Search

Author(s): Dwaiti Roy [1]; S Monisha [1]; G Sandhya [1]; Jonas S Sundarakumar [1]; Thomas G Issac (corresponding author) [1] Dear Editor, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative [...]

Declining total fertility rates in urban areas are causing a re-examination of traditional responses to pro-natal policy. Gary Humphreys reports. Puja Varaprasad wasn't thinking about having a baby. 'My grandmother [...]

By November 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in >630 million cases of disease worldwide (1). During the outbreak, natural occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals was a hallmark; infections [...]

In Valencia, Spain, permanent rodent control campaigns are the responsibility of The Pest Control Section of the Health Service of Valencia City Council. As part of its tasks, the Section [...]

Multidrug resistant Salmonella infection has become one of the most dangerous health concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most previous research shows that food and water are the sources of the human Salmonella infection in Ghana. This article examines Salmonella contamination of fufu, a thick paste prepared from pounded boiled tubers, traditionally prepared using pestle and mortar, a common food in West and Central Africa. The fufu grinding machine, a new technology for grinding fufu, is gaining root in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the urban areas where most people are inclined to use machines to minimize drudgery, leaving behind the traditional way which involves the use of a wooden mortar and pestle. To investigate the sources of these contaminations, 100 samples were collected from 50 randomly sampled fufu grinding machines in the Tamale Metropolis to examine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella species. Fufu samples (SA) and fufu wash-out samples (SB) were collected from each grinding machine as described in ISO 6579:2002 protocol for the detection of Salmonella in food. Of the total 100 samples, 27% were confirmed Salmonella positive, of which 16 were fufu samples while 11 were fufu wash-out samples. Forty-eight percent (48%) of the 50 machines were contaminated with Salmonella. Contamination of wooden machines (85.7%) was higher as compared with the metallic machines (41.9%). The resistance levels of the isolates to the various antibiotics used were as follows: gentamicin (7.1%), nitrofurantoin (18.5%), ciprofloxacin (22.2%), erythromycin (81.5%), ceftazidime (85.2%) and ceftriaxone (88.9%). More of the isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics (81.5% multidrug resistance). From this research, it can be concluded that there is high prevalence of Salmonella isolated from fufu grinding machines in the Tamale metropolis. Measures must be taken by the regulatory authorities to ensure that fufu prepared in grinding machines is safer. Also, awareness creation on antibiotic resistance and strict enforcement of laws on self-prescriptions of drugs would help avert multidrug resistance. Key words: Fufu, fufu machine, Salmonella, antibiotic resistance, Tamale-Ghana, INTRODUCTION Foodborne diseases are important global health concern, especially in developing countries [1, 2, 3]. The most common mode of infection of humans is by the ingestion of contaminated food [...]

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of arboviruses such as dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and yellow fever. This mosquito species is common in urbanized areas in [...]

Author(s): Seo Ah Hong [sup.1] [sup.2] , Pattanee Winichagoon [sup.3] , Young-Ho Khang [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Phutthamonthon District, Thailand (2) Institute for [...], Background/Objectives This study determined time trends in the prevalence of malnutrition and its socioeconomic inequality among children under five at a national level and by urbanity in Thailand. Subjects/Methods This study compared malnutrition prevalence and inequality among children under five by wealth index score and urbanity using three Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for 2005-06, 2012, and 2015-16. The magnitude of inequality was measured on absolute (slope index of inequality) and relative scales (relative index of inequality). Results National prevalence of stunting decreased substantially (16% in 2005-06 and 2012 and 10% in 2015-16), whereas overweight prevalence did not meaningfully change. Inequalities in stunting and overweight by wealth decreased over time nationally on both absolute and relative scales (p-trend < 0.001). Similar decreasing patterns in inequalities were seen in both rural and urban areas, though substantial inequalities persisted. Poor children remained stunted (11.6% in the rural poor and 14.8% in the urban poor), wasted (6.6% in the rural poor), and, strikingly, also overweight (from 5.5% in 2005-06 to 9% in 2015-16 for the rural poor and 8% over time for the urban poor). Conclusion Despite favorable time trends in socioeconomic inequality, this study showed the existence of a double burden of malnutrition (under-nutrition and overweight) in young Thai children with persistent inequalities at the national level. Different patterns of this double burden were seen between urban and rural areas. Public health policies should target both under-nutrition and overweight and consider urbanity in this rapidly developing society.

Abstract Low Birth Weight (LBW) is a major public health problem in Sudan. Reduction of infant and under-five mortality would hardly be achieved without seriously addressing the modifiable maternal risk [...]

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) results from exposure to sounds that are excessively high for durations long enough to cause impairment of the function of the cochlea (National Institute on Deafness [...], Purpose: This study examined listening levels and duration of portable listening devices (PLDs) used by people with diversity of ethnicity, education, music genre, and PLD manufacturer. The goal was to estimate participants' PLD noise exposure and identify factors influencing user behavior. Method: This study measured listening levels of 160 adults in 2 New York City locations: (a) a quiet college campus and (b) Union Square, a busy interchange. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding demographics and PLD use. Ordinary least squares regression was used to explore the significance of demographic and behavioral factors. Results: Average listening level was 94.1 dBA, with 99 of 160 (61.9%) and 92 of 159 (57.5%) exceeding daily ([L.sub.A8hn]) and weekly ([L.sub.Awkn]) recommended exposure limit, respectively. African American participants listened at the highest average levels (99.8 dBA). Conclusions: A majority of PLD users exceeded recommended exposure levels. Factors significant for higher exposure were ethnicity and age; factors not significantly associated with exposure were gender, education, location, awareness of possible association between PLD use and noise-induced hearing loss, mode of transportation, device manufacturer, and music genre. Efforts to effect behavior changes to lessen noise-induced hearing loss risk from PLD use should be sensitive to the cultural differences within the targeted population. Key Words: noise-induced hearing loss, portable listening devices, cultural differences

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown an association between nitrogen dioxide ([NO.sub.2]) and mortality. In Italy, the EpiAir multicentric study, 'Air Pollution and Health: Epidemiological Surveillance and Primary Prevention,' investigated short-term [...]

Myocardial damages due to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) are recognized to be the result of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Epidemiological studies suggested that, among environmental factors, carbon monoxide (CO) urban pollution can be linked to cardiac diseases and mortality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of exposure to CO pollution on cardiac sensitivity to I/R. Regional myocardial I/R was performed on isolated perfused hearts from rats exposed for 4 wk to air enriched with CO (30-100 ppm). Functional variables, reperfusion ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and cellular damages (infarct size, lactate dehydrogenase release) were assessed. Sarcomere length shortening and [Ca2.sup.+] handling were evaluated in intact isolated cardiomyocytes during a cellular anoxia-reoxygenation protocol. The major results show that prolonged CO exposure worsens myocardial I/R injuries, resulting in increased severity of postischemic VA, impaired recovery of myocardial function, and increased infarct size (60 [+ or -] 5 vs. 33 [+ or -] 2% of ischemic zone). The aggravating effects of CO exposure on I/R could be explained by a reduced myocardial enzymatic antioxidant status (superoxide dismutase -45%; glutathione peroxidase -49%) associated with impaired intracellular [Ca2.sup.+] handling. In conclusion, our results are consistent with the idea that chronic CO pollution dramatically increases the severity of myocardial I/R injuries. environmental pollution; myocardial infarction; antioxidant status doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01194.2009.

Objective: To estimate the association between measures of socio-economic status (SES) and breast cancer (BC) survival for young, urban Australian women. Methods: We used a population-based sample of 1,029 women followed prospectively for a median of 7.9 years. SES was defined by education and area of residence. Hazard ratios (HRs) associated with SES measures were estimated for (i) distant recurrence (DR) and (ii) all-cause mortality as end-points. Results: HRs for area of residence were not significantly different from unity, with or without adjustment for age at diagnosis and education level. The univariable HR estimate of DR for women with university education compared with women with incomplete high school education was 1.51 (95% CI = 1.08 - 2.13, p = 0.02), which reduced to 1.20 (95% CI = 0.85 - 1.72, p = 0.3) after adjusting for age at diagnosis and area of residence. Adjusting for prognostic factors differentially distributed across SES groups did not substantially alter the association between survival and SES. Conclusions: Among young, urban Australian women there is no association between SES and BC survival. Implications: This lack of estimates of association may be partly attributed to universal access to adequate breast cancer care in urban areas. Key words: Breast cancer, socioeconomic status, Australia, survival. Aust NZ J Public Health. 2010; 34:200-5 doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00507.x

This study examines the differences between rural and urban older adults on level of life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, focusing on the effect of social support. Data were collected through structured interviews at senior centers and senior meal sites in eastern and southeastern Iowa. The Duke Social Support Index (DSSI), the Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z), and the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS15) were used. Correlations (Pearson's r), independent sample t-tests, and multiple regression were computed. Findings indicated that urban residents reported more depressive symptoms, as compared to rural residents. Subjective level of social support was a stronger predictor of life satisfaction and was more negatively related to depressive symptoms among rural than among urban older adults. Results suggest that social workers who work with aging people need to be aware of rural-urban differences in mental health. Furthermore, social workers need to have knowledge of older adults' social networks and work to ensure greater opportunity for social interaction. KEYWORDS Successful aging, life satisfaction, depression, subjective social support, positive perception of social support, well-being, comparison of rural and urban older adults, DSSI, LSI-Z, GDS15

Objectives. We investigated the influence of neighborhood and metropolitan area characteristics on body mass index (BMI) in urban Canada in 2001. Methods. We conducted a multilevel analysis with data collected from a crosssectional survey of men and women nested in neighborhoods and metropolitan areas in urban Canada during 2001. Results. After we controlled for individual sociodemographic characteristics and behaviors, the average BMIs of residents of neighborhoods in which a large proportion of individuals had less than a high school education were higher than those BMIs of residents in neighborhoods with small proportions of such individuals (P Conclusions. BMI is strongly patterned by an individual's social position in urban Canada. A neighborhood's social condition has an incremental influence on the average BMI of its residents. However, BMI is not influenced by dwelling density. Metropolitan sprawl is associated with higher BMI for Canadian men, which supports recent evidence of this same association among American men. Individuals and their environments collectively influence BMI in urban Canada. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.060954

Community activism can be important in shaping public health policies. For example, political pressure and direct action from grassroots activists have been central to the formation of syringe exchange programs (SEPs) in the United States. We explored why SEPs are present in some localities but not others, hypothesizing that programs are unevenly distributed across geographic areas as a result of political, socioeconomic, and organizational characteristics of Iocalities, including needs, resources, and local opposition. We examined the effects of these factors on whether SEPs were present in different US metropolitan statistical areas in 2000. Predictors of the presence of an SEP included percentage of the population with a college education, the existence of local AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) chapters, and the percentage of men who have sex with men in the population. Need was not a predictor. doi:l 0.2105/AJPH.2005.065961

This study examines links between racial residential segregation and estimated ambient air toxics exposures and their associated cancer risks using modeled concentration estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National [...]

Data obtained from the infant mortality rates indicate that the suburbs in the North America from the 1860s to the 1960s were healthier than cities. The main factors that contributed to the good health of the suburbs include clean air and water, efficient disposal of wastes, lower levels of crowding, and allied public services.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.11.036 Byline: Virginia W. Chang (a)(b)(c)(d)(e), Nicholas A. Christakis (f)(g) Abstract: Prior empirical studies have demonstrated an association between income inequality and general health endpoints such as mortality and self-rated health, and findings have been taken as support for the hypothesis that inequality is detrimental to individual health. Unhealthy weight statuses may function as an intermediary link between inequality and more general heath endpoints. Using individual-level data from the 1996-98 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we examine the relationship between individual weight status and income inequality in US metropolitan areas. Income inequality is calculated with data from the 1990 US Census 5% Public Use Microsample. In analyses stratified by race-sex groups, we do not find a positive association between income inequality and weight outcomes such as body mass index, the odds of being overweight, and the odds of being obese. Among white women, however, we do find a statistically significant inverse association between inequality and each of these weight outcomes, despite adjustments for individual-level covariates, metropolitan-level covariates, and census region. We also find that greater inequality is associated with higher odds for trying to lose weight among white women, even adjusting for current weight status. Although our findings are suggestive of a contextual effect of metropolitan area income inequality, we do not find an increased risk for unhealthy weight outcomes, adding to recent debates surrounding this topic. Author Affiliation: (a) Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia VAMC, USA (b) Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA (c) Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, USA (d) Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, USA (e) Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, USA (f) Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, USA (g) Department of Sociology, Harvard University, USA

Objectives. The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe has undertaken a large study to evaluate housing and health in 7 European cities. Methods. Survey tools were used to obtain information about housing and living conditions, health perception, and health status from a representative sample of the population in each city. Results. In Forli, Italy, the first city studied, preliminary findings indicate some important potential links between housing and health. Conclusions. These findings, when combined with those from the remaining European cities, will likely generate concrete recommendations for the allocation of resources to programs that can improve housing and health.

Byline: T. Chevalley* (1), T. Chevalley* (2), F. R. Herrmann* (1), M. Delmi (3), R. Stern (3), P. Hoffmeyer (3), C.-H. Rapin (1), C.-H. Rapin (4), R. Rizzoli (1), R. Rizzoli (4) Keywords: Key words:Hip fracture -- Incidence -- Osteoporosis -- Residence -- Rural -- Urban Abstract: As many as 40% of hip fractures occur in institutions for the elderly. Several studies have demonstrated a higher age-adjusted incidence of hip fractures in urban areas compared with rural areas. To assess whether this difference could be due to a preferential location of institutions for the elderly in urban areas, we compared the incidence of hip fractures over a 5-year period in urban versus rural areas, as defined according to the population density (urban &gt 15 inhabitants/ha.sup.2). We then determined the age-adjusted incidence of hip fractures in institutional-dwelling elderly and home-dwelling elderly. Hip fracture incidence was 100.0/100000 (150.5 in women and 43.8 in men) in urban areas, and 71.0/100000 (107.2 in women and 32.8 in men) in rural areas (p&lt 0.001). When only those patients living in their own homes were analyzed, the incidence was 66.7/100000 (94.6 in women and 35.7 in men) in urban regions and 36.8/100000 (49.6 in women and 23.4 in men) in rural areas (p&lt 0.001), a difference of even greater magnitude than when both home-dwelling and institutional-dwelling residents were considered together. In a logistic regression model including age class, gender, urban or rural areas and institutionalization for inhabitants 65 years of age and older, urban residents have a 31% significantly (p&lt 0.001) higher incidence of hip fracture compared with rural residents women have a 79% significantly (p&lt 0.001) higher incidence of hip fracture compared with men and institutional-dwelling elderly have a 351% significantly (p&lt 0.001) higher incidence of hip fracture compared with home-dwelling elderly. These results confirm the existence of a higher age-adjusted incidence of hip fractures in urban compared with rural areas. Since this difference is increased when patients living at home were analyzed separately, it indicates that the difference between urban and rural areas is not due to a preferential urban location of institutions for the elderly. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Geriatrics, CH (2) Division of Bone Diseases [WHO Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis and Bone Diseases], Department of Internal Medicine, CH (3) Department of Orthopedic Surgery, CH (4) Centre Interfacultaire de GeA'rontologie, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, CH Article note: Received: 7 November 2000 / Accepted: 9 July 2001

We examined the association of income inequality measured at the metropolitan area (MA) and county levels with individual self-rated health. Individual-level data were drawn from 259,762 respondents to the March Current Population Survey in 1996 and 1998. Income inequality and average income were calculated from 1990 census data, the former using Gini coefficients. Multi-level logistic regression models were used. Controlling for sex, age, race, and individual-level household income, respondents living in high, medium-high, and medium-low income inequality MAs had odds ratios of fair/poor self-rated health of 1.20 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.38), 1.07 (0.95-1.21), and 1.02 (0.91-1.15), respectively, compared to people living in the MAs with the lowest income inequality. However, we found only a small association of MA-level income inequality with fair/poor health when controlling further for average MA household income: odds ratios were 1.10 (0.95-1.28), 1.01 (0.89-1.14), and 1.00 (0.89-1.12), respectively. Likewise, we found only a small association of county-level income inequality with self-rated health--although only 40.7% of the sample had an identified county on CPS data. Regarding the association of state-level income inequality with fair/poor health, we found the association to be considerably stronger among non-metropolitan (i.e. rural) compared to metropolitan residents. Keywords: Income inequality; Socio-economic factors; Confounding factors; Multi-level studies; Self-rated health; Health status

Introduction In developing countries urbanisation is now increasing rapidly (WRI, 1998), and the cities are found to manifest the problems of under- and overnutrition simultaneously (Solomons & Gross, 1995). There [...], Objective: To study the socio-economic differences in height and body mass index (BMI) in urban areas of Karachi. Design: A comparative study was undertaken to compare the heights and BMIs of adults and children belonging to three distinctively different income groups living in urban areas of Karachi. Setting: Data was collected from families living in small, medium and large houses located in the authorised urban residential areas of Karachi. Subjects: A total of 600 families, 200 from each income group, were included in the study. Anthropometric measurements of 1296 females and 1197 males of different ages were taken. Methods: All the housewives were interviewed to collect socio-demographic information. Height and weight of all the available family members were measured. In order to determine the socio-economic difference in height status, the mean height in cm of adults was compared. For children (2-17y) means of height-for-age Z-scores determined on the basis of NCHS reference values were compared. For studying the weight status the BMI of all the respondents was calculated and they were grouped into categories of under-, normal or overweight according to the NCHS recommended cut-off points. For adult men and women BMI values < 18.5 kg/[m.sup.2] indicated underweight and > 25 kg/[m.sup.2] indicated overweight. Among children, those having BMI values below the 5th percentile of the NHANES III reference values were categorised as underweight and those above the 95th percentile were termed overweight. Results: Height status improved with income level among adults and children of both sexes. Among males the difference in weight status was significant only among 2 to 18-y-olds (P < 0.05 in each case). The rate of overweight among 2 to 18-y-old males was significantly higher (P=0.004) at the middle-income level (15%) as compared to low or high income. The rate of underweight was significantly higher (P = 0.025) at the low-income level among 2 to 18-y-old males (31%, 21% and 22% at low-, middle- and high-income levels, respectively). Among females, rates of underweight were not significantly different at any age. Rates of overweight increased significantly (P=0.048) with income level among 41 to 60-y-old women (38%, 53% and 60% at low-, middleand high-income levels, respectively). Conclusion: Chronic undernutrition as indicated by deficit in height decreased with increasing income level. Socio-economic differences in weight status were not uniform among various age-sex groups. The influence of increasing affluence is likely to be seen both in the form of increased obesity among older females and underweight among children. Differing patterns of association between income and weight status among male and female children need to studied further with more accurate birth records, so as to further clarify the situation. In terms of prevention of nutrition-related disorders both problems of under- and over-nutrition need to be addressed. Sponsorship: Financial support for this project was provided by ISFE, Switzerland. Descriptors: urban; socio-economic status; under-weight; overweight; developing country.

Background It is not known what health conditions are being managed by day services staff because, to date, there is virtually no research on the types of preexisting medical conditions that clients bring to these community-based settings. Furthermore, it is not known whether or how nonmetropolitan clients differ from their metropolitan counterparts. Methods. Census data for 1,448 individuals who were admitted to adult day services in Maryland during 1993 were examined. Variables were included for client characteristics, medical diagnoses at admission (based upon ICD-9-CM categories), and adult day center location (metropolitan vs nonmetropolitan). Results. Persons admitted to nonmetropolitan centers were more likely than those entering metropolitan centers to be diagnosed as having musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, and endocrine conditions and as having a malignant neoplasm. Admissions to metropolitan centers were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. After using multiple logistic regression to control for a number of client characteristics, location of the facility remained significantly associated with all listed admission diagnoses except musculoskeletal conditions. Conclusion. Nonmetropolitan centers are caring for a distinctly different type of long-term care client than metropolitan centers, perhaps because few other long-term care options are available to families in sparsely populated settings. The differences in the medical conditions of their clients should affect most aspects of the day services program, including budgets for appropriate professional staff, staff qualifications, resources for client/family education and counseling, and expected outcomes.