The association between diurnal temperature range and clinic visits for upper respiratory tract infection among college students in Wuhan, China.

The effects of daily mean temperature on health outcomes have been discussed in many previous studies, but few have considered the adverse impacts on upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) due to variance of temperature in one day. Diurnal temperature range (DTR) was a novel indicator calculated as maximum temperature minus minimum temperature on the same day. In this study, generalized additive model (GAM) with quasi-Poisson distribution was used to investigate the association between DTR and the number of daily outpatient visits for URTI among college students. Data about meteorological factors and air pollutants were provided by Hubei Meteorological Bureau and Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau, respectively. Outpatient visits data were collected from the Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Short-term exposure to DTR was associated with the increased risk of outpatient for URTI among all college students. Per 1 °C increased in DTR was associated with 0.73% (95%CI: 0.24, 1.21) increased in outpatient visits of all college students for URTI at lag 0 day. The greatest effect values were observed in males [1.35% (95%CI: 0.33,2.39)] at lag 0-6 days, and in females [0.86% (95%CI: 0.24, 1.49)] at lag 0-1 days. DTR had more adverse health impact in autumn and winter. Public health departments should consider the negative effect of DTR to formulate more effective prevention and control measures for protecting vulnerable people.

Acute effects of ambient air pollution on clinic visits of college students for upper respiratory tract infection in Wuhan, China.

Ambient air pollutants have been linked to adverse health outcomes, but evidence is still relatively rare in college students. Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is a common disease of respiratory system among college students. In this study, we assess the acute effect of air pollution on clinic visits of college students for URTI in Wuhan, China. Data on clinic visits due to URTI were collected from Wuhan University Hospital, meteorological factors (including daily temperature and relative humidity) provided by Wuhan Meteorological Bureau, and air pollutants by Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau. In the present study, generalized additive model with a quasi-Poisson distribution link function was used to examine the association between ambient air pollutants (fine particulate matter (PM2.5), particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3)) and the daily number of clinic visits of college students for URTI at Wuhan University Hospital in Wuhan, China. In the meantime, the model was adjusted for the confounding effects of long-term trends, seasonality, day of the week, public holidays, vacation, and meteorological factors. The best degrees of free in model were selected based on AIC (Akaike Information Criteria). The effect modification by gender was also examined. A total of 44,499 cases with principal diagnosis of URTI were included from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. In single-pollutant models, the largest increment of URTI visits were found at lag 0 day in single-day lags, and the effect values in cumulative lags were greater than those in single-day lags. PM2.5 (0.74% (95%CI: 0.05, 1.44)) at lag 0 day, PM10 (0.61% (95%CI: 0.12, 1.11)) and O3 (1.01% (95%CI: 0.24, 1.79)) at lag 0-1 days, and SO2 (9.18% (95%CI: 3.27, 15.42)) and NO2 (3.40% (95% CI:1.64, 5.19)) at lag 0-3 days were observed to be strongly and significantly associated with clinic visits for URTI. PM10 and NO2 were almost still significantly associated with URTI after controlling for the other pollutants in our two-pollutant models, where the effect value of SO2 after inclusion of O3 appeared to be the largest and the effects of NO2 were also obvious compared with the other pollutants. Subgroups analysis demonstrated that males were more vulnerable to PM10 and O3, while females seemed more vulnerable to exposure to SO2 and NO2. This study implied that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with increased risk of URTI among college students at Wuhan University Hospital in Wuhan, China. And gaseous pollutants had more negative health impact than solid pollutants. SO2 and NO2 were the major air pollutants affecting the daily number of clinic visits on URTI, to which females seemed more vulnerable than males.

[Relations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relation between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MS) among adults from the Functional University Society (FUS). METHODS: This survey was conducted among the staff of Wuhan University who underwent physical check-ups from 2010 to 2011 at the Affiliated Hospital of Wuhan University. The participants had records related to medical history, clinical examination, anthropometry, laboratory tests and routine liver ultrasonography. According to the diagnostic criteria of NAFLD, the cases were divided into two groups-with NAFLD or without. MS and its relevant risk factors of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: 1) The prevalence rates of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and MS were 20.7%, and 13.3%, respectively. People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease had higher levels of BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, FPG and lower level of HDL-C than those who did not have the problem. 2) The risks of NAFLD group in developing MS, obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia were higher than the non-group (P < 0.001). 3) The NAFLD group had 1.66, 4.22, 8.72 and 25.62 times chances of having 1 to 4 risk factors on MS than those without NAFLD. CONCLUSION: NAFLD was closely associated with MS and its relevant risk factors.

Assessing physical activity and related correlates among adults in Hawai'i.

Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, some mental illnesses and some cancer. Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, about half of the adults in the United States and Hawai'i do not get enough. Rates of physical activity differ greatly among ethnic groups and interventions to increase physical activity may need to be tailored for specific ethnicities. In this study, 3,588 adults living in Hawai'i completed a random digit dial survey on their physical activity level. Native Hawaiians and Whites were more likely to be active than Chinese, Filipino and Japanese respondents. Multivariate logistic regressions analyses eliminated differences between Whites, Filipinos and Chinese respondents; however, Native Hawaiians were still more likely to report meeting physical activity guidelines and Japanese were less likely. Other significant predictors included being younger, male, having a job involving heavy labor, being in the normal weight range, being in good or excellent health, having high self-efficacy, spending less time sitting, and walking a dog more frequently. Differences in meeting physical activity guidelines can be used in planning future public health campaigns.

A statewide observational assessment of the pedestrian and bicycling environment in Hawaii, 2010.

INTRODUCTION: Walking and bicycling are important but underused modes of transportation in the United States. Road design influences how much walking and bicycling takes place along streets and roads. Currently, numerous national policy initiatives, including Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets, are attempting to improve pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure and "friendliness." However, no state has completed a systematic assessment of its streets to determine how amenable they are to walking and bicycling. Our statewide study was undertaken to assess how accessible and friendly Hawaii roads are to these 2 activities. METHODS: We randomly selected street segments in Hawaii's 4 counties and then completed objective assessments using the Pedestrian Environmental Data Scan. We audited 321 segments, and interrater reliability was adequate across all measures. Streets were coded as high (42.4%) or low capacity (57.6%) depending on how much vehicular traffic the street was designed to accommodate. Outcome measures included street accommodations (ie, sidewalks and crossing aids) and pedestrian and bicyclist use. RESULTS: Most high-capacity streets had sidewalks (66%). These sidewalks were usually in good condition, contiguous, and had traffic control devices and pedestrian signals. Most low-capacity roads did not have sidewalks (63.4%). Bicycling facilities were limited (<10%) on both types of roads. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic was related to mixed use, including both residential and retail space, and to pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure. CONCLUSION: Road segments in Hawaii with more infrastructure and types of use, including single-family houses, apartment complexes, restaurants, office buildings, and industrial buildings, are used more by pedestrians and bicyclists.

Multiple sex partner behavior in female undergraduate students in China: a multi-campus survey.

BACKGROUND: China is realizing increases in women engaged in premarital sex and multiple sex partner behavior. Our aim was to examine prevalence and determinants of multiple sex partner behavior among female undergraduates in China. METHODS: Anonymously completed questionnaires were received from 4,769 unmarried female undergraduates, recruited using randomized cluster sampling by type of university and students' major and grade. Items captured demographic, family, peer and work influence, and student factors (major, academic performance, and sex-related knowledge and attitudes). To examine risk factors for sexual behaviors, we used multi-level logistic regression, yielding odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Of 4,769 female students, 863 (18.10%) reported ever having sexual intercourse, and 5.31% reported having multiple sex partners (29.32% of all women having sexual intercourse). Several demographic, family, peer and work influences, and student factors (including major, performance, knowledge, and attitude toward sex) were risk factors for ever having sex. However, risk factors for multiple sex partners only included working in a place of entertainment, having current close friends that were living with boyfriends, poor academic performance, and positive attitudes toward multiple partners. These women also were more likely to practice masturbation, start having sex at a younger age, have sex with married men and/or men not their "boyfriends" at first coitus, and not use condoms consistently. CONCLUSION: A small but important subset of Chinese female undergraduates is engaged in unprotected sex with multiple sex partners. Interventions need to target at risk women, stressing the importance of consistent condom use.