Addressing the effectiveness of health literacy programs within the Gulf Corporation Council: an integrative review.

Health literacy is an increasingly required need to help individuals, families and communities manage their health and health conditions. It is linked with better self-adherence to treatments, use of resources, access to care and overall reduced costs in healthcare. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, various health literacy programs are implemented across states to address people's unique and complex healthcare needs. This article aims to examine the current literature and assess the factors that influence the outcomes of health literacy programs within the GCC. An integrative review methodology has been conducted to pursue a comprehensive understanding of health literacy interventions in the GCC. This investigative approach was shaped by Whittemore and Knafl's framework (2005), which includes problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation. The literature on the effectiveness of health literacy interventions and the factors that shape them are notably limited worldwide and within the GCC region. This integrative review addresses this knowledge gap and highlights the significance of key themes such as sessions, evaluation and improvement in shaping health literacy outcomes within the GCC region. Through this integrative review, the three main themes of sessions, evaluation and improvement were identified as influencing the outcomes of health literacy programs within the GCC.

Is there any circadian variation consequence on acute case fatality of stroke? Takashima Stroke Registry, Japan (1990-2003).

BACKGROUND: Circadian periodicity in the onset of stroke has been reported. However, it is unclear whether this variation affects the acute stroke case fatality. Time of the day variation in stroke case fatality was examined using population-based stroke registration data. METHODS: Stroke event data were acquired from the Takashima Stroke Registry, which covers a stable population of approximately 55,000 in Takashima County in central Japan. During the period of 1990-2003, there were 1080 (549 men and 531 women) cases with classifiable stroke onset time. Stroke incidence was categorized as occurring at night (midnight-6 a.m.), morning (6 a.m.-noon), afternoon (noon-6 p.m.), and evening (6 p.m.-midnight). The 28-day case fatality rates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by gender, age, and stroke subtype across the time blocks. After adjusting for gender, age at onset, and stroke severity at onset, the hazard ratios for fatal strokes in evening, night, and morning were calculated, with afternoon serving as the reference. RESULTS: For all strokes, the 28-day case fatality rate was 23.3% (95% CI:19.4-27.6) for morning onset, 16.9% (95% CI:13.1-21.6) for afternoon onset, 18.3% (95% CI:13.6-24.1) for evening onset, and 21.0% (95% CI:15.0-28.5) for the night onset stroke. The case fatality for strokes during the morning was higher than the case fatality for strokes during afternoon. This fatality risk excess for morning strokes persisted even after adjusting for age, gender, and stroke severity on onset in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: In the examination of circadian variation of stroke case fatality, 28-day case fatality rate tended to be higher for the morning strokes.

Relation of dietary and lifestyle traits to difference in serum leptin of Japanese in Japan and Hawaii: the INTERLIPID study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previously, we found significantly higher serum leptin in Japanese-Americans in Hawaii than Japanese in Japan. We investigated whether differences in dietary and other lifestyle factors explain higher serum leptin concentrations in Japanese living a Western lifestyle in Hawaii compared with Japanese in Japan. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum leptin and nutrient intakes were examined by standardized methods in men and women ages 40-59 years from two population samples, one Japanese-American in Hawaii (88 men, 94 women), the other Japanese in central Japan (123 men, 111 women). Multiple linear regression models were used to assess role of dietary and other lifestyle traits in accounting for serum leptin difference between Hawaii and Japan. Mean leptin was significantly higher in Hawaii than Japan (7.2 ± 6.8 vs 3.7 ± 2.3 ng/ml in men, P < 0.0001; 12.8 ± 6.6 vs 8.5 ± 5.0 in women <0.0001). In men, higher BMI in Hawaii explained over 90% of the difference in serum leptin; in women, only 47%. In multiple linear regression analyses in women, further adjustment for physical activity and dietary factors--alcohol, dietary fiber, iron--produced a further reduction in the coefficient for the difference, total reduction 70.7%; P-value for the Hawaii-Japan difference became 0.126. CONCLUSION: The significantly higher mean leptin concentration in Hawaii than Japan may be attributable largely to differences in BMI. Differences in nutrient intake in the two samples were associated with only modest relationship to the leptin difference.

Community-based Health Data Cooperatives Towards Improving the Immigrant Community Health: A Scoping Review to Inform Policy and Practice.

BACKGROUND: In the case of immigrant health and wellness, data are the key limiting factor, where comprehensive national knowledge on immigrant health and health service utilisation is limited. New data and data silos are an inherent response to the increase in technology in the collection and storage of data. The Health Data Cooperative (HDC) model allows members to contribute, store, and manage their health-related information, and members are the rightful data owners and decision-makers to data sharing (e g. research communities, commercial entities, government bodies). OBJECTIVE: This review attempts to scope the literature on HDC and fulfill the following objectives: 1) identify and describe the type of literature that is available on the HDC model; 2) describe the key themes related to HDCs; and 3) describe the benefits and challenges related to the HDC model. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review using the five-stage framework outlined by Arskey and O'Malley to systematically map literature on HDCs using two search streams: 1) a database and grey literature search; and 2) an internet search. We included all English records that discussed health data cooperative and related key terms. We used a thematic analysis to collate information into comprehensive themes. RESULTS: Through a comprehensive screening process, we found 22 database and grey literature records, and 13 Internet search records. Three major themes that are important to stakeholders include data ownership, data security, and data flow and infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are an informative first step to the study of the HDC model, or an establishment of a HDC in immigrant communities. KEY WORDS: community health, health data, cooperative, and citizen data empowermen.

Morning surge in circadian periodicity of ischaemic stroke is independent of conventional risk factor status: findings from the Takashima Stroke Registry 1990-2003.

BACKGROUND: We examined the circadian periodicity of ischaemic stroke (IS) onset and its relationship with conventional risk factors using 14-year stroke registration data. METHODS: Ischaemic stroke event data were acquired from the Takashima Stroke Registry, which covers a stable population of approximately 55,000 in Takashima County in central Japan. During 1990-2003 there were 637 (353 men and 284 women) cases with classifiable onset time. IS incidence was categorized as occurring at night (midnight to 6 am), morning (6 am to noon), afternoon (noon to 6 pm), and evening (6 pm to midnight). The OR (with 95% CI) of having an IS in the morning, afternoon, and evening were calculated, with night serving as reference. RESULTS: There was significant diurnal variation in IS incidence (P < 0.001). The proportion of events was highest in the morning (40.7; 95% CI: 36.9-44.5), and lowest in the night (14.0; 95% CI: 11.5-16.9). In the morning an excess incidence of IS was observed in both genders, in subjects <65 years and > or =65 years, and in all IS subtypes. The morning excess of IS incidence was similar across seasons and days of the week. For all IS, morning excess was higher (odds ratio: 2.91; 95% CI: 2.29-3.70) compared to the night period. Similar trends persisted after adjusting for age, gender, and risk factors. CONCLUSION: In the examination of circadian variation of IS onset, a predominant morning peak independent of conventional risk factors was observed in a Japanese population with similar pattern across seasons of the year and days of the week.

Critical care transition programs and the risk of readmission or death after discharge from ICU.

PURPOSE: Critical care transition programs have been widely implemented to improve the safety of patient discharge from ICU, but have undergone limited evaluation. We sought to evaluate implementation of a critical care transition program on patient readmission to ICU (72 h) and mortality (14 days). METHODS: Interrupted time series analysis of 32,234 consecutive adult patients discharged alive from medical-surgical ICUs in eight hospitals in two cities between January 1, 2002 and January 1, 2012. A multidisciplinary ICU provider team (physician, nurse, respiratory therapist) that serially evaluated each patient after ICU discharge was implemented in three hospitals in one city (study group), but not the five hospitals in the other city (control group). Temporal changes were examined using multivariable, segmented linear regression models. RESULTS: After implementation of the program, there was an immediate non-significant decrease in the absolute proportion of patients readmitted to ICU in the study group (-0.4%, 95% CI -1.7 to +1.0%) and a non-significant increase in the absolute proportion of patients readmitted to ICU in the control group (+1.0%, 95% CI -0.3 to +2.2%). Subsequently, there were non-significant changes in the absolute proportion of patients readmitted to ICU in both the study (+0.1% per quarter; 95% CI, -0.1 to +0.2%) and control (-0.1 per quarter; 95% CI, -0.2 to +0.1%) groups over time. No significant changes were observed in mortality. The results were stable across patient subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a critical care transition program was not associated with patient readmission to ICU or mortality.

IgA nephropathy with early kidney disease is associated with increased arterial stiffness and renin-angiotensin system activity.

BACKGROUND: IgA nephropathy is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, though whether this is due to loss of kidney function or proteinuria is unclear. METHODS: For this study 10 normotensive IgA nephropathy subjects with early kidney disease (41±5 yrs, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 87±9 ml/min, proteinuria 720±300 mg/d) and 10 gender- and blood pressure-matched healthy controls (36±1 yrs, estimated GFR 102±5 ml/min, proteinuria 70±6 mg/d) were studied in high-salt balance. Blood pressure and arterial stiffness, expressed as pulse wave velocity and aortic augmentation index, were measured at baseline and in response to 60 min of angiotensin II (AngII) infusion. RESULTS: At baseline, IgA nephropathy subjects demonstrated similar pulse wave velocity (8.6±0.7 vs. 8.0±0.4 m/s, p=0.5) but increased aortic augmentation index (12.6±3.1 vs. 1.8±4%, p=0.04) and a trend towards increased circulating renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components (plasma renin activity, 0.55±0.18 vs. 0.21±0.05 ng/l/s, p=0.08; angiotensin II, 25±5 vs. 16±1 ng/l, p=0.08) compared with controls. However, despite similar baseline blood pressure values (p=0.8), IgA nephropathy was associated with reduced arterial sensitivity to AngII challenge (Δmean arterial pressure: 19±4 vs. 29±1 mm Hg, p=0.05; Δpulse wave velocity: -0.06±0.6 vs. 1.5±0.3 m/s, p=0.07) compared with controls, even after multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Even in the setting of early kidney disease, IgA nephropathy is associated with increased arterial stiffness and decreased angiotensin II responsiveness, a marker of increased RAS activity.

Sex influences the effect of body mass index on the vascular response to angiotensin II in humans.

OBJECTIVE: Sex influences the cardiorenal risk associated with body mass index (BMI). The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in adiposity-mediated cardiorenal risk profiles in healthy, non-obese men and women was investigated. METHODS: Systemic and renal hemodynamic responses to angiotensin-II (AngII) as a function of BMI, waist and hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, as well as fat and lean mass were measured in 18 men and 25 women in high-salt balance, stratified by BMI (<25 kg/m2 (ideal body weight (IBW)) vs. ≥25 kg/m2 overweight)). RESULTS: In men (n = 7, BMI 23 ± 1 kg/m2) and women (n = 14, BMI 22 ± 2 kg/m2) of IBW, BMI was not associated with the systolic blood pressure (SBP) response to AngII. In contrast, overweight men (n = 11, 29 ± 2 kg/m2) demonstrated a progressively more blunted vasoconstrictor SBP response to AngII challenge as BMI increased (P = 0.007), even after adjustment for covariates. Women maintained the same relationship between BMI and the SBP response to AngII irrespective of weight status (P = 0.2, IBW vs. overweight women). Compared to BMI, other adiposity measures showed similar associations to systemic AngII responsiveness in men but not in women. Increasing BMI was associated with a blunted renovasoconstrictor response to AngII in all subjects, but was more pronounced in men. CONCLUSION: Sex influences the effect of adiposity on vascular angiotensin-responsiveness.

The relationship of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity to future cardiovascular disease events in the general Japanese population: the Takashima Study.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a non-invasive measure of arterial stiffness obtained using an automated system. Although baPWVs have been widely used as a non-invasive marker for evaluation of arterial stiffness, evidence for the prognostic value of baPWV in the general population is scarce. In this study, we assessed the association between baPWV and future cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence in a Japanese population. From 2002 to 2009, baPWV was measured in a total of 4164 men and women without a history of CVD, and they were followed up until the end of 2009 with a median follow-up period of 6.5 years. Hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD incidence according to baPWV levels were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for potential confounding factors, including seated or supine blood pressure (BP). During the follow-up period, we observed 40 incident cases of CVD. In multivariable-adjusted model, baPWV as a continuous variable was not significantly associated with future CVD risk after adjustment for supine BP. However, compared with lower baPWV category (<18 m s(-1)), higher baPWV (< or = 18.0 m s(-1)) was significantly associated with an increased CVD risk (HR: 2.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-6.19). Higher baPWV (< or = 18.0 m s(-1)) would be an independent predictor of future CVD event in the general Japanese population.

Impact of gender on the cardiac autonomic response to angiotensin II in healthy humans.

Premenopausal women have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with men of a similar age. Furthermore, the regulation of factors that influence CVD appears to differ between the sexes, including control of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the renin-angiotensin system. We examined the cardiac ANS response to angiotensin II (Ang II) challenge in healthy subjects to determine whether differences in women and men exist. Thirty-six healthy subjects (21 women, 15 men, age 38 ± 2 years) were studied in a high-salt balance. Heart-rate variability (HRV) was calculated by spectral power analysis [low-frequency (LF) sympathetic modulation, high-frequency (HF) parasympathetic/vagal modulation, and LF:HF as a measure of overall ANS balance]. HRV was assessed at baseline and in response to graded Ang II infusions (3 ng·kg(-1)·min(-1) × 30 min; 6 ng·kg(-1)·min(-1) × 30 min). Cardiac ANS tone did not change significantly in women after each Ang II dose [3 ng·kg(-1)·min(-1) mean change (Δ)LF:HF (mean ± SE) 0.5 ± 0.3, P = 0.8, vs. baseline; 6 ng·kg(-1)·min(-1) ΔLF:HF (mean ± SE) 0.5 ± 0.4, P = 0.4, vs. baseline], whereas men exhibited an unfavorable shift in overall cardiac ANS activity in response to Ang II (ΔLF:HF 2.6 ± 0.2, P = 0.01, vs. baseline; P = 0.02 vs. female response). This imbalance in sympathovagal tone appeared to be largely driven by a withdrawal in cardioprotective vagal activity in response to Ang II challenge [ΔHF normalized units (nu), -5.8 ± 2.9, P = 0.01, vs. baseline; P = 0.006 vs. women] rather than an increase in sympathetic activity (ΔLF nu, -4.5 ± 5.7, P = 0.3, vs. baseline; P = 0.5 vs. women). Premenopausal women maintain cardiac ANS tone in response to Ang II challenge, whereas similarly aged men exhibit an unfavorable shift in cardiovagal activity. Understanding the role of gender in ANS modulation may help guide risk-reduction strategies in high-risk CVD populations.

Trend of stroke incidence in a Japanese population: Takashima stroke registry, 1990-2001.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, stroke mortality and incidence started to decline during the 1960s. The recent unfavourably diverging trends in risk factors make it uncertain whether the decline will continue. Few comprehensive stroke registries of long research duration exist in Japan to illustrate the trends in stroke incidence. OBJECTIVE: We examined 12-year stroke registration data to evaluate the current trend in a Japanese population. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Takashima Stroke Registry, covering approximately 55 000 residents of Takashima County in central Japan. We calculated the age-adjusted stroke incidence rates (/100 000 person-years) and 95% confidence intervals for 1990-1992, 1993-1995, 1996-1998, and 1999-2001. We applied the direct method to adjust for the age distribution among the four periods. The incidence time trend was determined by calculating the average annual change across the study years using negative binomial regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 1453 (men: 771 and women: 682) registered first-ever stroke cases during 1990-2001. The diagnosis was established by neuro-imaging in 93.6% of the cases. The average age was 69.4 years in men and 74.2 years in women. The age-adjusted incidence rates of stroke across the four observation periods were 143.1 (confidence interval: 127.4-158.8) in 1990-1992, 147.4 (confidence interval: 131.9-162.8) in 1993-1995, 120.4 (confidence interval: 106.7-134.0) in 1996-1998, and 122.9 (confidence interval: 109.6-136.2) in 1999-2001. The stroke incidence across the study years showed an insignificant time trend, with an average annual change of -0.33% (confidence interval: -2.44 to 1.78) per year. Similar trends were observed for both men and women and stroke subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: The previously reported declining trend in stroke incidence may have levelled off or slowed down considerably in the Japanese population.