Attitudes and approach to cardiovascular risk factors in Italy: Results of an electronic questionnaire survey

Background. The advent of computer-based technology has led to innovative epidemiological research methods to exploit the advantages of computer-mediated communications. The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a self-administered electronic questionnaire for acquiring information on cardiovascular health, knowledge and behaviours in a representative, stratified sample of the Italian population. Methods. We report information on the attitudes and approach to cardiovascular disease prevention in a representative sample of Italian families who were interviewed at home by electronic questionnaires. The panel of families is currently used for national opinion polls and marketing surveys. Electronic questionnaires were filled out by 1683 males and 1736 females during a weekend period. Results. Two-thirds of respondents reported having their blood pressure measured while only half reported having blood lipid and glucose tests over the previous 2 years. Prevalence of reported hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes and smoking were 15.2, 13.0, 9.8 and 37.1% in men and 10.1, 8.1, 2.6 and 28.0% in women, respectively. More than 50% of hypertensives and diabetics were on drug treatment, while only 20% of subjects reporting hyperlipidaemia were on medication. Conclusions. The results suggest the usefulness of self-administered electronic questionnaires for acquiring quick, low-cost and high response rate information in epidemiological surveys. © 2003 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Parton distributions and lattice QCD calculations: a community white paper

International audienceIn the framework of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), parton distribution functions (PDFs) quantify how the momentum and spin of a hadron are divided among its quark and gluon constituents. Two main approaches exist to determine PDFs. The first approach, based on QCD factorization theorems, realizes a QCD analysis of a suitable set of hard-scattering measurements, often using a variety of hadronic observables. The second approach, based on first-principle operator definitions of PDFs, uses lattice QCD to compute directly some PDF-related quantities, such as their moments. Motivated by recent progress in both approaches, in this document we present an overview of lattice-QCD and global-analysis techniques used to determine unpolarized and polarized proton PDFs and their moments. We provide benchmark numbers to validate present and future lattice-QCD calculations and we illustrate how they could be used to reduce the PDF uncertainties in current unpolarized and polarized global analyses. This document represents a first step towards establishing a common language between the two communities, to foster dialogue and to further improve our knowledge of PDFs