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In an attempt to unify the nation's naturalisation policies, Germany has introduced compulsory language tests as a prerequisite for citizenship. Reactions to this new policy have been sharply divided. After a brief introduction to the sociocultural demography of modem Germany, critical insights are provided into controversial use of literacy as a post-9/11 pre-condition of citizenship. A detailed description is given of cross-regional variations in policy implementation. To do this, a contrastive case study is provided of Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the use of language proficiency as a societal mediator of public rights and privileges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German economy is highly specialized in incremental innovations. A number of high-technology industries have established themselves in Germany only slowly over the last decades. Innovation policy has tried to support the startup of high technology enterprises, e.g., by improvements for certain types of finance, incentives for founders and the reform of technology commercialization at universities. However, these measures have been counteracted by the German tax system which affects innovation adversely in some parts. Moreover, the emerging shifts in the age structure of the German population could affect innovation incentives and entrepreneurship negatively. Another important demographic aspect is the dominance of men in science and technology. Stronger participation by women in male-dominated scientific and technical professions could compensate partially for the effects of changes in the age structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While the central role of HbA1c levels for the prediction of micro- and macrovascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes is generally accepted; recommendations in current guidelines and the level of metabolic control actually achieved during routine care differ widely. Limited information is available on factors that influence metabolic control in the pediatric age group and during the transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care. In a large prospective multicenter database (DPV-Wiss), 338,330 individual HbA1c measurements from 27,035 patients with type-1 diabetes (94,074 observation years) were recorded between 1995 and 2005. Data were anonymously transmitted from 207 institutions. HbA1c values were mathematically standardized to the DCCT normal range (4.05-6.05%). The SAS 9.1 software was used for statistical analysis using nonparametric statistics. Median HbA1c for all measurements was 7.8%, with a strong effect of diabetes duration: median HbA1c at onset was 9.1%, during the first 2 years of diabetes 7.1% with a subsequent increase to 7.9% in patients beyond the remission phase (>2 years, 20,314 patients); a strong age dependency was present. HbA1c above the recommended guidelines was found in 23%. For all age groups, girls/women had higher HbA1c values compared to boys (mean difference 0.1%, p<0.0001). Seasonal variation was remarkably small with the lowest HbA1c values in September (mean: 7.86%) and highest values in January (8.08%; p<0.0001). Some improvement in HbA1c was observed comparing three periods: 1995-1997, 1998-2000 and 2001-2005; after remission the median HbA1c decreases from 8.5% to 7.6%. In a multivariate model, a significant influence on HbA1c was detected for age (p<0001), duration of diabetes (p<0.0001), gender (p<0.02), minority status (p<0.0001), season (p<0.0001), treatment period (p<0.0001), insulin therapy (p<0.0001) and center effect (p<0.0001).Conclusions: Both patient-related and treatment-related variables have a strong influence on metabolic control achieved in pediatric and young adult patients with T1DM. In contrast to wide-spread belief, metabolic control is only marginally better in summer compared to winter. Some improvement in metabolic control was observed during the last 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To derive age and sex specific estimates of transition rates from advanced adenomas to colorectal cancer by combining data of a nationwide screening colonoscopy registry and national data on colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence. Design: Registry based study. Setting: National screening colonoscopy programme in Germany. Patients: Participants of screening colonoscopy in 2003 and 2004 (n = 840 149). Main outcome measures: Advanced adenoma prevalence, colorectal cancer incidence, annual and 10 year cumulative risk of developing CRC among carriers of advanced adenomas according to sex and age (range 55-80+ years) Results: The age gradient is much stronger for CRC incidence than for advanced adenoma prevalence. As a result, projected annual transition rates from advanced adenomas to CRC strongly increase with age (from 2.6% in age group 55-59 years to 5.6% in age group ⩾80 years among women, and from 2.6% in age group 55-59 years to 5.1% in age group ⩾80 years among men). Projections of 10 year cumulative risk increase from 25.4% at age 55 years to 42.9% at age 80 years in women, and from 25.2% at age 55 years to 39.7% at age 80 years in men. Conclusions: Advanced adenoma transition rates are similar in both sexes, but there is a strong age gradient for both sexes. Our estimates of transition rates in older age groups are in line with previous estimates derived from small case series in the pre-colonoscopy era independent of age. However, our projections for younger age groups are considerably lower. These findings may have important implications for the design of CRC screening programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of paediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in Germany. In a prospective nationwide survey carried out between 1997 and 1999, all registered new cases of paediatric MS and ADEM with an onset before the age of 16 years were evaluated using a standardised questionnaire. A total of 132 patients with suspected or definite MS and 28 patients with an assumed diagnosis of ADEM were reported. Among these, 82% of the MS patients were 10 years of age or older, as opposed to 18% in the ADEM-cohort. The female-to-male ratio was 1.2:1 in the MS-cohort and 0.8:1 in the ADEM-cohort. Manifestation was polysymptomatic in 67% of the MS patients compared to 86% of the ADEM patients. The most frequent primary symptoms in the MS-cohort were cerebellar (44%), sensory (39%) or visual (36%), followed by brainstem (30%), pyramidal (29%) and cerebromental (22%) complaints.Conclusion: The incidence of paediatric MS in Germany is more than fourfold higher than that of paediatric ADEM; in addition, it shows a strikingly different age-distribution. With an estimated minimum of 50 new cases per year, the incidence of paediatric MS in Germany is much more frequent than previously believed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processes of marginalization and inclusion of immigrants vary widely among industrialized welfare states. Models of citizenship, as a mechanism of both inclusion and exclusion, shape, to a large degree, the outcome of these processes. They affect the way immigrant and ethnic groups identify themselves within the mainstream society. This research note discusses whether or not institutional approaches to naturalization developed in the United States apply to the German case in the wake of the German citizenship reform of 1999. It also demonstrates how the introduction of birthright citizenship has caused a dramatic change in such demographic trends as the number of births to immigrants at both the federal and local levels. Berlin will provide the context at the local level for the impact of the citizenship reform on local official statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on the economic burden of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in young children are lacking in Germany. The objective of the cost-of-illness study was to estimate the economic impact of community-acquired LRTI and nosocomial LRTI as well as of infections due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses (PIV) and influenza viruses (IV). The economic analysis is part of the PRIDE study, a prospective, multi-centre, population-based epidemiological study on the impact of LRTI in children aged 0 to 36 months in Germany. The analysis includes children with community-acquired infections (1329 cases treated as outpatients, 2039 cases treated as inpatients) and nosocomial infections (90 cases). Medical services consumed were generated by chart abstraction and parental expenses data by telephone interviews within four weeks after physician visit or hospitalisation. Costs were evaluated from following perspectives: third party payer, parent and society. Total costs for outpatient treatment are Euro 123 per LRTI case. Stratified by virus type, total costs per case are Euro 163 (RSV), Euro 100 (PIV) and Euro 223 (IV). Total costs per hospitalised LRTI case amount to Euro 2579. Stratified by virus type, total costs per case are Euro 2772 (RSV), Euro 2374 (PIV) and Euro 2597 (IV). Total costs per nosocomial case are Euro 2814. Economic burden due to LRTI is Euro 213 million annually. It is concluded that treatment of LRTI in children up to age three causes a considerable economic burden in Germany. Presented results are the first data describing the economic burden of LRTI in young children assessed by means of the incidence data for Germany. This cost-of-illness study provides basic data for further decision-making, focusing on the economic assessment of preventive strategies for RSV, PIV and IV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we analyze how the marital biography is affecting mortality in Germany today (N = 12,484). We find support for temporal selection into marriage for both genders, but the effect is stronger for men. In addition, protection through marriage results from long-term accumulation of survival advantages and from the attenuation of higher mortality risks that occur immediately after a transition into or out of a marriage. Moreover, women are more likely to keep survival advantages from previous marriages and to forget about survival disadvantages from divorces and widowhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackles a variety of issues concerning the German politics. Controversies surrounding the 2002 election in the country; Demographic characteristics of the country; Partisan identification and dealignment in the country.

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Through a paired comparison between Japan and Germany, we suggest that the legacy of the strong male-breadwinner model creates particular pressures on socially conservative welfare states in a period of restructuring. These countries are reregulating gender relations in different ways. We relate differences between Germany and Japan to contrasting state-society relations: specifically the role of the Japanese state in trying to stem both economic and demographic decline on the one hand and the role of the social partners in Germany to stimulate employment growth and reduce unemployment on the other. In addition, we point to the impact of the European Union (EU) on the matters of labor market and equality regulations in our analysis of Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In public, popular, and scholarly discourses, Turkish migrant youth appear as relentless agents of revitalized Turkishness or Islam in the midst of European modernity. Contrary to this seemingly intuitive assumption, I argue in this article that the manifest diversity of migrant youth cultures is facilitated and authorized by the discursive and institutional resources available to them in Berlin, the metropolis in the making. Particularly significant for the cultural projects of Turkish youths are transnational cultural flows and contemporary discourses of plurality, human rights, and equality, which (en)gender their presence in the public spaces of Berlin and complicate 'national' configurations of belonging and conventional conceptions of otherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the Transitions in Alcohol Consumption and Smoking (TACOS) project is to investigate substance use and use disorders in the adult general population in a region of the under-researched north of Germany, focussing on smoking and alcohol consumption. In this study, the design and quality assurance provisions of the baseline cross-section of the longitudinal project are described. Prevalence rates of alcohol use disorders, consumption pattern, and the nature of their association are also analysed with regard to preventive strategies.Method: A random sample of 4075 participants, aged 18 to 64 and drawn from residents registration office files, was interviewed with a DSM-IV adapted version of WHO CIDI. Fieldwork resulted in a response rate of 70.2% and an unbiased database with regard to demographic characteristics.Results: Low lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorders (4.5% abuse, 3.8% dependence) and hazardous consumption (13.2% lifetime; 6.0% 12-month) was found compared to southern regions of Germany and US American data. In contrast, we found a comparatively high percentage of moderate alcohol uses. Male subjects are more affected by lifetime alcohol use disorders (abuse OR 8.3, 95% CI 5.3-13.2; dependence OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.8-6.4). The association between alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption pattern revealed a weaker relation for alcohol abuse compared to dependence.Conclusion: National and regional drinking habits and norms have to be considered as a significant source of variance, supporting the need for European epidemiological research on substance use in addition to US American activities, and emphasising the advantages of community-based preventive measures. An evaluation of public recommendations for safe limits of alcohol consumption and prevention targets referring to average consumption is indicated. There is also a need for a clear distinction between alcohol abuse and dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The former Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) differed sharply in their family policies. We follow 1950s anti early 1960s birth cohorts from their first jobs to 1989 to see in what ways having children affected earnings for women and men. For the FRG, we find that being a parent had stronger earnings effects (positive for men and negative for women) than in the GDR, with much of this impact mediated by employment hours for women. This does not mean that having children was unimportant for women's and men's earnings in the GDR, but it indicates that the less variable life course led to more society-wide than individual-level ,impact. Further, in the East, some young women balanced family and employment by taking jobs below their qualifications, and this reduced their earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six major ways in which individuals define the activity of working are empirically identified among national samples of employed labor force members in Belgium, Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands and the U.S.A. Several types of exchanges being made between working individuals and their working environments are suggested. Primary emphasis is placed upon national similarities and differences in work definition pattern distributions in the six nations. Secondary emphasis is placed upon the influence of demographic context and organizational role context on work definition patterns. Finally, an argument is made for different levels of appropriateness for two specific work definition patterns in work forces of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examination of the reproductive histories of a sample of German married couples during the 18th and 19th centuries provides insights into behavioral changes involved in the shift from natural fertility to deliberate marital fertility control. A simple accounting scheme is used to assess the relative contributions of starting, spacing, and stopping to changes in family size during the initial phases of the fertility transition. The results suggest that in rural Germany, attempts to terminate childbearing prior to the end of the reproductive span were far more important in initiating the onset of fertility transition than efforts to deliberately prolong intervals between births or changes in the timing of the start of childbearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicobacter pylori is among the most common infections in humans and has been recognized as major cause of various gastroduodenal diseases. There is limited knowledge, however, on the prevalence and determinants of this infection in children. We addressed these issues in a population-based cross-sectional study in Southern Germany.Methods: Study subjects were all preschool children in Ulm, a city in the South of Germany, who were screened for school fitness by physicians of the public health service in 1996. Infection status was determined by 13C-urea breath test. In addition, the parents of the children were asked to fill out a standardized questionnaire.Results: In total, 945 out of the 1201 eligible preschool children participated in the study (response rate = 79%). The children were aged 5-8 years. The majority were of German nationality (72.6%). Overall, 127 children (13.4%) were infected with H. pylori. Nationality, place of residence in the first year of life and duration of living in Germany were strongly associated with H. pylori infection status. The prevalence varied from 4.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.3-6.8%) in children with German nationality who were born in Germany or had lived in Germany since their first year of life to 66.7% (95% CI: 29.9-92.5%) in the children with Turkish nationality who came to Germany after the first year of life.Conclusion: Our results showed a large variation in prevalence of H. pylori infection in children living in the same geographical area according to nationality. They indicate an association between living conditions in early childhood and H. pylori infection and indicate that H. pylori associated morbidity may evolve very differently in population subgroups living in the same area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Berry argued in 1976 that counterurbanization had replaced urbanization in the U.S., a debate has ensued as to whether the phenomenon also exists in Western Europe. Proponents of a developmental theory of counterurbanization contend that the phenomenon should be evident in countries which have achieved a very high level of socioeconomic development, including the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Most of the German and English language literature on the topic suggests the contrary for the FAG. Here urbanization and counterurbanization are restricted to specific geographic meanings, i, e., spatial agglomeration and deglomeration. Results from four interrelated tests show a trend toward counterurbanization evident as early as the 1960s in the post-war regional demographic data of the FAG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marital fertility level and decline are examined in 407 small areas in Prussia using quinquennial data for the period 1875 to 1910 from an unusually rich and detailed data set, and pooled cross-section time-series methods. Religion, ethnicity, and prevalence of mineworkers are the only statistically significant factors associated with marital fertility level. However, none of these are important predictors of marital fertility decline. Marital fertility decline in nineteenth-century Prussia is better predicted by increased women's labour force participation in non-traditional occupations, the growth of financial institutions, the development of a transport-communications infrastructure, reduction in infant mortality and improvements in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that parish-based reconstitution studies may underestimate the true age at marriage because they do not normally include data for emigrants who may be expected to behave differently from individuals who remain in their natal parishes. This study uses data from C18-19th parish registers of north-west Germany to estimate the difference in age at marriage between leavers and stayers. The difference is not significant for males; although that for females is significant, it is small and the consequence of failing to include migrants is likely to be negligible for most studies. However, it is shown that there is also an independent effect on age at marriage that is due to the woman's natal social (economic) status; historical demographic studies that ignore this dimension may risk confounding two different effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the educational scene in Germany from the 1960s to the 1970s. It also forecasts the possible educational trends in the country by 1980s. The educational scene of Germany will be characterized by a remarkable state of tranquility which is caused by a decrease of ideological and political controversies. The size of schools will become an issue due to the decline of birth-rate in the country. Moreover, budgetary issue on education is expected to attract public attention. Small population and demography issues expected in the middle of 1980s and onward are the some of the significant issues that should be considered by secondary and tertiary educational institutions in the country.

In view of the high regard given to individual freedom and personal spontaneity, many individuals would prefer not to have to consider the extreme complexity of social environment at all when contemplating the future and would not want to have to try to understand it all in detail. Another reason perhaps is that one is not in control of the many determining factors. In most cases information that is available will probably not be used in handling crucial events. On the other hand, worries and fears could certainly be triggered by such knowledge, and therefore many Germans prefer, in moving into the third millennium. The increased life expectancy in Germany and other countries comparable in terms of living and medical standards is a fact engendering diverse consequences. It leads, for example, to the paradoxical observation that, on the one hand, more and more people are getting older as the twentieth century ends and therefore have more time to live, but on the other hand, that the time horizon in which they actually make definite plans for the future is short in comparison.

Examines recent demographic trends in a single post-communist region in Eastern Germany. Fertility; Marriage; Mortality.

The occurrence of Sphaerospora tincac Plehn, 1925 from tench in pond farms from northern and southern Germany is reported. The parasites form large masses in the anterior part of the body displacing the head kidney. They seem to be host specific for tench and are not found in the excretory part of the kidney. Mortalities caused by rupture of the abdomen may reach 100%, but usually appear to be low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possibilities for historical demographic studies of Germany are great because of the abundance of data which is available for German populations. Rather complete series of high-quality detailed official statistics are available for most areas of Germany from the mid-nineteenth century. In addition to official statistics and parish registers, Germany may be unique in possessing genealogical studies which reconstruct the family histories of entire villages. Since the 1930's genealogists in Germany have produced books for a considerable number of villages containing these data. The present study is a description of Anhausen, one of the villages for which such a village genealogy is available. Anhausen is a small village in Bavaria about 13 kilometers west-southwest of Augsburg. At the same time, Anhausen is a parish belonging to the deanery Agawang in the diocese Augsburg. During the two and a half centuries prior to World War II the population of Anhausen shows very little growth.

This article analyses sport participation using a demographic-economic model which was extended by the construct ‘social recognition’. Social recognition was integrated into the model on the understanding that it is the purpose of each individual to maximise his or her utility. A computer-assisted telephone interview survey was conducted in the city of Rheinberg, Germany, producing an overall sample ofn=1934. Regression analyses were performed to estimate the impact of socio-demographic, economic determinants, and social recognition on sport participation. The results suggest that various socio-economic factors and social recognition are important determinants of sport participation on the one hand, and on sport frequency on the other. Social recognition plays a significant yet different role for both sport participation and sport frequency. While friends’ involvement with sport influences one's sport participation, parents’ involvement with sport influences one's sport frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]