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Public Health Research & Practice Jul 2023Growth-alternative economic models such as wellbeing economies, steady state and degrowth perspectives have come to prominence as opportunities to foster human health... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE
Growth-alternative economic models such as wellbeing economies, steady state and degrowth perspectives have come to prominence as opportunities to foster human health and quality of life without exceeding planetary boundaries. Collectively these perspectives offer an avenue for holistic approaches to addressing planetary and human health, but to implement them will require substantial changes to institutions, governance systems and our general ways of life. Drawing from a literature review, our team identified four attributes of wellbeing economies and applied them to the textile and garment sector - one of the most globalised and complex supply chains. Type of program or service Application of alternative economic systems for planetary and human health.
METHODS
We use a case study approach to analyse the global textile and garment industry 1, drawing on previously published literature to identify key attributes of wellbeing economies and demonstrate how they can be applied in practice.
RESULTS
We describe four central principles for implementing growth alternative economic models in the fashion industry: i) Establishing limits; ii) Promoting fairness; iii) Developing new and just governance systems; and iv) Promoting new roles for business and systems of exchange.
LESSONS LEARNT
Significant societal transformations will be required to achieve growth-alternative economic approaches; however, these approaches offer a real chance for achieving planetary and human health. The textile and garment industry provides a valuable case study to explore these possibilities.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Commerce; Population Groups; Textiles; Clothing
PubMed: 37406650
DOI: 10.17061/phrp3322313 -
Tobacco Control Mar 2024Tobacco regulation recently changed in Israel, including a partial advertisement ban. We assessed the impact of regulatory changes on Philip Morris International's (PMI)...
BACKGROUND
Tobacco regulation recently changed in Israel, including a partial advertisement ban. We assessed the impact of regulatory changes on Philip Morris International's (PMI) IQOS and cigarette advertisements.
METHODS
Weekly number of ads and weekly adspend of PMI's IQOS and cigarettes were analysed descriptively and using Quasi-Poisson regressions over time, across regulatory periods and in relation to subpopulations (general public, Arab, Russian and Ultra-Orthodox), from 25 December 2016 to 4 August 2020. Exponentiated coefficients (a value >1 indicates an increase) and 95% CIs are reported.
RESULTS
The average weekly number of ads and the average weekly adspend of IQOS were higher than cigarettes (42.22 vs 26.76 ads/week and 59 409 vs 45 613 new Israeli shekels/week; p<0.001 for both) during the study period, with exclusive IQOS advertisements during market penetration (December 2016 to May 2017). Variation in both outcomes was observed with regard to regulatory decisions. After the advertisement ban, there was a significant decrease in the weekly number of ads (IQOS: ß=0.04, 95% CI 0.002 to 0.20; cigarettes: ß=0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.15) and weekly adspend (IQOS: ß=0.15, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.29; cigarettes: ß=0.31, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.53) for both products. The Ultra-Orthodox had significantly higher average weekly ads compared with the Arab population (IQOS: 0.67 vs 0.07; cigarettes: 2.74 vs 0.13; p0.02 for both) but lower adspend.
CONCLUSIONS
IQOS and cigarette advertisements varied over time and appeared to have been impacted by regulatory changes. PMI invested more in IQOS advertisements than in cigarettes, with a partial advertisement ban decreasing both products' advertisements. PMI might be targeting the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population which has a low smoking rate. Further research and surveillance are needed to better understand targeting strategies in order to inform tobacco control policy.
Topics: Humans; Advertising; Israel; Population Groups; Tobacco Products; Smoking; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
PubMed: 36368887
DOI: 10.1136/tc-2022-057585 -
Radiology. Imaging Cancer Jan 2024Purpose To characterize the demographic distribution of The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) studies and compare them with those of the U.S. cancer population. Materials...
Purpose To characterize the demographic distribution of The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) studies and compare them with those of the U.S. cancer population. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, data from TCIA studies were examined for the inclusion of demographic information. Of 189 studies in TCIA up until April 2023, a total of 83 human cancer studies were found to contain supporting demographic data. The median patient age and the sex, race, and ethnicity proportions of each study were calculated and compared with those of the U.S. cancer population, provided by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention U.S. Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations Tool. Results The median age of TCIA patients was found to be 6.84 years lower than that of the U.S. cancer population ( = .047) and contained more female than male patients (53% vs 47%). American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, and Hispanic patients were underrepresented in TCIA studies by 47.7%, 35.8%, and 14.7%, respectively, compared with the U.S. cancer population. Conclusion The results demonstrate that the patient demographics of TCIA data sets do not reflect those of the U.S. cancer population, which may decrease the generalizability of artificial intelligence radiology tools developed using these imaging data sets. Ethics, Meta-Analysis, Health Disparities, Cancer Health Disparities, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Age, Bias Published under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Artificial Intelligence; Ethnicity; Neoplasms; Retrospective Studies; Racial Groups; Datasets as Topic
PubMed: 38240671
DOI: 10.1148/rycan.230100 -
PeerJ 2023The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that serum ferritin and uric acid (UA) are strongly...
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that serum ferritin and uric acid (UA) are strongly associated with the risk of NAFLD, but no consensus has been reached.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to demonstrate the association between serum ferritin, UA levels, and NAFLD risk in a large cohort study.
METHODS
We separated 2,049 patients into non-NAFLD and NAFLD groups. The NAFLD group had four subgroups based on serum ferritin and four subgroups based on UA quartile levels. We used binary logistic regression to evaluate the correlation between serum ferritin, UA, and NAFLD. Additionally, an area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC) was used to predict the diagnostic value of combined serum ferritin and UA for NAFLD.
RESULTS
Serum ferritin and UA levels were higher in the NAFLD group compared with the non-NAFLD group. Serum lipid and liver transaminase concentrations were elevated with the increase of serum ferritin and UA. The logistic regression results showed an independent correlation between serum ferritin, UA, and NAFLD. In the NAFLD group, the AUC value of serum ferritin and UA was 0.771.
CONCLUSIONS
Increased serum ferritin and UA levels are independent risk factors for NAFLD. Increased serum UA is a stronger risk factor for NAFLD than elevated serum ferritin. Serum ferritin and UA can be important predictors of NAFLD risk.
Topics: Humans; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Uric Acid; Cohort Studies; East Asian People; Ferritins
PubMed: 37904845
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16267 -
JAMA Pediatrics Jul 2023Although inequitable care due to racism and bias is well documented in health care, the impact on health care-associated infections is less understood.
IMPORTANCE
Although inequitable care due to racism and bias is well documented in health care, the impact on health care-associated infections is less understood.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether disparities in first central catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates existed for pediatric patients of minoritized racial, ethnic, and language groups and to evaluate the outcomes associated with quality improvement initiatives for addressing these disparities.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This cohort study retrospectively examined outcomes of 8269 hospitalized patients with central catheters from October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2019, at a freestanding quaternary care children's hospital. Subsequent quality improvement interventions and follow-up were studied, excluding catheter days occurring after the outcome and episodes with catheters of indeterminate age through September 2022.
EXPOSURES
Patient self-reported (or parent/guardian-reported) race, ethnicity, and language for care as collected for hospital demographic purposes.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Central catheter-associated bloodstream infection events identified by infection prevention surveillance according to National Healthcare Safety Network criteria were reported as events per 1000 central catheter days. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze patient and central catheter characteristics, and interrupted time series was used to analyze quality improvement outcomes.
RESULTS
Unadjusted infection rates were higher for Black patients (2.8 per 1000 central catheter days) and patients who spoke a language other than English (LOE; 2.1 per 1000 central catheter days) compared with the overall population (1.5 per 1000 central catheter days). Proportional hazard regression included 225 674 catheter days with 316 infections and represented 8269 patients. A total of 282 patients (3.4%) experienced a CLABSI (mean [IQR] age, 1.34 [0.07-8.83] years; female, 122 [43.3%]; male, 160 [56.7%]; English-speaking, 236 [83.7%]; LOE, 46 [16.3%]; American Indian or Alaska Native, 3 [1.1%]; Asian, 14 [5.0%]; Black, 26 [9.2%]; Hispanic, 61 [21.6%]; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 4 [1.4%]; White, 139 [49.3%]; ≥2 races, 14 [5.0%]; unknown race and ethnicity or refused to answer, 15 [5.3%]). In the adjusted model, a higher hazard ratio (HR) was observed for Black patients (adjusted HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.6; P = .002) and patients who spoke an LOE (adjusted HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.3; P = .01). Following quality improvement interventions, infection rates in both subgroups showed statistically significant level changes (Black patients: -1.77; 95% CI, -3.39 to -0.15; patients speaking an LOE: -1.25; 95% CI, -2.23 to -0.27).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The study's findings show disparities in CLABSI rates for Black patients and patients who speak an LOE that persisted after adjusting for known risk factors, suggesting that systemic racism and bias may play a role in inequitable hospital care for hospital-acquired infections. Stratifying outcomes to assess for disparities prior to quality improvement efforts may inform targeted interventions to improve equity.
Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Cross Infection; Ethnicity; Hispanic or Latino; Retrospective Studies; Sepsis; Healthcare Disparities; Catheter-Related Infections; Ethnic and Racial Minorities; Language; Quality Improvement; Catheterization, Central Venous; Black or African American; Racial Groups; Communication Barriers; Child, Preschool; American Indian or Alaska Native; Systemic Racism; Asian; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White
PubMed: 37252746
DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.1379 -
Nutrients Jul 2023Access to food is a right that every individual must have to ensure a standard of living that is sufficient for maintaining good health and wellbeing. This review,... (Review)
Review
Access to food is a right that every individual must have to ensure a standard of living that is sufficient for maintaining good health and wellbeing. This review, developed and implemented by a team of First Nations and non-First Nations peoples, aimed to scope the literature on programs addressing food security for First Nations peoples in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, and the United States of America. Collectively, First Nations groups share continued traumas, disadvantages, and devastation brought upon them as a result of British colonisation. Despite the impacts of colonial conquest, the resilience of First Nations peoples continues through the fight for self-determination, sovereignty, equity, and equality. Three databases and grey literature were searched from 2010. Two reviewers completed screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal. Nine food security programs were included in this review. Five were from the United States of America and four from Canada, with no program from Australia or Aotearoa/New Zealand meeting the inclusion criteria. The programs that appear to be most suitable for addressing food security for First Nations peoples were participatory in design, had community governance, integrated cultural knowledge and food systems to increase the accessibility and availability of cultural foods, incorporated educational components, and utilized collaborations among various agencies. Findings showed that while it is important to address short-term emergency food relief, the aim should be sustainable food security through a longer-term system and policy change underpinned by co-designed research and evaluation.
Topics: Humans; United States; Canada; Indigenous Peoples; Population Groups; Food Security; Australia
PubMed: 37513545
DOI: 10.3390/nu15143127 -
International Journal of Circumpolar... Dec 2023Advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management have significantly improved clinical outcomes of this disease; however, some Indigenous North Americans (INA) with RA... (Review)
Review
Advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management have significantly improved clinical outcomes of this disease; however, some Indigenous North Americans (INA) with RA have not achieved the high rates of treatment success observed in other populations. We review factors contributing to poor long-term outcomes for INA with RA. We conducted a narrative review of studies evaluating RA in INA supplemented with regional administrative health and clinical cohort data on clinical outcomes and health care utilisation. We discuss factors related to conducting research in INA populations including studies of RA prevention. NA with RA have a high burden of genetic and environmental predisposing risk factors that may impact disease phenotype, delayed or limited access to rheumatology care and advanced therapy. These factors may contribute to the observed increased rates of persistent synovitis, premature end-stage joint damage and mortality. Novel models of care delivery that are culturally sensitive and address challenges associated with providing speciality care to patients residing in remote communities with limited accessibility are needed. Progress in establishing respectful research partnerships with INA communities has created a foundation for ongoing initiatives to address care gaps including those aimed at RA prevention. This review highlights some of the challenges of diagnosing, treating, and ultimately perhaps preventing, RA in INA populations.
Topics: Humans; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Longitudinal Studies; Population Groups; Indigenous Peoples; North America
PubMed: 36642913
DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2166447 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Sep 2023To explore attendance at organised mammographic screening among immigrant groups that received an invitation letter and information leaflet (invitation) in their... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
To explore attendance at organised mammographic screening among immigrant groups that received an invitation letter and information leaflet (invitation) in their language of origin and Norwegian compared with Norwegian only.
DESIGN
Randomised controlled trial.
SETTING
Population based screening programme for breast cancer in Norway (BreastScreen Norway), which invites women aged 50-69 to two-view mammographic screening biennially.
PARTICIPANTS
All women invited to BreastScreen Norway in the study period April 2021 to June 2022 whose language of origin was Arabic (women born in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, or Morocco), English (women born in the Philippines), Polish (women born in Poland), Somali (women born in Somalia), or Urdu (women born in Pakistan) (n=11 347).
INTERVENTION
The study group received an invitation to screening in their language of origin and in Norwegian, whereas the control group received an invitation in Norwegian only during the study period.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Attendance at BreastScreen Norway during the study period.
RESULTS
Overall attendance was 46.5% (2642/5683) in the study group and 47.4% (2682/5664) in the control group. No statistical differences in attendance were observed after stratification by language of invitation, age at invitation, or years since immigration.
CONCLUSIONS
No difference in attendance was observed between immigrant women invited to BreastScreen Norway in their language of origin and in Norwegian compared with Norwegian only. Several barriers to cancer screening may exist among immigrants, and translating the invitation is probably only a part of a complex explanation.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
NCT04672265.
CLINICALTRIALS
gov NCT04672265.
Topics: Humans; Female; Language; Norway; Arabs; Breast Neoplasms; Emigrants and Immigrants
PubMed: 37726122
DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075465 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health problem among the Saharia community, an underprivileged tribal group in the west-central part of India. There are... (Review)
Review
Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health problem among the Saharia community, an underprivileged tribal group in the west-central part of India. There are several challenges for India's TB control program to curtail TB in the Saharia tribe. Malnutrition, poor health sector facilities, lower socio-economic status, and substance abuse are interconnected and synergistic factors contributing to a high burden of TB in the Saharia tribe. In this review, efforts are made to collate the findings of previous studies discussing the causes of high burden of TB in the Saharia tribe, social gaps for mitigating these preventable risk factors of TB in the Saharia tribe, and the plausible solutions for closing these gaps. The concept of and intersectoral co-ordination is needed for the reduction of TB in the Saharia tribe and to make India TB-free by the year 2025.
Topics: Humans; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary; Population Groups; Prevalence; Tuberculosis; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37920577
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1226980 -
BMC Public Health Jul 2023Vaccination efforts are a vital part of controlling the spread of diseases, however, lack of vaccine acceptance undermines the efficacy of this public health effort....
BACKGROUND
Vaccination efforts are a vital part of controlling the spread of diseases, however, lack of vaccine acceptance undermines the efficacy of this public health effort. Current evidence suggests that the most effective interventions to support vaccination uptake and positive vaccination beliefs are multicomponent, and dialogue based. Peer-based education interventions are such a strategy that involves an individual within the same group to act as the vaccine educator.
OBJECTIVE
This review aims to consolidate the quantitative evidence surrounding the effectiveness and experience of peer-based education initiatives to improve vaccination beliefs and behaviors.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and a hand reference search. The search was conducted between April and June 2022. The inclusion criteria encompassed using peers, being education based, and being an intervention that addresses vaccination beliefs and behaviors (e.g. vaccination uptake).
RESULTS
Systematic screening revealed 16 articles in the final review. Half of the studies focused on students as their study population. The human papillomavirus vaccine was the most common vaccine assessed in the studies, followed by COVID and influenza vaccines. 11 out of 16 of the articles reported a positive impact of the peer intervention and two studies had mixed results. Six studies suggest a mixed peer- healthcare expert approach.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite reported positive effects of using peer-education based initiatives to improve vaccine uptake and beliefs, this systematic review reveals that there is limited existing research in support of this strategy. The strategies that initially appear the most effect are those with a combined peer and health-expert approach, and those that have more group specific and long-term peer interventions. More research is needed to confirm these results and to assess the effectiveness of a peer-based education intervention in a wider variety of settings and for other vaccine types.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Vaccination; Influenza Vaccines; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Population Groups
PubMed: 37452295
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16294-3