Medical and social factors influencing the utilization of healthcare services among older adults in Israel during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted older adults. However, most older communities focused on the medical issues. The aims of this study were to identify the medical and social factors linked with the usage of medical services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Israel. Methods: The study was conducted Over two periods of time from February to April in 2019 (P1), before the COVID-19 and from February to April in 2020 (P2), during the first lockdown. The study was conducted on people aged 65 and older in Israel. The variable statistics were analyzed using frequency tabulation, cross-tabulation frequencies, and t-tests. Two hierarchical logistic regressions were conducted over four steps for each period. Results: The participants (n = 102,303) comprised 64.5% female (65,946) and 35.5% male (36,357) (mean age 80.5, SD- 7.46). It was found that participants who had not subscribed to the supportive community services were 7.47 times more likely to access medical services in P1 and 12.417 times more likely to access medical services during the lockdown. This variable was also found to be a strong predictor in the final model. The most significant variable for predicting the participants' needs during P2 was their previous needs in P1. Other social variables were living in assisted living home and living in community settlements. The presence of 12 diseases in this study did not predict service demand. Conclusion: Community support reduces medical service demands during disasters and provides services for older adults. During pandemics, however, social services need to be expanded and made more easily accessible to older adults.

Exploring the Psychosocial Factors between Adaptive and Maladaptive Use of Gaming among Korean Adolescents.

(1) Background: Various studies have been conducted on the effects of video (online, mobile, and console) games on users' lives and psychological health. However, the effectiveness of a game can vary depending on user characteristics. This study explored the level of game use and its associated psychosocial factors among adolescents. (2) Methods: Survey data were compiled from 582 middle and high school students. Frequency analysis, the chi-square test, and analysis of variance were performed using SPSS Windows software, version 23.0. (3) Results: First, it was confirmed that there were no differences in the levels of self-esteem, morality, or life satisfaction between the adaptive game use and normal groups, but these were higher than those of the maladaptive game use group. However, at the level of self-control, the adaptive group scored lower than the normal group but higher than the maladaptive group. Second, the adaptive and normal groups exhibited comparatively lower levels of aggression, anxiety, depression, loneliness, academic stress, and social stress in school. Third, they also exhibit relatively high levels of social intelligence, social capital, and friendship support. (4) Conclusions: The adaptive and general game-use groups showed similar levels of psychosocial factors, whereas the maladaptive game-use group exhibited lower levels of positive psychological and social factors. Based on these results, developing an intervention program that reduces maladaptation and increases adaptive gaming use is necessary. Future follow-up studies are needed to confirm how positive and negative psychosocial factors affect adaptive and maladaptive game use as protective and risk factors, respectively.

Choir Singers Without Rehearsals and Concerts? A Questionnaire Study on Perceived Losses From Restricting Choral Singing During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Choir singing is an activity that engages individuals all over the world with a broad demographic representation. Both qualitative and quantitative studies have examined the benefits of the activity but very few have examined the effects when someone loses access to it and stops singing. OBJECTIVES: Examining the governmental and organisational responses precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we asked what happens when a choir singer loses all of their routines associated with regular participation in choir singing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One national choir organization in Sweden (n = 3163) and one in Norway (n = 1881) were approached with a short survey. This comprised questions relating to the issue "what do you as a choir singer misses the most?" Each participant was asked to rate the importance of a number of elements that pertain to the experience of choir singing. RESULTS: The social aspect of singing emerged as having the strongest weight in terms of perceived loss that is, it was the element that the participants missed the most. Professional singers report that they miss the aesthetic experiences, flow, and all the physical aspects (physical training, voice training, and breathing training) to a greater degree as compared to reports from the amateurs. The importance of aesthetic experiences and physical components appeared to rise with increasing number of years that an individual had engaged with choir singing. CONCLUSION: In the Scandinavian setting, the social aspect has a stronger weight than the other components and this seemed to be more significant in Norway compared to Sweden.

[Ecological Risk Assessment of Microplastics Occurring in Surface Water of Terrestrial Water Systems across China].

To assess the ecological risk of microplastics (MPs) occurring in the surface water of terrestrial water systems across China, this study obtained relevant literature and data by searching keywords including microplastics, urban, and river on websites such as Science Direct and Web of Science. We constructed an evaluation method of ecological risk characterization ratio (RCR) based on chemical hazard data, as well as data of MPs abundance and polymer proportion originating in studies from 2017 to 2021 that covered 33 water bodies in 15 provinces. The results showed that the average abundance of MPs in natural water bodies in China reached (3604.2±5926.4) n·m-3, and the average abundance of MPs in urban water bodies was (7722.6±9505.7) n·m-3. The corresponding average RCR of natural water bodies was 22.09±45.2, and the average RCR of urban water bodies was 15.67±34.8. Therefore, according to the value of RCR, the ecological risk could be rated as four levels. Of these, no significant risk (RCR ≤ 1) was found in 17 water bodies, accounting for 42.5%; low ecological risks (RCR 1-10) were found in 12 water bodies (30%); medium ecological risks (RCR 10-100) were found in 9 water bodies (22.5%); and high ecological risks (RCR>100) were found in 2 water bodies (5%). Data analysis showed a significant correlation between MPs abundance and RCR values in natural water bodies (R2=0.875, P<0.01), though not in urban water bodies. This suggested that the high abundance of MPs could not precisely indicate a high degree of ecological risk in the area. In addition, RCR values were observed to be positively correlated with the watershed area (R2=0.864, P<0.01), and MPs abundance was correlated with GDP (R2=0.679, P<0.05) and watershed resident population (R2=0.922, P<0.05). This study provides baseline data for evaluating the ecological risk of MPs and a feasible method for evaluating the ecological risk of MPs in surface water of terrestrial water systems.

Individual characteristics associated with the utilization of nursing care in the very old population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: As older adults ≥80 years are often underrepresented in previous studies, little is known about their characteristics associated with the utilization of nursing care services. Therefore, this study examined individual (predisposing, enabling, and need) predictors of nursing care utilization in the very old population of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in Germany. METHODS: Data from a representative cross-sectional study included 1531 community-dwelling individuals and nursing home residents aged ≥80 years. Multinomial regression was applied to investigate the factors that explain the use of outpatient care services, day care, and/or private care (odpNCU), and inpatient nursing care (inpNCU). RESULTS: Overall, 1083 (69.9%) participants did not use nursing care services (noNCU), 339 (21.9%) used outpatient, day, and/or private care, and 127 (8.2%) used inpatient nursing care. Compared to noNCU, odpNCU was associated with a higher likelihood of being older [odds ratio (OR) = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.11], having no partner (OR = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.37-0.91), experiencing higher functional (basic activities of daily living, OR = 0.02, 95%CI: 0.01-0.04; instrumental activities of daily living, OR = 0.18, 95%CI: 0.11-0.30) and cognitive disabilities (OR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.44-0.89). Compared to noNCU, nursing home residents were more likely older (OR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.07-1.22), had lower socioeconomic status (OR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.97-1.00), were childless (OR = 3.83, 95%CI: 1.71-8.56) and without partners (OR = 0.43, 95%CI: 0.20-0.96), socially isolated (OR = 3.94, 95%CI: 2.06-7.55), were more likely to be lonely (OR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.58-7.89), more functionally (basic activities of daily living, OR = 0.01, 95%CI: 0.00-0.03; instrumental activities of daily living, OR = 0.04, 95%CI: 0.02-0.09) and cognitively impaired (OR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.31-0.74), but they were less likely to experience five or more chronic conditions (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.20-0.88) and less likely to be physically pre-frail (OR = 0.24, 95%CI: 0.10-0.58) and frail (OR = 0.09, 95%CI: 0.03-0.27). CONCLUSIONS: Individual need factors dominated in explaining odpNCU, suggesting that the very old population in NRW may have equitable access to these services. As social structure, region, and social resources explain inpNCU, this type of care may be inequitably accessible.

Changes in the factors contributing to the reduction of landslide fatalities between 1945 and 2019 in Japan.

Landslides are natural hazards that cause severe damage and human losses. Japan has succeeded in reducing the number of landslide fatalities and is one of the few countries with long-term databases of landslide fatalities. In this study, we identified the factors that contributed to the decrease in fatalities associated with rainfall-triggered landslides in Japan between 1945 and 2019. We examined trends in landslide fatalities and six factors for Periods I, II, III, IV, and V-each period spans 15 years of the study period-and for Periods I-II, II-III, III-IV, and IV-V. We examined the trends in the number of landslides (NL) and in the ratio between the number of fatalities (NF) and the number of landslides (NF/NL), and considered fatalities as the product of the number of landslides and the probability of fatalities. The number of fatalities decreased continuously between Periods I and IV; the rate of the decrease declined over time. During Period I-II, NF/NL decreased, whereas NL remained unchanged. Decreases in the average number of household members, changes in building structure, and increases in the number of people evacuated may have contributed to the decrease in NF/NL. During Periods II-III and III-IV, NL also decreased. During Period II-III, the area of mature forests increased slowly. During Period III-IV, the implementation of structural measures (i.e., hard measures) was aggressively pursued. The factors that contributed to the decrease in landslide fatalities changed with time, suggesting that measures for reducing landslide fatalities changed according to the degree of maturity of the nation. Furthermore, we identified increases in rainfall and NL in Period V, which might indicate a future increase in landslide fatalities.

The Systematic Workplace-Improvement Needs Generation (SWING): Verifying a Worker-Centred Tool for Identifying Necessary Workplace Improvements in a Nursing Home in Japan.

This study developed and tested a new measurement instrument, the Systematic Workplace-Improvement Needs Generation (SWING), to identify workplace-improvement needs. The participants were 53 workers in a Japanese nursing home for the elderly. The respondents used the SWING questionnaire to self-generate five 'cues' they considered important to improve the workplace. The workers determined each cue's sufficiency level and weight balance (importance), and then we summarised the 265 cues into 21 categories for workplace improvements. The respondents identified the following items as the most important and the least sufficiently provided areas for workplace improvement: 'interaction with customers', 'physical and psychological harassment', 'rewarding and challenging work', and 'sharing goals and objectives'. Although the workplace-improvement recommendations differed greatly from person to person, SWING prioritised the items by weight (importance) and sufficiency (current status), allowing organisations to address the needed improvements systematically. The SWING tool effectively elicited and prioritised respondents' recommendations for improving the workplace. Because its items are self-generated by the respondents, SWING can be used for any occupation or workplace. Visualisation with bubble plots to clarify the improvement needs is incorporated into SWING.

Review on environmental-social factors and social driving process model construction of infectious diarrhea affected by rainstorm and flood / 环境与职业医学

Infectious diarrhea is an important public health problem, which has a significant impact on global disease burden. Under the background of climate change, rainstorms increase and floods occur frequently. Most studies show that the incidences of infectious diarrhea disease increase significantly after rainstorm and flood events. However, there is a lack of systematic summary on the path of rainstorm and flood events affecting the incidence of infectious diarrhea, including the key links and mechanisms underlying environmental-social interaction. This study comprehensively combed the literature from environmental factors, socio-economic and cultural factors, and population and individual susceptibility factors. The potential mechanisms of infectious diarrhea caused by rainstorm and flood events were discussed from the aspects of spreading of pathogens, affecting sanitation facilities and (or) drinking water treatment infrastructure, the regulatory role of individual and behavioral factors, and long-term effects. Based on the "pressure-state-response" model, a social driving process model of rainstorm and flood leading to incidence of infectious diarrhea was constructed. This model could provide reference for future quantitative modeling and other research directions. It is helpful to guide the public health departments to accurately identify factors affecting the incidence of infectious diarrhea after rainstorm and flood, so as to take targeted intervention measures.

[The association between aeroallergenic structures and allergic rhinitis: a study on northern Vietnam]. / Assotsiatsiya mezhdu strukturami aeroallergenov i allergicheskim rinitom: issledovanie o severe V'etnama.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and the number of publications devoted to this problem is increasing. The main etiological factors of AR are pollen of trees, meadow and weeds, as well as mold spores, household allergens and epidermis of animals. Epidemiological studies have found that the prevalence and structure of AR are influenced by regional characteristics, such as the climatic and geographical and social characteristics of the region, and successively therapeutic and preventive algorithms in AR are also different. AIM: To examine the phenotype of the incidence of AR in connection with the characteristics of aeroallergens under the influence of climatic and geographical conditions in northern Vietnam, to make a new contribution to knowledge about AR in Asia and to increase the effect of treatment and prevention in this territory. MATERIALS AND RESEARCH METHODS: The study was conducted in the period from 06.2018 to 09.2018 on the basis of the ENT department of Thainguyen Central Hospital, Vietnam. A total of 556 patients with pathology of ENT organs aged 18 to 70 years were examined, 158 cases of chronic rhinitis were revealed. Among data from 158 patients, 64 patients were diagnosed with AR. We used otorhinolaryngological examination, a standard specific allergological examination and carried out aeropolyneological research in the city of the northern Vietnam, from 06.2018 to 06.2019. RESULT: The aerobiological spectrum is dominated by pollen from the families Moraceae, Urticaceae, Poaceae, Acacia, Artemisia, fern spores and fungal spores from the genus Alternaria. Among patients with chronic rhinitis, 40% were diagnosed with AR, 98.44% of them year-round or perennial AR, with predominant sensitization to house dust mites and molds, much more often to plant pollen. Among 9 (14.06%) patients diagnosed with a polyp of the nasal cavity, 6 (9.37%) patients had increased levels of specific IgE in the blood to a mixture of molds. Sensitization in patients with AR with hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity is predominant on house dust. CONCLUSION: Predominantly, AR in northern Vietnam was year-round. Especially the connection between the formation of a polyp of the nasal cavity and hypersensitivity to fungal spores has been indicated, which may also indicate the role of social factors in further recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of AR in patients living in North Vietnam.

Loneliness during a strict lockdown: Trajectories and predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic in 38,217 United Kingdom adults.

RATIONALE: There are increasing worries that lockdowns and 'stay-at-home' orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a rise in loneliness, which is recognised as a major public health concern. But profiles of loneliness during the pandemic and risk factors remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to examine if and how loneliness levels changed during the strict lockdown and to explore the clustering of loneliness growth trajectories. METHODS: Data from 38,217 UK adults in the UCL COVID -19 Social Study (a panel study collecting data weekly during the pandemic) were analysed during the strict lockdown period in the UK (23/03/2020-10/05/2020). The sample was well-stratified and weighted to population proportions of gender, age, ethnicity, education and geographical location. Growth mixture modelling was used to identify the latent classes of loneliness growth trajectories and their predictors. RESULTS: Analyses revealed four classes, with the baseline loneliness level ranging from low to high. In the first a few weeks of lockdown, loneliness levels increased in the highest loneliness group, decreased in the lowest loneliness group, and stayed relatively constant in the middle two groups. Younger adults (OR = 2.17-6.81), women (OR = 1.59), people with low income (OR = 1.3), the economically inactive (OR = 1.3-2.04) and people with mental health conditions (OR = 5.32) were more likely to be in highest loneliness class relative to the lowest. Further, living with others or in a rural area, and having more close friends or greater social support were protective. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived levels of loneliness under strict lockdown measures due to COVID-19 were relatively stable in the UK, but for many people these levels were high with no signs of improvement. Results suggest that more efforts are needed to address loneliness.

Living Alone and Gender Differences in Rehospitalization for Heart Failure After Discharge Among Acute Heart Failure Patients.

Home treatment for heart failure (HF) is one of the most important problems in patients after discharge as a secondary preventive measure for rehospitalization for HF. However, there are no detailed studies on gender differences in sociopsychological factors such as living alone for HF rehospitalization among patients with acute HF (AHF).This prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled patients with AHF between April 2015 and August 2017. Patients of each gender with first AHF were divided into those living alone and those not living alone. The primary endpoint was defined as rehospitalization for HF after discharge. Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to determine the association between living alone and the endpoint.Overall, 581 patients were included in this study during the 3-year follow-up. The proportion of rehospitalization for HF was significantly higher in patients living alone than in those not living alone among male patients. However, female patients showed no difference in endpoints between the two groups. The difference was independently maintained even after adjusting for differences in social backgrounds in male patients (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.02; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-3.70). In female patients, the HR for rehospitalization for HF showed no difference between the two groups (adjusted HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.56-1.69).In this study population, male patients living alone after first AHF discharge had a higher risk of rehospitalization for HF than those not living alone, but these differences were not observed in female patients.

Recommendations from primary care physicians, family, friends and work colleagues influence patients' decisions related to hepatitis screening, medical examinations and antiviral treatment.

Identification and screening of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important to prevent liver cancer. Comprehensive antiviral treatments should follow three sequential steps: Hepatitis screening (step 1; examination of HB surface antigen and HCV antibody), medical examination (step 2; examination of HBV-DNA and/or HCV-RNA and performance of abdominal ultrasonography) and antiviral treatment (step 3). Patients who underwent these three steps were studied to determine effective information sources (factors) for raising awareness of comprehensive treatments. A total of 182 patients from 11 medical institutions were who were undergoing antiviral treatment were investigated. The number of patients who accessed each of the 18 information sources in each of the three steps and the percentage of these information sources that directly influenced the participants to make treatment-related decisions were calculated. 'Recommendation from a primary care physician' was the most common information source (64.3, 77.5, and 75.8% at steps 1, 2, and 3, respectively). 'Recommendation from a public health nurse (PHN),' 'recommendation from friends or family,' and 'recommendation from work colleagues' were the next most common human factors (3.3-19.8%). 'Recommendation from a primary care physician' had the greatest influence (76.9, 73.0, and 77.5% at steps 1, 2, and 3, respectively). 'Recommendation from a PHN' (50.0, 26.3 and 64.3%), 'recommendations from friends and family' (58.3, 38.9 and 58.3%), and 'recommendations from work colleagues' (33.3, 33.3 and 42.9%) were highly influential factors. Media such as TV commercial messages and programs also had high recognition, but were not directly influential. The findings of the present study indicated that recommendations from primary care physicians, friends, family and work colleagues influenced patients' decision-making regarding hepatitis screening, examination and treatment.

Using big data to predict pertussis infections in Jinan city, China: a time series analysis.

This study aims to use big data (climate data, internet query data and school calendar patterns (SCP)) to improve pertussis surveillance and prediction, and develop an early warning model for pertussis epidemics. We collected weekly pertussis notifications, SCP, climate and internet search query data (Baidu index (BI)) in Jinan, China between 2013 and 2017. Time series decomposition and temporal risk assessment were used for examining the epidemic features in pertussis infections. A seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model and regression tree model were developed to predict pertussis occurrence using identified predictors. Our study demonstrates clear seasonal patterns in pertussis epidemics, and pertussis activity was most significantly associated with BI at 2-week lag (rBI = 0.73, p < 0.05), temperature at 1-week lag (rtemp = 0.19, p < 0.05) and rainfall at 2-week lag (rrainfall = 0.27, p < 0.05). No obvious relationship between pertussis peaks and school attendance was found in the study. Pertussis cases were more likely to be temporally concentrated throughout the epidemics during the study period. SARIMA models with 2-week-lagged BI and 1-week-lagged temperature had better predictive performance (ßsearch query = 0.06, p = 0.02; ßtemp = 0.16, p = 0.03) with large correlation coefficients (r = 0.67, p < 0.01) and low root mean squared error (RMSE) value (r = 3.59). The regression tree model identified threshold values of potential predictors (search query, climate and SCP) for pertussis epidemics. Our results showed that internet query in conjunction with social and climatic data can predict pertussis epidemics, which is a foundation of using such data to develop early warning systems.

A typology of corporate and family dairy farms in eastern Goiás, Brazil / Tipologia de sistemas produtivos leiteiros familiares e patronais na região leste de Goiás

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to identify a typology of corporate and family dairy farms in eastern Goiás, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 170 farm operators in the municipalities of Cristalina, Luziânia, and Silvânia. Dairy farms were categorized into two groups, corporate and family farms. Data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis extraction. Four factors were identified: Milking management (F1), Production scale (F2), Productivity (F3), and Sociodemographic characteristics (F4). Corporate and family farms were then compared in terms of factor scores. Corporate farms scored higher on F1 and F2 and were characterized by larger production scale, greater adoption of milking management and hygiene practices; and consequently, greater alignment with institutional and market demands. These results indicated that corporate dairy farms in eastern Goiás have higher sustainability and are more likely to remain in business than family dairy farms.

RESUMO: Buscou-se analisar a tipologia de sistemas produtivos leiteiros familiares e patronais, localizados na região leste do estado de Goiás. Foram aplicados formulários semiestruturados em 170 sistemas produtivos leiteiros nas cidades de Cristalina, Luziânia e Silvânia. Os sistemas leiteiros foram segregados em dois grupos G1: produtores familiares e G2 produtores patronais. Para as demais variáveis foi aplicada a técnica de Análise Fatorial Exploratória - AFE com método de extração de Componentes Principais - ACP. Quatro Fatores foram obtidos: F1- manejo de ordenha, F2 - escala de produção, F3 - produtividade e, F4 - social. Os grupos G1 e G2 foram comparados frente aos Fatores. Produtores de leite patronais (G2) apresentaram maiores resultados para F1 e F2 quando comparados com produtores de leite familiares (G1). Desta forma, entre os sistemas produtivos leiteiros analisados, aqueles classificados como patronais (G2) apresentaram maior escala de produção de leite, maior frequência na adoção práticas de manejo e higiene de ordenha e portanto, estão mais adequados as demandas institucionais e de mercado atuais.

[Progress in epidemiological research on relationship between psychological and social factors and stroke].

Stroke has caused a heavy disease burden across the world, and it has become a worldwide public health problem. Several studies have assessed the relationship between psychological and social factors and risk of stroke so far. This paper summarizes the progress in epidemiological research on the relationship between psychological and social factors (depression, psycho-social stress, anxiety, loneliness, psychological distress, social support, social isolation, and social network) and the risk for stroke, the results of these studies were inconsistent. Most studies showed an association between these factors and the incidence of stroke, but there were still some studies showing no such association.

An exploratory study into social and healthcare variables of maternal mortality: a case-control study.

Background Regarding the important role the mothers' health plays in shaping nations' well-being, this study endeavored to explore the main social and healthcare factors related to maternal mortality. Methods In this case-control study, data (viz., all maternal mortalities) were gathered from the national maternal mortality surveillance system. Likewise, control data (viz., alive mothers) were obtained from mother health records in 22 health centers located in 21 cities of Isfahan, Iran. The data were related to the years 2001-2016. Case and control groups were matched according to year of delivery, mother's age at delivery time and city of residence. Results Analysis of the gathered data revealed that during the years 2001-2016, 171 maternal mortalities occurred in Isfahan. In view of that, 523 mothers were selected as the control group. Most of the mothers attended high school (36%), were housewives (64%), delivered by cesarean section (59%) and suffered from different kinds of proximate medical causes (55%). The logistic regression results showed that being an immigrant, having a history of proximate medical cause, vaginal delivery and illiteracy raised the odds ratios (ORs) of maternal mortality up to 5.87, 4.41, 2.28 and 1.84 times, respectively. In contrast, using public antenatal care and planned pregnancy have had a protective, significant effect on maternal mortality (ORs <1). Conclusion The results suggested that in addition to social factors including immigrant status and low level of education which led to the increase of maternal mortality, healthcare factors including proximate medical causes, delivery method and antenatal care seem to be essential in tackling the issue of maternal mortality.

Comparing physical activity and sedentary behavior levels between deaf and hearing adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Deaf adolescents may engage in less physical activity (PA) and longer sedentary time than their hearing peers. Yet, literature comparing PA levels and sedentary time between deaf and hearing control groups, as well as studies examining predictors of PA among deaf adolescents, are lacking. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional survey aimed to compare PA levels and sedentary time between the two groups and examine predictors (i.e., gender and social inclusion) of PA participation among deaf adolescents. METHODS: Participants were 98 deaf and 99 hearing adolescents, who completed the survey measuring the variables of interest. RESULTS: Deaf adolescents had a higher level of sedentary behavior as well as lower levels of light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA, and total metabolic equivalent task (MET) than the hearing group. Only a small proportion of participants (deaf: 4%; hearing: 24%) met the World Health Organization's PA recommendation. Gender was found to negatively predict total MET among deaf, while social inclusion was a positive predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Deaf adolescents may have restricted PA participation. Measures should be used to promote social inclusion for increasing PA levels of this population.

The association between psychological and social factors and spinal pain in adolescents.

Spinal pain, back pain, and/or neck pain begins early in life and is strongly associated with spinal pain in adulthood. Understanding the relationship between psychological and social factors and adolescent spinal pain may be important in both the prevention and treatment of spinal pain in this age group. We aimed to determine if psychological and social factors were associated with spinal pain in a cross-sectional study of a school-based cohort of 1279 Danish adolescents aged 11-13, who were categorized into "any" and "substantial" spinal pain. "Substantial spinal pain" was defined as a lifetime frequency of "sometimes" or "often" and a pain intensity of at least two on the revised Faces Pain Scale. Logistic regression analyses, stratified by sex, were conducted for single and all variables together. Eighty-six percent of participants reported "any spinal pain" and 28% reported "substantial spinal pain". Frequency of psychological and social factors was significantly higher in those with spinal pain compared to those without. As the frequency of psychological and social factors increased, the odds of both "any spinal pain" and "substantial spinal pain" also increased.Conclusion: Psychological and social factors may be important determinants in adolescent spinal pain. What is Known: • Spinal pain begins early in life to reach adult levels by age 18. Spinal pain in adolescence is strongly associated with spinal pain in adulthood. • In adults, psychological and social factors and spinal pain are strongly related; however, this relationship in adolescence is poorly understood. What is New: • Adolescents with spinal pain reported a significantly higher frequency of psychological factors and loneliness and lower levels of pupil acceptance. • Adolescents reporting higher levels of loneliness, lower levels of pupil acceptance, and increased frequency of psychological factors had increased odds of reporting "substantial spinal pain".

Social Capital and Dietary Intakes Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have identified poor dietary intake as a health risk affecting survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We examined the association between different social factors (eg, living conditions and perceptions of community social capital) and dietary intakes among disaster-affected survivors. METHODS: We studied 6,724 survivors in four municipalities of Iwate Prefecture 3 years after the disaster. Social capital was assessed via four items inquiring about respondents' perceptions of social cohesion in their communities. Good dietary intake was defined according to the following criteria: intake of staple food ≥three times a day; intake of meat, fish and shellfish eggs, or soybean products ≥twice a day; vegetable intake ≥twice a day; and intake of fruit or dairy products ≥once a day. An individual who did not meet any of these criteria was defined as having poor dietary intake. We adjusted for covariates, including socioeconomic status, marital status, and residential area. RESULTS: Poor dietary intake was reported by 31.6% of respondents. Poisson regression analyses revealed that the following factors were related to poor dietary intake: age <65 years (men: prevalence ratio [PR] 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-1.71 and women: PR 1.55; 95% CI, 1.36-1.77), difficulties in living conditions (men: PR 1.18; 95% CI, 1.00-1.39 and women: PR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.40), and low perceptions of community social capital (women: PR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.38). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that social capital plays a role in promoting healthy dietary intake among women in disaster-affected areas.

Progress in epidemiological research on relationship between psychological and social factors and stroke / 中华流行病学杂志

Stroke has caused a heavy disease burden across the world, and it has become a worldwide public health problem. Several studies have assessed the relationship between psychological and social factors and risk of stroke so far. This paper summarizes the progress in epidemiological research on the relationship between psychological and social factors (depression, psycho-social stress, anxiety, loneliness, psychological distress, social support, social isolation, and social network) and the risk for stroke, the results of these studies were inconsistent. Most studies showed an association between these factors and the incidence of stroke, but there were still some studies showing no such association.