicated that HT is very common and is an important health problem in the adult population of Trabzon. Patients who are unaware of their status and treated uncontrolled hypertensives are at high risk of early cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To control preHT and HT, effective public health education and urgent precautions are needed. The precautions include serious health education, a well-balanced diet and increasing physical activity.

We recruited 37 women awaiting their first consultation at public hospitals for breast symptoms. Interviews were transcribed and analysed based on the grounded theory approaches.

A two-stage help-seeking model provided the best interpretation of the data. Symptom recognition was triggered by symptom interpretation, symptom progression and social messages. Painful lumps were seen as symptomatic, but atypical symptoms were often dismissed as benign as they responded to dietary change. Symptom intensification and discussions with someone who had faced BC prompted consultation. Service utilization involved fear of consequences, confirmation need, symptom distress, lay referral, media prompts and opportunistic presentation. Fearing cancer as incurable delayed consultation. Utilization barriers included cost, uncertainty about referral pathways, competing priorities and embarrassment.

Atypical and painless presentation was more common among women delaying presentation. Barriers included cost, access, time and embarrassment. Education should emphasize atypical symptoms, the high-cure rate and the need for early presentation. Reduced cost and improved access to clinics would enhance early consultation.

The study was a retrospective analysis of the General Practice Research Database. The study cohort comprised ~900 000 patients each year from 183 general practices.

Among the Government's key target age group (16–24 years), there was a marked decrease in both prevalence and incidence of illicit drug misuse from 1998 to 2002 (P < 0.01). In older adults (25–59 years), the pattern was more variable during the first part of this period, but incidence remained stable from 2002 to 2005.

These data indicate that the problematic drug use in the UK may be declining and that the policies may be more effective than has been previously thought. General Practice data are nonetheless only part of the picture in terms of understanding the prevalence of problematic drug use.

Data supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was analysed to establish reasons for claiming benefit in Scotland and Glasgow between 2000 and 2007.

There has been a continuing rise in mental health diagnosis and a corresponding fall in musculoskeletal diagnosis during this period. More people were claiming because of mental health problems in Glasgow than in Scotland. Also those with a poor employment history (credits-only claimants) are more likely to claim IB because of a mental health problem. This study has shown a breakdown into 25 categories those claiming IB because of a mental health problem.

DWP data can be used to provide important insights into the trends in reasons for claiming IB, in particular those claiming because of mental health problems. This study also highlighted the growing importance of problems caused by alcohol and drug-abuse claimants, a subset of the mental health category. DWP data should be used at a local as well as a national level to guide and evaluate interventions to help this vulnerable group.

Medical records of women with abortion complications from 2003 to 2007 were reviewed (n = 773). Abortion and its complications with regard to legalization were described by rates and ratios, and predictors of fatal outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression.

The overall and abortion-related maternal mortality ratios (AMMRs) showed a non-statistically significant downward trend over the 5-year period. However, the case fatality rate of abortion increased from 1.1% in 2003 to 3.6% in 2007. Late gestational age, history of interference and presenting after new abortion legislation passed have been found to be significant predictors of mortality.

Decreased trends of abortion ratio and the AMMR were identified, but the severity of abortion complications and the case fatality rate increased during the transition of legal revision.

We conducted a comparative analysis of induced and spontaneous labours, using contemporary clinical data from the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank. Cases complicated by antenatal intrauterine death or a previous or planned caesarean section were excluded. In total, 17 736 cases were included in the analysis.

In 5727 (32.3%) cases labour was induced and in 12 009 (67.7%) cases it was spontaneous. Multivariate logistic regression modelling was used. In total, 18 case mix factors were predictive of IOL. Among these were well-recognized clinical indications for IOL such as pre-labour rupture of membranes (OR 3.29, 95% CI 2.90, 3.73) and prolonged pregnancy (OR 4.15, 95% CI 3.82, 4.50) and previously unreported case mix factors (residing an intermediate distance and travel time from hospital) (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.18, 1.37; BMI >35 OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.14, 1.65). Case mix explained 71.5% of the observed rate of IOL.

More than one-quarter of the rate of IOL remains unexplained by case mix factors. This may be explained by women's preferences for care and clinicians' practice.

Point prevalence studies were conducted four times per annum and over the period from 1995 to 2007.

A total of 57 360 patients were studied over the whole time period: 80.5% in somatic wards and 19.5% in psychiatric wards. The HAI rate was 6.9%, of which 8.1% were somatic and 1.9% psychiatric. 13.4% of operated patients had HAI, including 6.2% due to surgical wound infections. In somatic wards, 0.6–1% were re-admitted with HAI, 15.2–23% had infections and 18–23% used antibiotics. There was a reduction in HAI until 2002. From 2003 on, HAI increased (P = 0.010) in somatic wards (P = 0.002), in non-operated patients (P = 0.024) and in extra costs. In 2002, the Norwegian healthcare system was reorganized. This reorganization led to a 30% increase in somatic patients treated from 2003 to 2007 (P = 0.054), 27% increase in the total workload per work position (P = 0.024) and 23.5% decrease in internal service work.

A declining trend of HAI was observed from 1995 to 2002 at the tertiary university hospital in Norway. In 2002, the Norwegian healthcare system was reorganized. From 2003 to 2007, HAI increased significantly as did the number of somatic patients and workload at our hospital.

Alcohol comments were examined across six radio stations in England. 1200 h of weekend output was screened and the sampling frame included periods when references to alcohol would be expected, such as the Christmas period. Statistical analysis identified the volume and proportion of comments, whereas qualitative analysis explored these in more depth, focusing on the themes and discourses surrounding alcohol talk.

Of 703 alcohol comments identified, 244 involved presenters. The volume of comments about alcohol varied between stations, being lower on BBC than on commercial stations and being influenced by music genre. Seventy-three percent of comments initiated by presenters, compared with 45% of comments from all sources, encouraged drinking. The majority of comments by presenters support drinking in relation to partying and socializing. Alcohol comments seem to create identity for programmes and forge connections between presenters and audiences, although some presenters achieve this without mentioning drinking. The assumption that alcohol is necessary to have a good time is seldom directly challenged.

While it may be unsurprising that much of this content reflected themes of weekend drinking and partying, the study suggests that alcohol comments play a particular role in marketing and branding of radio output. Comments about alcohol are shaped by broadcasting conventions that make it difficult to challenge discourses surrounding excessive drinking. Further research is needed on the influence that radio output may have on drinking behaviour among young people.

Postal questionnaire surveys in 1996 and 2006, in representative samples of the general population of Geneva, Switzerland. Participants indicated, for each of 13 health problems, a priority rating for the spending of prevention resources.

There were 742 participants in 1996 (response rate 75%) and 1487 in 2006 (response rate 76%). According to participants, in 2006, resources should be spent, with priority, for: the prevention of sexual abuse of children (67% answered ‘high priority’), illegal drugs (58%), AIDS (55%), tobacco smoking (45%), road traffic accidents (43%), alcoholism (42%), family violence (42%), suicide in young people (39%), mammography screening for breast cancer (37%), abuse of medications (27%), cannabis use (24%), poor diet (22%) and lack of physical activity (20%). Between 1996 and 2006, the largest change was observed for tobacco smoking (+18.6% answered ‘high priority’), poor diet (+11.4%), lack of physical activity (+10.8%) and AIDS (–10.8%, P < 0.001 for all change scores).

Smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity were more likely to be perceived as priorities in 2006 than in 1996, whereas priority ratings decreased for AIDS. The prevention of sexual abuse of children was perceived as the highest priority by all respondent groups.

To determine elderly people's knowledge and perceptions of heat-related risks to health, and of protective behaviours.

Semi-structured interviews: 73 men and women, 72–94 years, living in their own homes in London and Norwich, UK.

Few respondents considered themselves either old or at risk from the effects of heat, even though many had some form of relevant chronic illness; they did recognize that some medical conditions might increase risks in others. Most reported that they had taken appropriate steps to reduce the effects of heat. Some respondents considered it appropriate for the government to take responsibility for protecting vulnerable people, but many thought state intervention was unnecessary, intrusive and unlikely to be effective. Respondents were more positive about the value of appropriately disseminated advice and solutions by communities themselves.

The Heatwave Plan should consider giving greater emphasis to a population-based information strategy, using innovative information dissemination methods to increase awareness of vulnerability to heat among the elderly and to ensure clarity about behaviour modification measures.

Systematic review of titles retrieved by electronic database searches.

Ovid databases (MEDLINE, All EBM Reviews, EMBASE, ERIC, CINAHL and PsycINFO) covering the formation of NICE in 1999 to February 2008.

Independent review of eligible titles by both authors and resolution of disagreements based on consideration of full text articles.

2274 articles were retrieved that included reference to NICE in their titles. Of these, 167 (7.3%) used NICE as an adjective, most commonly in conjunction with the terms ‘work’, ‘not so’ (NICE), ‘nasty’, ‘mess’ and ‘try’.

The work of NICE has been widely referenced in peer-reviewed journal article titles, sometimes with apparent humorous intent when used as an adjective. Well-chosen names may increase the recognizability of public health organizations and help to communicate their roles.

Data from the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 16 157) on White, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Black African infants were analysed. Cohort members were born in 2000–02, and data on birthweight, maternal, infant, behavioural and socioeconomic factors were collected by home interviews.

Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi infants were 280–350 g lighter, and 2.5 times more likely to be low birthweight compared with White infants. Black Caribbean infants were 150 g and Black African infants 70 g lighter compared with White infants, and Black Caribbean and Black African infants were 60% more likely to be low birthweight compared with White infants. For Black Caribbean, Black African, Bangladeshi and Pakistani infants, socioeconomic factors were important in explaining birthweight differences and, for Indian and Bangladeshi infants, maternal and infant factors were important in explaining birthweight differences.

Future policies aimed at reducing inequalities in birthweight must pay attention to the different socioeconomic and culturally-related profiles of ethnic minority groups in the UK.

This study measures overall and cause-specific mortality rates in 47 247 subjects registered as unemployed in Danzig City and Danzig County for the period of 1999 and 2004 and compares them with the age-matched general population.

In unemployed male subjects, the age-standardized all-cause mortality rate was significantly higher than in men from the general population: 8.36 per 1000, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 7.71–9.0 compared with 5.1 per 1000, 95% CI 4.94–5.21. The age-standardized mortality in unemployed women was also higher than in the reference population data: 5.55 per 1000, 95% CI 4.77–6.34 and 1.89 per 1000, 95% CI 1.81–1.97, respectively. External causes, suicides, alcohol and smoking-related causes explain the excess mortality among both men and women. Unemployment status was associated with a greater risk of death in men than in women: hazard ratio (HR) 2.02, 95% CI 1.33–3.08 and HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.37–1.5, respectively.

Possible explanations for this disparity may be the current regulations and sociocultural context in Poland. More research is needed to understand the differences in mortality risk associated with unemployment observed between men and women in Poland.

Using ward-level data from the national census, we regress healthy life expectancies relative to total life expectancies on Carstairs deprivation scores, households' average disposable incomes, geo-spatial characteristics and regional dummy variables.

Higher incomes and lower Carstairs scores are each associated with longer proportions of lives expected to be spent in good health or without long-standing illness. Relative to the London region, the coefficients on the regional dummies are uniformly negative and mostly significant.

There exist differences in relative health expectancies between the regions of England and Wales, which are not fully explained by the differences in socio-economic circumstances. Conventional deprivation measures tend to understate the poorer health performances of the more deprived regions (Wales and the north of England), and the understatement increases with deprivation. The exception to the rule is London, where health expectancies are superior to those which deprivation leads us to expect.

A cross-sectional study and time trend analysis using data on fire casualties in England between 1995 and 2004 obtained from the Department for Communities and Local Government. Injury rates were calculated assuming a Poisson distribution. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated to compare changes in deprivation gradients over time.

There were significant reductions in fatal and non-fatal fire injuries in children (fatal injuries IRR ²₁ = 11.18, P < 0.001; non-fatal injuries IRR ²₂ = 61.44, P < 0.001), adults (fatal injuries IRR ²₁ = 15.99, P < 0.001; non-fatal injuries IRR ²₂ = 183.25, P < 0.001) and older people (fatal injuries IRR ²₁ = 56.88, P < 0.001; non-fatal injuries IRR ²₂ = 54.09, P < 0.001) between 1995 and 2004. Adult and child fire deaths were most commonly caused by smokers' materials (e.g. cigarettes, cigars and tobacco), and cigarette lighters and matches, respectively. Cooking appliances caused most non-fatal fire injuries. Injury rates increased with increasing levels of deprivation and deprivation gradients did not change over 10 years.

Fire prevention interventions should promote the safe use of cooking and heating appliances and the responsible use of smokers' materials, lighters and matches, and should target those at greater risk of fire, including the socially disadvantaged.

A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate victims of violence using the 1990–2004 linked data extracted from the Western Australia Hospital Morbidity Data System and the Mental Health Information System. Factors associated with the risk for hospitalization for mental illness were assessed by logistic regression analysis.

Among the 25 427 victims admitted to hospital for at least one episode of interpersonal violence during the study period, 6395 (25%) had been hospitalized with a mental illness diagnosis. Female [odds ratio (OR) 1.54, 95% CI 1.40–1.63] and Indigenous (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.34–1.57) victims of violence were significantly more likely to be admitted for mental illness. The presence of additional co-morbidity also increased the risk (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.44–1.54). Other variables that significantly increased the risk of mental illness admission were advancing age, other methods of assault and victims who had been separated, divorced or widowed.

The results are beneficial for designing and implementing intervention strategies to reduce the adverse consequences of interpersonal violence particularly for women and Indigenous victims of violence.

Six-year prospective cohort study to determine whether improvement of angina symptoms differs between 196 south Asians and 1508 whites following revascularization or medical management.

43.9% of south Asians reported improvement in angina at 6 years compared with 60.3% of whites (age-adjusted OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.41–0.76, adjusted for diabetes, hypertension, smoking, number of diseased vessels, left ventricular function and social class OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41–0.85). Similar proportions of whites and south Asians underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (19.6% versus 19.9%) and coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) (32.8% versus 30.1%). South Asians were less likely to report improved angina after PCI (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06–0.56) or CABG (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.17–0.74). There was less evidence of ethnic differences in angina improvement when treatment was medical (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.48–1.57).

South Asians were less likely to experience long-term improvements in angina than whites after receipt of revascularization. Further research is needed to identify why these ethnic groups differ in symptomatic prognosis following revascularization for coronary disease and how these differences may be mitigated.

Data were obtained from a representative sample of Montreal residents. Participants completed questionnaires that included a position generator for collecting network social capital data. Measures of WC, height and weight were collected by registered nurses. To estimate associations with cardiometabolic risk, data on WC for individuals with BMI between 18.5 and 34.9 were extracted for analysis (n = 291). Using a proportional odds model with clustered robust standard errors, we evaluated the association of three different measures of individual social capital with elevated and substantially elevated WC and overweight and obesity categories of BMI. These measures were then evaluated in their associations with elevated WC and BMI, adjusting for socio-demographic and behavioral covariates.

Network social capital was inversely associated with the likelihood of being in an elevated WC risk category (odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95% confidence intervals (CI: 0.69, 0.96) and higher BMI category (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.92).

Higher individual network social capital is associated with a lower likelihood of elevated WC risk and overweight and obesity.