Association of Behavioral Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases With Physical and Mental Health in European Adults Aged 50 Years or Older, 2004-2005.

INTRODUCTION: Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of illness and death worldwide; behavioral risk factors (BRFs) contribute to these diseases. We assessed the presence of multiple BRFs among European adults according to their physical and mental health status. METHODS: We used data from 26,026 adults aged 50 years or older from 11 countries that participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-2005). BRFs (overweight or obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and risky alcohol consumption) were assessed according to physical health (ie, presence of chronic diseases, disease symptoms, or limitations in activities of daily living) and mental health (depression) through multiple regression estimations. RESULTS: Overweight or obesity in men and physical inactivity in women were the most prevalent BRFs. Compared with physically active adults, physically inactive adults had a higher mean number of chronic diseases (1.33 vs 1.26) and chronic disease symptoms (1.55 vs 1.47). Risky alcohol consumption (≥4 servings of an alcohol beverage ≥3 times a week) was associated with a higher mean depression score (2.84 vs 2.47). Compared with adults with 0 or 1 BRF, adults with 2 or more BRFs had significantly higher odds of having 1 or more chronic diseases (men: 1.52; women: 1.73) and functional limitations (men: 1.65; women: 1.79) and higher prevalence of high blood pressure (37.8% vs 28.2). Belgian adults with BRFs had the highest mean number of chronic diseases or functional limitations among those who were overweight or obese and the highest mean number of chronic diseases and disease symptoms among those who smoked and were physically inactive. CONCLUSION: We found revealed significant positive associations between BRFs and poor health among middle-aged and older European adults. Primary health care intervention programs should focus on developing ways to reduce BRF prevalence in this population.

Translation and validation of Berlin questionnaire in primary health care in Greece.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to validate a Greek translation of the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and to explore whether this screening questionnaire could be used to help identify primary care patients at greater risk of having OSAS. METHODS: We recruited 189 patients visiting a primary health care setting on the island of Crete, Greece. They all completed the Greek Version of the BQ. Patients were then referred to a Sleep Disorders Unit for evaluation of suspected sleep-disordered breathing. RESULTS: A PSG study was performed in 129 of the 189 subjects (68.3%). BQ identified 74.4% (n = 96) of the patients as high-risk for OSAS and the remaining 25.6% (n = 33) as low-risk. The sensitivity and specificity of BQ for OSAS diagnosis were 76% and 40%, respectively, for an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5 per hour but <15 per hour, 84% and 61% for an AHI ≥15 per hour but ≤30 per hour, and 79% and 39% for an AHI >30 per hour. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the Greek Version of the BQ is a useful instrument for identifying patients at risk for OSAS in primary health care in Greece. The findings of our study confirm that such screening tools should be used by primary care clinicians for OSAS prediction.

Sleep patterns in late pregnancy and risk of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction.

BACKGROUND: During pregnancy, women are at particular risk for sleep deprivation and snoring because of the physiologic and hormonal changes of pregnancy. There is limited evidence for the association between sleep patterns in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. We examined the association of sleep duration and snoring in late pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction. METHODS: We used data from the prospective mother-child cohort "Rhea" study in Crete, Greece 2007-2009. The analysis included 1091 women with singleton pregnancies, providing complete data on sleeping habits at the third trimester of gestation and birth outcomes. Fetal growth restriction was based on a customized model, and multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: Women with severe snoring were at high risk for low birth weight (relative risk = 2.6 [95% confidence interval = 1.2-5.4]), and fetal-growth-restricted neonates (2.0 [1.0-3.9]) after adjusting for maternal age, education, smoking during pregnancy, and prepregnancy body mass index (BMI). Women with sleep deprivation (≤5 hours sleep) were at high risk for preterm births (1.7 [1.1-2.8]), with the highest risk observed for medically indicated preterm births (2.4 [1.0-6.4]) after adjusting for maternal age, education, parity, smoking during pregnancy, and prepregnancy BMI. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that women with severe snoring in late pregnancy have a higher risk for fetal-growth-restricted neonates; and women with sleep deprivation have a higher risk for preterm births. The mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear.

Family ties and functional limitation in the elderly: Results from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

OBJECTIVES: To examine if family ties are strong predictors of functional limitation in older adults in Europe. METHODS: Cross sectional data were used and included 14 European countries from the second wave (w2) of the survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. 13,974 adults aged 50+ (45.2% males and 54.8%females) were included in the study. Functional limitation was assessed using activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (i-ADL) and mobility sensory index. Family ties were based on a customized model of family structural aspects. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the risk of functional limitations. RESULTS: Functional limitation was associated with females, age, self-rated health, and an increased number of chronic conditions, disease symptoms and depressive symptoms but not with few family ties. After controlling for potential confounders, respondents with lower family contacts showed higher risk for functional limitation. Southern and Mediterranean countries have both closer family ties and adults with higher functional limitation. CONCLUSION: Functional limitation is associated with biological and demographic factors as well as little contact with family members. Further longitudinal research is required in order to determine the association and the causal relationship between functional limitation and family ties.