Development and validation of an asthma self-knowledge questionnaire

Introduction: It is accepted that a greater degree of general health literacy and also, specifically, about bronchial asthma leads to better results in relation to disease control. However, validated questionnaires for adequately studying knowledge about asthma are scant. Thus, the primary objective of the present study was to develop and validate an asthma self-knowledge questionnaire, based on international recommendations on the disease. The secondary objectives were to compare knowledge about asthma between asthmatic patients and non-asthmatic individuals; assessing whether or not asthma affects the level of self-knowledge of the disease and what factors may be associated with poorer self-knowledge of the disease. Methods: The Bronchial Asthma Self-Knowledge Questionnaire was developed and validation studies were performed: logical or apparent validity, content validity, construct validity; internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha test), test-retest or reproducibility, in a face-to-face interview with 73 asthmatic patients and 76 non-asthmatic individuals (with a pilot study in 10 patients and 10 healthy controls). Other questionnaires were also applied: Mini Mental State Examination (in individuals over 65 years of age), Depression Scales (CES-D for individuals under 65 and GDS for individuals over 65 years of age), Demographic Questionnaire, BSI, EHLS and the Characterization Questionnaire for bronchial asthma. Results were then analysed using the Software Package for Social Sciences, version 25.0. Results: Regarding development of the questionnaire, content validity, determined using I-CVI allowed reducing the questionnaire to 21 items. The test proved to have a reasonable value of internal consistency by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient; the data were considered as normally distributed; the test had a good temporal stability, by test-retest, although Spearman rho values were significantly stronger in the asthmatic group. Finally, confirmatory factorial analysis yielded acceptable values for PCFI and PGFI, as well as a satisfactory value for RMSEA (0,087). In terms of the application of the questionnaire, both groups under study (asthmatics and non-asthmatics) showed statistically significant differences in replies of self-knowledge questionnaire items. Finally, factors such as health literacy and the presence of emotional disturbances do not seem to significantly influence self-knowledge of bronchial asthma. Conclusions: The developed and validated questionnaire showed adequate psychometric robustness. In terms of construct validity, by known-group (bronchial asthma) validity, the test was able to discriminate between patients with asthma and volunteers without asthma, regarding self-knowledge of the disease.Introdução: Aceita-se que um maior grau de alfabetização em saúde geral e também, especificamente, sobre asma brônquica leva a melhores resultados em relação ao controlo da doença. No entanto, questionários validados para o estudo adequado do conhecimento sobre a asma são escassos. Assim, o objetivo primário do presente estudo foi desenvolver e validar um questionário de autoconhecimento da asma, baseado em recomendações internacionais sobre a doença. Os objetivos secundários foram comparar o conhecimento sobre asma entre pacientes asmáticos e indivíduos não asmáticos; avaliar se a asma afeta ou não o nível de autoconhecimento da doença e quais fatores podem estar associados ao pior autoconhecimento da doença. Métodos: O Questionário de Autoconhecimento da Asma Brônquica foi desenvolvido e os estudos de validação foram realizados: validade lógica ou aparente, validade de conteúdo (I-Validity Index / I-CVI), validade de construto; consistência interna (teste alfa de Cronbach), teste-reteste ou reprodutibilidade, em entrevista presencial com 73 pacientes asmáticos e 76 não asmáticos (estudo piloto em 10 pacientes e 10 controlos saudáveis). Outros questionários também foram aplicados: Mini Mental State Examination (em indivíduos com mais de 65 anos), Escalas de Depressão (CES-D para indivíduos com menos de 65 anos e GDS para indivíduos com idade superior a 65 anos), Questionário Demográfico, BSI, EHLS e o Questionário de caracterização da asma brônquica. Os resultados foram então analisados usando o Software Package for Social Sciences®, versão 25.0. Resultados: No desenvolvimento do questionário, a validade de conteúdo, determinada pelo I-CVI permitiu reduzir o questionário para 21 itens. O teste demonstrou ter um valor razoável de consistência interna pelo coeficiente de Cronbach; os dados foram considerados como normalmente distribuídos; o teste teve uma boa reprodutibilidade temporal, por teste-reteste, embora os valores de rho de Spearman tenham sido significativamente mais fortes no grupo asmático. Finalmente, na análise fatorial confirmatória obtiveram-se valores aceitáveis de PCFI e de PGFI e um valor satisfatório de RMSEA (0,087). No que concerne à aplicação do questionário, os dois grupos em estudo, de asmáticos e não asmáticos mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas nas respostas aos itens do questionário de autoconhecimento. Finalmente, fatores como a literacia em saúde e presença de distúrbios emocionais não parecem influenciar significativamente no autoconhecimento da asma brônquica. Conclusões: O questionário desenvolvido e validado demonstrou ter robustez psicométrica adequada. Em termos de validade de construto, por estudo de grupo conhecido com doença (asma brônquica), observou-se capacidade de discriminar entre doentes com asma e voluntários sem asma, quanto ao autoconhecimento da doença

Photobiomodulation reduces the cytokine storm syndrome associated with Covid-19 in the zebrafish model

Although the exact mechanism of the pathogenesis of COVID-19 is not fully understood, oxidative stress and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been highlighted as playing a vital role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this sense, alternative treatments are needed to reduce the inflammation caused by COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential effect of red PBM as an attractive therapy to downregulate the cytokine storm caused by COVID-19 from a zebrafish model. RT-PCR analyses and protein-protein interaction prediction among SARS-CoV-2 and Danio rerio proteins showed that rSpike was responsible for generating systemic inflammatory processes with significantly increased pro-inflammatory (il1b, il6, tnfa, and nfkbiab), oxidative stress (romo1) and energy metabolism (slc2a1a, coa1) mRNA markers, with a pattern like those observed in COVID-19 cases in humans. On the other hand, PBM treatment decreased the mRNA levels of these pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress markers compared with rSpike in various tissues, promoting an anti-inflammatory response. Conversely, PBM promotes cellular and tissue repair of injured tissues and significantly increases the survival rate of rSpike-inoculated individuals. Additionally, metabolomics analysis showed that the most impacted metabolic pathways between PBM and the rSpike-treated groups were related to steroid metabolism, immune system, and lipids metabolism. Together, our findings suggest that the inflammatory process is an incisive feature of COVID-19, and red PBM can be used as a novel therapeutic agent for COVID-19 by regulating the inflammatory response. Nevertheless, the need for more clinical trials remains, and there is a significant gap to overcome before clinical trials.publishedVersio

Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: A pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants

© The Author(s) 2018. Background: Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hypertensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. Methods: We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20-29 years to 70-79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where relevant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probittransformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. Results: In 2005-16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the highincome Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Conclusions: Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups

I Congresso Ibero-Americano de Bibliotecas Escolares

Actas de la primera edición del I Congreso Iberoamericano de Bibliotecas Escolares, CIBES 2015, organizado por la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (España), la Universidad Estatal Paulista (Brasil) y el Ayuntamiento de Getafe (España). Celebrado: 21 - 23 de octubre de 2015 en la Universidad Estatal Paulista (Marília) y 26 - 28 de octubre de 2015 en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Getafe)Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (España)Universidad Estatal Paulista (Brasil)Ayuntamiento de Getafe (España)Dimensiones y visiones de la biblioteca escolar en una Educación por competencias: la necesidad de una política estratégica / Miguel Ángel Marzal. -- Getafe ciudad educadora, lectora y escritora: Bibliotecas escolares / Lourdes Muñoz Santiuste. -- Presente y futuro: biblioteca escolar-CREA y proyectos interdisciplinares / Rosa Piquín. -- Cultura en información: un reto esencial de la biblioteca escolar / Mónica Baró. -- Bibliotecas escolares de Galicia: un mundo de oportunidades a favor de la Educación / Cristina Novoa. -- 10 años de la Red de Bibliotecas Escolares de Extremadura (REBEX) / Casildo Macías Pereira. -- Biblioteca Escolar y uso ético de la información para una Cultura de Paz / Ana Barrero Tíscar. -- Dinamización de la Biblioteca Escolar Plumita durante el curso escolar 2014/15 / María Antonia Cano Cañada. -- Experiencia de la creación de una biblioteca escolar / Susana Santos Martín. -- Grupo cooperativo Bibliotecas escolares en Red-Albacete / José Manuel Garrido Argandoña y Eva Leal Scasso. -- La BCREA "Juan Leiva". El fomento de la lectura desde la web social / Andrés Pulido Villar. -- Proceso de implantación de una herramienta de autoevaluación en la red de bibliotecas escolares de Extremadura (REBEX) / Casildo Macías Pereira. -- La biblioteca escolar: abriendo fronteras / Lorena Verónica Cabrera Orellana. -- O programa RBE e a avaliaçao das bibliotecas escolares: melhoria, desenvolvimiento e innovaçao / Elsa Conde. -- Profesional de Biblioteconomía y Documentación: esencial en la plantilla de la escuela / Pilar del Campo Puerta. -- Una mirada activa al proceso educativo desde la biblioteca escolar / María Jesús Fontela Fernández . -- Con otra mirada "La ilustración como vehículo de comunicación y aprendizaje en las bibliotecas escolares" / Pablo Jurado Sánchez-Galán. -- Fingertips. Recriar a biblioteca escolar na sala de aula / Rui Alfonso Mateus. -- Hablemos de libros. Cómo transformar una clase de literatura en una comunidad de interpretación de textos / Francisco César Díaz Rey. -- Inclusión social de familias inmigrantes a través de un programa de aprendizaje de la lengua castellana / Ana Carmen Tolino Fernández-Henarejos. -- O desenvolvimento de atividades de mediação de leitura em biblioteca escolar: o caso da biblioteca da Escola Sesc de Ensino Médio / Vagner Amaro. -- La biblioteca escolar. Proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de padres a hijos / Ana Carmen Tolino Fernández- Henarejos. -- Leo con y para los demás / Ismael Fernández Fernández, Ana María Moreno Vicente y Ana Beatriz Vicente Pérez. -- Nanas y arrullo. Poesía a la deriva / Bernardo Fuentes Navarrete y Carlos García-Romeral Pérez. -- Gestión y evaluación de servicios bibliotecarios para personas con dislexia: una biblioteca escolar inclusiva desde una perspectiva internacional / Carmen Jorge García-Reyes. -- Sueños lectores compartidos hechos realidad: la biblioteca escolar del C.E.I.P-S.E.S-A.A “LA PAZ” de Albacete / Ana Rosa Cabañero Tobarra, Juan Manuel Herráez, Eva Leal Scasso, María Marín Sánchez, Ana Belén Medrano Martínez y María José Nortes Ruipérez. -- El programa biblioteca escuela en Civican. La literatura como elemento motivador para la alfabetización informacional / Villar Arellano Yanguas. -- La competencia digital en el diseño curricular: desde la biblioteca al aula / Felicidad Campal García. -- O deselvomimento da pesquisa escolar por meio da competência em informaçao / Luciane de Fátima Cavalcante Beckman y Marta Leandro da Mata. -- Proyecto escolar de investigación documental "Te pillé leyendo" / José Manuel Garrido Argandoña. -- Aprender com a Biblioteca Escolar: formar para as literacias / Paula Correia y Isabel Mendinhos. -- Sucedió en el siglo XX / María Antonia Becerra Montalbán, Ángel Bernabé Muñoz y Sofía Vaz Romero. -- El Club de lectura en la nube / Belén Benito Blázquez y Ana Ordás García. -- Promover a leitura e a escrita na era digital: prácticas nas bibliotecas escolares / María Raquel Ramos. -- A biblioteca escolar e o desafío da interculturalidade: o projeto Ser + cidadao / María da Conceição Tomé. -- Cuando la competencia digital encontró a la alfabetización informacional o Mucho ruido y pocas nueces / Felicidad Campal García. -- Hora de ler, un programa para el fomento de la lectura en contexto educativo / Cristina Novoa. -- Hábitos de lectura para las competencias en información y alfabetización en información en bibliotecas escolares de Puerto Rico / Karen Denise Centeno Casillas. -- Repositorios digitales en las bibliotecas escolares andaluzas: situación, modelos y herramientas para su creación / Dolores Olmos Olmos y Andrés Pulido Villar. -- Trabajando las competencias clave con las aventuras de Mozarito en Extremadura / María Teresa Carballosa González y María Esther Nieto Vidal. -- Análisis de modelos de evaluación de la web de la biblioteca escolar / Raúl Cremades García. -- Emociónate con las historias: El bosque de las emociones e historias con mucho teatro / Esther Luis Pérez y Ana María Peromingo Fernández. -- Biblioteca escolar de innovación y continuación / E. María Guerrero Palacios y Silvia Mora Ramírez. -- Uso de estándares y licencias para la creación y difusión de contenidos en las bibliotecas escolares / José Luis Barreiro Cebey. -- La biblioteca escolar digital móvil / Javier Fernández Delgado. -- Uso de aplicaciones móviles para el desarrollo de la competencia lingüística. Proyecto Hansel App Gretel / Dolores Olmos Olmos. -- A memória e a mediação segundo Vigotski / Leda Maria Araújo, Patricia Celia Santana, Sueli Bortolin y Leticia Gorri Molina. -- Bibliotecas escolares como tema de estudo dos alunos de graduação em blioteconomia do Instituto de Ensino Superior da FUNLEC: estado da arte / Tiago Pereira Nocera y Rodrigo Pereira. -- Ações de mediação da leitura e da informação em bibliotecas escolares: um olhar sobre as bibliotecas dos Colégios de Aplicação / Tatyanne Christina Gonçalves Ferreira Valdez y Alberto Calil Júnior. -- Mediação pedagógica numa biblioteca de escola pública em Londrina / Rovilson José da Silva, Teba Silva Yllana y Sueli Bortolin. -- Utilização de categorias por cores em sistema de biblioteca voltado ao público infanto-juvenil / Liliana Giusti Serra. -- Atividades de ensino dos atos de leitura com crianças em risco social / Adriana Naomi Fukushima da Silva y Dagoberto Buim Arena. -- Biblioteca escolar: espaço de significados entre alunos, professores e bibliotecários / Rodrigo Barbosa Paulo, Marisa Xavier, Helen Castro Casarin y Creuza Barbaroto. -- A Biblioteca Escolar no Contexto da Legislação e do Processo Educativo / Eliane Lourdes da Silva Moro, Francisca Rosaline Leite Mota y Raimundo Martins de Lima. -- O jornal impresso como fonte de informação: a importância da formação de leitores críticos / Mariana Pícaro Cerigatto. -- Bibliotecas escolares no estado do Rio Grande do Sul: a trajetória de realização dos fóruns gaúchos pela melhoria das bibliotecas escolares / Eliane Lourdes da Silva Moro y Lizandra Brasil Estabel. -- O acesso à informação dos usuários surdos na biblioteca escolar / André Luís Onório Coneglian y Mayara Melo Santana. -- Aprendizagem coletiva de bibliotecários e a competência de pesquisa dos docentes: o caso do Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo / Maristela Almeida Mercandeli Rodrigues y Beatriz Quiroz Villardi. -- Biblioteca escolar: atores, parâmetros e competências / Mavi Galante Mancera Dall´Acqua Carvalho y Claudio Marcondes de Castro Filho. -- Estratégias de aprendizagem de escrita no Ensino Fundamental II / Érika Christina Kohle. -- Bebês e livros: leitura nas bebetecas. Kenia Adriana de Aquino Modesto Silva, Juliane Francischeti Martins Motoyama y Renata Junqueira de Souza. -- Práticas alternativas para organização de acervos nos espaços de leitura em ambientes escolares / Luciana Souza Gracioso, Ariovaldo Alves, Débora Nascimento, Suelen Redondo, Tainara Torika Kiri de Castro, Elizabete Angelon y Eduardo Barbosa. -- Reflexões sobre a modelagem e criação de uma Rede Virtual de Leitores para Bibliotecas Escolares / Carla Floriana Martins y Raoni Guerra Rajão. -- Biblioteca escolar: espaço de formação leitora? / Silvana Ferreira de Souza Balsan y Renata Junqueira de Souza. -- “Se a Biblioteca Escolar é minha mãe, o Google é meu pai”: representações da relação entre Biblioteca Escolar e Google no imaginário de alunos do ensino técnico / Adriana Bogliolo Sirihal-Duarte, Maria L. Amorim Antunes y Raquel Miranda Vilela Paiva. -- Desafios e propostas para a universalização das bibliotecas escolares no Brasil e na Espanha / Rodrigo Pereira, Daniela Spudeit y Fernanda de Sales. -- Bibliotecário educador: possibilidades de atuação no contexto da biblioteca escolar / André Carlos da Silva, Valéria Martin Valls y Mariana de Paula Silva. -- Uma ONG para Bibliotecas Escolares : estratégia para ampliar a igualdade e capacidade de acesso e uso da informação e educação escolar de qualidade / Suelen Camilo Ferreira y Luciana de Souza Gracioso. -- O aluno com deficência: o papel do bibliotecário na disponibilidade de recursos acessíveis na biblioteca escolar / Adriano de Sales Coelho, Rosilene de Melo Oliveira y Marcos Pastana Santos. -- Biblioteca digital virtual e o uso do tablete: uma possibilidade de construção de novas práticas de leitura na escola / Barbara Cibelli da Silva Monteagudo y Dagoberto Buim Arena. -- A importância da biblioteca na educação de crianças de 0 a 3 anos / Yngrid Karolline Mendonça Costa y Cyntia Graziella Guizelim Simões Girotto. -- Comportamento Informacional de adolescentes: a relação com bibliotecas e escolas / Nelson Sebastian Silva-Jerez y Helen de Castro S. Casarin

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity . Here we use 2,009\ua0population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112\ua0million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean\ua0BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017—and more than 80% in\ua0some low- and middle-income regions—was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities\ua0in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing—and in some countries reversal—of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. METHODS: We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30-79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age. FINDINGS: The number of people aged 30-79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306-359) million women and 317 (292-344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584-668) million women and 652 (604-698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55-62) of women and 49% (46-52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43-51) of women and 38% (35-41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20-27) for women and 18% (16-21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including Costa Rica, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Iran. INTERPRETATION: Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied substantially across countries, with some middle-income countries now outperforming most high-income nations. The dual approach of reducing hypertension prevalence through primary prevention and enhancing its treatment and control is achievable not only in high-income countries but also in low-income and middle-income settings. FUNDING: WHO