Sociodemographic and socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Belgium: a nationwide record linkage study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have identified important social inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infections and related COVID-19 outcomes in the Belgian population. The aim of our study was to investigate the sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the uptake of a first COVID-19 vaccine dose among 5 342 110 adults (≥18 years) in Belgium on 31 August 2021. We integrated data from four national data sources: the Belgian vaccine register (vaccination status), COVID-19 Healthdata (laboratory test results), DEMOBEL (sociodemographic/socioeconomic data) and the Common Base Register for HealthCare Actors (individuals licensed to practice a healthcare profession in Belgium). We used multivariable logistic regression analysis for identifying characteristics associated with not having obtained a first COVID-19 vaccine dose in Belgium and for each of its three regions (Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia). RESULTS: During the study period, 10% (536 716/5 342 110) of the Belgian adult population included in our study sample was not vaccinated with a first COVID-19 vaccine dose. A lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake was found among young individuals, men, migrants, single parents, one-person households and disadvantaged socioeconomic groups (with lower levels of income and education, unemployed). Overall, the sociodemographic and socioeconomic disparities were comparable for all regions. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of sociodemographic and socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination uptake is critical to develop strategies guaranteeing a more equitable vaccination coverage of the Belgian adult population.

Lyme borreliosis in Belgium: a cost-of-illness analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and North America, yet its economic burden remains largely unknown. This study aimed to estimate the economic cost associated with the different clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium. METHODS: An incidence approach and societal perspective were used to estimate the total cost-of-illness for LB in Belgium. Costs were calculated for patients with erythema migrans (EM) or disseminated/late LB, including patients who developed post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Direct medical, direct non-medical (transportation & paid help) and indirect non-medical costs (productivity losses) were included in the analysis. Ambulatory cost data were collected through a prospective cohort study from June 2016 to March 2020, in which patients with LB were followed up 6 to 12 months after diagnosis. Hospitalization costs were retrieved from the Minimal Clinical Data registry, a mandatory registry for all Belgian hospitals, linked to the Minimal Financial Data registry. Costs were expressed in 2019 euros. RESULTS: The total annual cost associated with clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium was estimated at €5.59 million (95% UI 3.82-7.98). Of these, €3.44 million (95% UI 2.05-5.48) or 62% was related to disseminated/late LB diagnoses and €2.15 million (95% UI 1.30-3.26) to EM. In general, direct medical costs and productivity losses accounted for 49.8% and 46.4% of the total costs, respectively, while direct non-medical costs accounted for only 3.8%. The estimated mean costs were €193 per EM patient and €5,148 per disseminated/late LB patient. While patients with PTLDS seemed to have somewhat higher costs compared to patients without PTLDS, the number of patients was too small to have representative estimates. CONCLUSIONS: We estimate the total annual direct medical costs, direct non-medical and indirect non-medical costs associated with LB to exceed €5.5 million per year, almost evenly distributed between EM (40%) and disseminated/late LB (60%). EM costs 26 times less per patient but occurs also 16 times more frequently than disseminated/late LB. The cost burden remains limited by comparison to other infectious diseases due to the relative lower incidence.

The InfAct proposal for a sustainable European health information infrastructure on population health: the Distributed Infrastructure on Population Health (DIPoH).

BACKGROUND: In Europe, data on population health is fragmented, difficult to access, project-based and prone to health information inequalities in terms of availability, accessibility and especially in quality between and within countries. This situation is further exacerbated and exposed by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The Joint Action on Health Information (InfAct) that builds on previous works of the BRIDGE Health project, carried out collaborative action to set up a sustainable infrastructure for health information in the European Union (EU). The aim of this paper is to present InfAct's proposal for a sustainable research infrastructure, the Distributed Infrastructure on Population Health (DIPoH), which includes the setup of a Health Information Portal on population health to be maintained beyond InfAct's time span. METHODS: The strategy for the proposal was based on three components: scientific initiatives and proposals to improve Health Information Systems (HIS), exploration of technical acceptability and feasibility, and finally obtaining high-level political support.. The technical exploration (Technical Dialogues-TD) was assumed by technical experts proposed by the countries, and political guidance was provided by the Assembly of Members (AoM), which gathered representatives from Ministries of Health and Science of EU/EEA countries. The results from the AoM and the TD were integrated in the sustainability plan compiling all the major outputs of InfAct. RESULTS: The InfAct sustainability plan was organized in three main sections: a proposal of a new research infrastructure on population health (the DIPoH), new health information tools and innovative proposals for HIS, and a comprehensive capacity building programme. These activities were carried out in InfAct and are being further developed in the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI). PHIRI is a practical rollout of DIPoH facilitating and generating the best available evidence for research on health and wellbeing of populations as impacted by COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The sustainability plan received wide support from Member States and was recognized to have an added value at EU level. Nevertheless, there were several aspects which still need to be considered for the near future such as: (i) a commitment of stable financial and political support by Member States (MSs), (ii) the availability of resources at regional, national and European level to deal with innovations, and (iii) a more direct involvement from EU and international institutions such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD for providing support and sustainable contributions.

Capacity building in European health information systems: the InfAct peer assessment methodology.

BACKGROUND: A Health Information System (HIS) assessment is an evaluation of the functioning of the main elements that compose a national HIS. Assessors from nine countries performed peer assessments of each other's national HIS in the Joint Action on Health Information (InfAct). The aim of this study is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the InfAct peer assessment methodology as well as the different steps involved in this assessment process. METHODS: Each peer assessment included a preparatory desk report, a country visit with semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders, a final report and a follow-up stakeholder meeting. A qualitative content analysis of the peer HIS assessment was performed based on 12 semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: The main advantage of the assessments is its informal atmosphere, high degree of objectiveness and its networking opportunities. Disadvantages are its informal request format and setting for recommendation uptake. The peer assessment helped the assessors to broaden their understanding of the assessed and their own HISs, to gain knowledge on how to carry out an HIS assessment and to practice their organization, communication, reporting and negotiation skills. All steps of the HIS assessment are essential and each contributes to the enriching experience of the participants. CONCLUSION: The InfAct peer HIS assessment methodology strengthened capacity in national HISs by building up the knowledge and expertise in participating countries and as such addressed health information inequalities. This study confirms the value and relatively easy to implement methodology, and therefore recommends its wide and more systematic application across Europe.

Belgian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L, 2018.

PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life outcomes are increasingly used to monitor population health and health inequalities and to assess the (cost-) effectiveness of health interventions. The EQ-5D-5L has been included in the Belgian Health Interview Survey, providing a new source of population-based self-perceived health status information. This study aims to estimate Belgian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L by sex, age, and region and to analyze its association with educational attainment. METHODS: The BHIS 2018 provided EQ-5D-5L data for a nationally representative sample of the Belgian population. The dimension scores and index values were analyzed using logistic and linear regressions, respectively, accounting for the survey design. RESULTS: More than half of respondents reported problems of pain/discomfort, while over a quarter reported problems of anxiety/depression. The average index value was 0.84. Women reported more problems on all dimensions, but particularly on anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort, resulting in significantly lower index values. Problems with mobility, self-care, and usual activities showed a sharp increase after the age of 80 years. Consequently, index values decreased significantly by age. Lower education was associated with a higher prevalence of problems for all dimensions except anxiety/depression and with a significantly lower index value. CONCLUSION: This paper presents the first nationally representative Belgian population norms using the EQ-5D-5L. Inclusion of the EQ-5D in future surveys will allow monitoring over time of self-reported health, disease burden, and health inequalities.

Developing a tool to monitor knowledge translation in the health system: results from an international Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that evidence-informed decision making contributes to better health system performance and health outcomes, yet we are lacking benchmarks to monitor the impact of national health information systems (HIS) in policy and practice. Hence in this study, we have aimed to identify criteria for monitoring Knowledge Translation (KT) capacity within countries. METHODS: We conducted a web-based Delphi with over 120 public health professionals from 45 countries to reach agreement on criteria to monitor KT at the level of national HIS. Public health professionals participated in three survey rounds, in which they ranked 85 preselected criteria and could suggest additional criteria. RESULTS: Experts working in national (public) health agencies and statistical offices, as well as in health policy and care agreed on 29 criteria which constitute the Health Information (HI)-Impact Index. The criteria cover four essential domains of evaluation: the production of high-quality evidence, broad access and dissemination, stakeholder engagement and knowledge integration across sectors and in civil society. The HI-Impact Index was pretested by officials working in ministries of health and public health agencies in eight countries; they found the tool acceptable and user-friendly. CONCLUSIONS: The HI-Impact Index provides benchmarks to monitor KT so that countries can assess whether high-quality evidence can be easily accessed and used by the relevant stakeholders in health policy and practice, by civil society and across sectors. Next steps include further refining the procedure for conducting the assessment in routine, and sharing experiences from HIS evaluations using the HI-Impact Index.

Socioeconomic factors contributing to under-five mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: a decomposition analysis.

BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, socioeconomic factors such as place of residence, mother's educational level, or household wealth, are strongly associated with risk factors of under-five mortality (U5M) such as health behavior or exposure to diseases and injuries. The aim of the study was to assess the relative contribution of four known socioeconomic factors to the variability in U5M in sub-Saharan countries. METHODS: The study was based on birth histories from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 32 sub-Saharan countries in 2010-2016. The relative contribution of sex of the child, place of residence, mother's educational level, and household wealth to the variability in U5M was assessed using a regression-based decomposition of a Gini-type index. RESULTS: The Gini index - measuring the variability in U5M related to the four socioeconomic factors - varied from 0.006 (95%CI: 0.001-0.010) in Liberia 2013 to 0.034 (95%CI: 0.029-0.039) in Côte d'Ivoire 2011/12. The main contributors to the Gini index (with a relative contribution higher than 25%) were different across countries: mother's educational level in 13 countries, sex of the child in 12 countries, household wealth in 11 countries, and place of residence in 8 countries (in some countries, more than one main contributor was identified). CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to socioeconomic status exert varied effects on the variability in U5M in sub-Saharan African countries. The findings provide evidence in support of prioritizing intersectoral interventions aiming at improving child survival in all subgroups of a population.

Evolution of educational inequalities in life and health expectancies at 25 years in Belgium between 2001 and 2011: a census-based study.

BACKGROUND: Reducing socio-economic health inequalities is a public health priority, necessitating careful monitoring that should take into account changes in the population composition. We analyzed the evolution of educational inequalities in life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy at age 25 (LE25 and DFLE25) in Belgium between 2001 and 2011. METHODS: The 2001 and 2011 census data were linked with the national register data for a five-year mortality follow up. Disability prevalence estimates from the health interview surveys (2001 to 2013) were used to compute DFLE according to Sullivan's method. LE25 and DFLE25 were computed by educational level (EL). Absolute differentials of LE25 and DFLE25 were calculated for each EL and for each period, as well as composite inequality indices (CII) of population-level impact of inequality. Changes over the 10-year period were then calculated for each inequality index. RESULTS: The LE25 increased in all ELs and both genders, except in the lowest EL for women. The increase was larger in the highest EL, leading in 2011 to 6.07 and 4.58 years for the low-versus-high LE25 gaps respectively in men and women, compared to 5.19 and 3.76 in 2001, namely 17 and 22% increases. The upwards shift of the EL distribution led to a limited 7% increase of the CII among men but no change in women.The substantial increase of the DFLE25 in males with high EL (+ 4.5 years) and the decrease of the DFLE25 in women with low EL, results in a substantial increase of all considered DFLE25 inequality measures in both genders. In 2011, DFLE25 gaps were respectively 10.4 and 13.5 years in males and females compared to 6.51 and 9.30 in 2001, representing increases of 61 and 44% for the gaps, and 72 and 20% for the CII. CONCLUSION: The LE25 increased in all ELs, but at a higher pace in highly educated, leading to an increase in the LE25 gaps in both genders. After accounting for the upwards shift of the educational distribution, the population-level inequality index increased only for men. The DFLE25 increased only in highly educated men, and decreased in low educated women, leading to large increases of inequalities in both genders. A general plan to tackle health inequality should be set up, with particular efforts to improve the health of the low educated women.

Combining primary care surveillance and a meta-analysis to estimate the incidence of the clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in Belgium, 2015-2017.

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is an important tick-borne disease which can cause a broad range of symptoms mainly affecting the skin, the nervous system and the joints. This study aims to estimate the incidence of the different clinical manifestations of LB in Belgium. The incidence of erythema migrans (EM) was estimated through the network of sentinel general practices at 97.6/100,000 inhabitants (uncertainty interval [UI] 82.0-113.0) for the period 2015-2017. This result was used to estimate the incidence of other LB manifestations based on their proportional distribution (ratios) to EM reported in the neighboring countries of Belgium. To estimate these ratios, we performed a systematic review of studies published between February 1, 2008 and January 31, 2018 and pooled the results using a random effects meta-analysis. Six studies were retained in the systematic review, and the meta-analysis estimated the occurrence ratios for Lyme neuroborreliosis/EM, Lyme arthritis/EM and other manifestations/EM at 0.024 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.016-0.037), 0.022 (95% CI 0.020-0.024) and 0.014 (95% CI 0.012-0.016) respectively. Applying these ratios to the EM incidence in Belgium resulted in an incidence estimation of 2.4/100,000 inhabitants (95% UI 1.5-3.7) for Lyme neuroborreliosis, 2.1/100,000 (95% UI 1.7-2.6) for Lyme arthritis and 1.4/100,000 (95% UI 1.1-1.7) for other less frequent manifestations. Some of these LB manifestations, other than EM, are more severe, hence these estimates are essential to assess the health burden and economic cost of LB which would be highly relevant for patients, healthcare providers and policymakers. As both over- and underestimation of different clinical LB manifestations remain possible due to characteristics of the primary surveillance systems and the disease itself, future studies to validate these estimates would be of great value.

Contribution of chronic conditions to gender disparities in health expectancies in Belgium, 2001, 2004 and 2008.

Background: We aimed to investigate the contribution of chronic conditions to gender differences in disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) and life expectancy with disability (LED) in Belgium in 2001, 2004 and 2008. Methods: Data on disability and chronic conditions from participants of the 2001, 2004 and 2008 Health Interview Surveys in Belgium were used to estimate disability prevalence by cause using the attribution method. Disability prevalence was applied to life tables to estimate DFLE and LED using the Sullivan method. Decomposition techniques were used to assess the contribution of mortality and disability and further of causes of death and disability to gender disparities in DFLE and LED. Results: Higher LE, DFLE and LED were observed for women compared with men in all years studied. A decrease in the gender gap in LE (2001: 5.9; 2004: 5.6; 2008: 5.3) was observed in our cross-sectional approach followed by a decrease in gender differences in DFLE (2001: 1.9; 2004: 1.3; 2008: 0.5) and increase in LED (2001: 4.0; 2004: 4.4; 2008: 4.8). The higher LED in women was attributed to their lower mortality due to lung/larynx/trachea cancer, ischaemic heart diseases, and external causes (2001 and 2004) and higher disability prevalence due to musculoskeletal conditions (2008). Higher DFLE was observed in women owing to their lower mortality from lung/larynx/trachea cancer, ischaemic heart diseases, digestive cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Conclusion: To promote healthy ageing of populations, priority should be given to reduce the LED disadvantage in women by targeting non-fatal diseases, such as musculoskeletal conditions.

Towards a sustainable EU health information system infrastructure: A consensus driven approach.

BACKGROUND: Health information in the EU is characterised by diversity and fragmentation of health information infrastructures. A well-defined and sustainable EU health information system infrastructure is lacking. The potential of a European Research Infrastructure Consortium on Health Information for Research and Evidence-based Policy (HIREP-ERIC) to take up this role is investigated. METHODS: Two working groups, a BRIDGE Health Steering Committee and the European Commission's Drafting Group of the Expert Group on Health Information, discussed the technical and scientific description of the HIREP-ERIC through a consensus-driven modified Delphi technique. RESULTS: Consensus was reached on three aspects of the HIREP-ERIC. First, it was defined as an infrastructure that facilitates interaction of networks and experts in health information by providing central governance and a more permanent collaboration. Second, the infrastructure should be distributed, with a central hub coordinating the operation of distributed networks. Third, it should provide easy access to high quality and comparable data for purposes of research and policy making, and focus its activities around generating, managing, exchanging and translating health information. CONCLUSION: A momentum has been created where representatives from 16 European countries agreed on the HIREP-ERIC as a pragmatic bottom-up approach to strengthen the current EU health information landscape. A Member States' commitment is needed at senior political level to make this consensus operational.

Multinomial additive hazard model to assess the disability burden using cross-sectional data.

Population aging is accompanied by the burden of chronic diseases and disability. Chronic diseases are among the main causes of disability, which is associated with poor quality of life and high health care costs in the elderly. The identification of which chronic diseases contribute most to the disability prevalence is important to reduce the burden. Although longitudinal studies can be considered the gold standard to assess the causes of disability, they are costly and often with restricted sample size. Thus, the use of cross-sectional data under certain assumptions has become a popular alternative. Among the existing methods based on cross-sectional data, the attribution method, which was originally developed for binary disability outcomes, is an attractive option, as it enables the partition of disability into the additive contribution of chronic diseases, taking into account multimorbidity and that disability can be present even in the absence of disease. In this paper, we propose an extension of the attribution method to multinomial responses, since disability is often measured as a multicategory variable in most surveys, representing different severity levels. The R function constrOptim is used to maximize the multinomial log-likelihood function subject to a linear inequality constraint. Our simulation study indicates overall good performance of the model, without convergence problems. However, the model must be used with care for populations with low marginal disability probabilities and with high sum of conditional probabilities, especially with small sample size. For illustration, we apply the model to the data of the Belgian Health Interview Surveys.

An integrated and sustainable EU health information system: national public health institutes' needs and possible benefits.

BACKGROUND: Although sound data and health information are at the basis of evidence-based policy-making and research, still no single, integrated and sustainable EU-wide public health monitoring system or health information system exists. MAIN BODY: BRIDGE Health is working towards an EU health information and data generation network covering major EU health policy areas. A stakeholder consultation with national public health institutes was organised to identify the needs to strengthen the current EU health information system and to identify its possible benefits. Five key issues for improvement were identified: (1) coherence, coordination and sustainability; (2) data harmonization, collection, processing and reporting; (3) comparison and benchmarking; (4) knowledge sharing and capacity building; and (5) transferability of health information into evidence-based policy making. The vision of an improved EU health information system was formulated and the possible benefits in relation to six target groups. CONCLUSIONS: Through this consultation, BRIDGE Health has identified the continuous need to strengthen the EU health information system. A better system is about sustainability, better coordination, governance and collaboration among national health information systems and stakeholders to jointly improve, harmonise, standardise and analyse health information. More and better sharing of this comparable health data allows for more and better comparative health research, international benchmarking, national and EU-wide public health monitoring. This should be developed with the view to provide the tools to fight both common and individual challenges faced by the Members States and their politicians.

Impact of Question Wording on the Measurement of Activity Limitation: Evidence From a Randomized Test in France.

OBJECTIVE: The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI), a single question measuring disability, had been introduced in various European surveys since 2004. The complexity of its wording has been questioned. Our study compares alternative variants aiming to simplify the wording. METHOD: We used the Health-Related Opinion Survey run in 2014 in France (N = 3,009). Its split sample design allows testing four variants of the questions. We analyzed the prevalence of activity limitation (AL) resulting from the four different constructs of the GALI using multinomial logistic regressions, adjusted for background variables and functional limitations (FLs). RESULTS: The alternative GALI variants result in significantly different prevalences compared with the original question, in particular for people with FL. The current variant is more inclusive than the routed variants. DISCUSSION: Our study suggests limited benefits of changing the GALI construct which do not outweigh the costs of breaking the established chronological series of the current variant.

Contribution of chronic conditions to gender disparities in disability in the older population in Brazil, 2013.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the contribution of chronic conditions to the disability burden in the older men and women in Brazil. METHODS: Data from 10,290 participants of the Brazilian National Health Survey in 2013 aged 60 years or older were used. Disability was defined based on limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Binomial additive hazards models were fitted to assess the contribution of chronic conditions to the disability prevalence. RESULTS: Back pain was the most common condition, followed by diabetes and heart diseases in men and arthritis and diabetes in women. Stroke and mental disorders were by far the most disabling conditions in men and women. A higher disability prevalence was observed in women (34.4 %, CI 32.4; 36.2 %) compared to men (28.4 %; CI 25.9; 30.8 %). The most important contributors to the disability prevalence were stroke, back pain, and arthritis among men, and diabetes, heart diseases, and arthritis in women. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to reduce disability in the older population in Brazil should take into account the gender gap in the occurrence of chronic conditions, focusing on the main contributors to the disability burden.

Barriers and opportunities for return-to-work of cancer survivors: time for action--rapid review and expert consultation.

BACKGROUND: The spread of early detection and the improvement of cancer treatment have led to an increased prevalence of cancer survivors, including in the working age population. Return-to-work (RTW) of cancer survivors has become a key issue for national cancer control plans. This study aims (1) to identify the factors that have an impact on RTW of cancer survivors and to draw a risk profile supporting health professionals in the screening of those at risk for barriers of RTW and (2) to sharpen these results with input from health, social security and academic Belgian experts and to provide evidence-based recommendations that facilitate RTW of cancer survivors. METHODS: A rapid review was conducted, based on the methodology elaborated by The Knowledge to Action Research Programme and researchers from the University of York, including a quality assessment of retained studies. Next, the Delphi method was used to organize a consultation with experts in order to discuss, validate and complement the results. RESULTS: Forty-three out of 1860 studies were included. We identified nine risk factors grouped into four categories: socio-demographic, disease and treatment-related, work-related, and personal and subjective factors. Experts suggested dividing them into two even groups: factors which are modifiable and those which are not. The awareness of health professionals regarding the identified factors, a better assessment of work capacities, clarity on the rights and obligations of employers and workers alike, and the setup of a positive discrimination employment policy for cancer survivors were acknowledged as factors facilitating RTW of cancer survivors. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of health professionals regarding barriers of RTW may improve the early identification of cancer survivors at risk for prolonged time to RTW and may allow early supportive intervention. Social and employment policies should be better tailored to support both employers and cancer survivors in the RTW process, providing incentives to positively discriminate cancer survivors on prolonged sick leave.

Impact of Chronic Conditions and Multimorbidity on the Disability Burden in the Older Population in Belgium.

BACKGROUND: The increase in longevity along with a high prevalence of chronic conditions contribute to increased disability burden. Despite the high occurrence of multimorbidity observed in advanced ages, most studies are restricted to the investigation of individual diseases. In this study, we assessed the impact of chronic conditions and multimorbidity on the disability burden in the older population in Belgium. METHODS: Data from 9,482 participants in the 2001, 2004, or 2008 Belgian Health Interview Surveys aged 55 years or older were analyzed. Disability was defined based on the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI). To attribute disability to single chronic conditions and disease pairs, a multiple additive hazard model was fitted. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal conditions (45.3%), chronic respiratory diseases (11.2%), and cardiovascular diseases (10.2%) diseases were the most frequent conditions. Cardiovascular diseases, the co-occurrence of chronic respiratory diseases and depression, neurological diseases, cancer, and the combination of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases were the top five disabling conditions. The disability prevalence in the older population in Belgium was 35.6% (confidence interval =35.0; 36.2%). The most important contributors to the disability burden were musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and chronic respiratory diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings provide a deeper understanding of the role of chronic conditions and multimorbidity on the disability burden in the older population in Belgium. Although the disease pairs showed a low contribution to the disability burden, their occurrence presented a high impact on disability. Prevention strategies to tackle disability should target the main contributors to the disability burden and the most disabling conditions/disease pairs, especially in the clinical practice.

Educational differentials in disability vary across and within welfare regimes: a comparison of 26 European countries in 2009.

BACKGROUND: Social differentials in disability prevalence exist in all European countries, but their scale varies markedly. To improve understanding of this variation, the article focuses on each end of the social gradient. It compares the extent of the higher disability prevalence in low social groups (referred to as disability disadvantage) and of the lower prevalence in high social groups (disability advantage); country-specific advantages/disadvantages are discussed regarding the possible influence of welfare regimes. METHODS: Cross-sectional disability prevalence is measured by longstanding health-related activity limitation (AL) in the 2009 European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) across 26 countries classified into four welfare regime groups. Logistic models adjusted by country, age and sex (in all 30-79 years and in three age-bands) measured the country-specific ORs across education, representing the AL-disadvantage of low-educated and AL-advantage of high-educated groups relative to middle-educated groups. RESULTS: The relative AL-disadvantage of the low-educated groups was small in Sweden (eg, 1.2 (1.0-1.4)), Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and Spain (youngest age-band), but was large in the Czech Republic (eg, 1.9 (1.7-2.2)), Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Hungary. The high-educated groups had a small relative AL-advantage in Denmark (eg, 0.9 (0.8-1.1)), but a large AL-advantage in Lithuania (eg, 0.5 (0.4-0.6)), half of the Baltic and Eastern European countries, Norway and Germany (youngest age-band). There were notable differences within welfare regime groups. CONCLUSIONS: The country-specific disability advantages/disadvantages across educational groups identified here could help to identify determining factors and the efficiency of national policies implemented to tackle social differentials in health.

Contribution of chronic diseases to the disability burden in a population 15 years and older, Belgium, 1997-2008.

BACKGROUND: Age-associated disability reduces quality of life in older populations and leads to wide-range implications for social and health policy. The identification of diseases that contribute to the disability burden is crucial to the development of prevention and intervention strategies to reduce disability. In this study, we assessed the contribution of chronic diseases to the prevalence of disability in Belgium. METHODS: Data from 35,837 individuals aged 15 years or older who participated in the 1997, 2001, 2004, or 2008 Belgian Health Interview Surveys were used. Disability was defined as difficulties in doing at least one of six activities of daily living (transfer in and out of bed, transfer in and out of chair, dressing, washing hands and face, feeding, and going to the toilet) and/or mobility limitations (ability to walk without stopping less than 200 m). Multiple additive regression models were fitted separately for men and women to estimate the age-specific background disability rate (experienced by everyone, independent of the presence of specific diseases) and disease-specific disability rates (disability rate in subjects who reported selected chronic diseases). RESULTS: Musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases were the main contributors to the disability burden in Belgium. Musculoskeletal diseases were the most prevalent diseases in men and women in all age groups. Neurological diseases and stroke were the most disabling diseases, i.e. caused the highest level of disability among the diseased individuals, in all age groups for men and women, respectively. Back pain was the main cause of disability in men aged 15 to 64 years, while heart attack was the major contributor to the disability prevalence in men aged 65 or older. Likewise, arthritis was the main cause of disability among women across all age groups. Depression was also an important contributor in young subjects (15-54 years). Cancer was not an important contributor to the disability prevalence in Belgium. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the burden of disability in Belgium, interventions should target musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases especially among elderly. Furthermore, attention should also be given to depression in young individuals.