Cancer screening uptake: association with individual characteristics, geographic distribution, and time trends in Italy

In Italy, organized screening programmes invite the vast majority of the population for cervical and breast cancer, and about one half of the population for colorectal cancer. Programme activity and quality are closely monitored. Nevertheless, there is a vast spontaneous activity, both public and private, for which information on service and coverage is missing. To estimate actual population coverage for the three types of screening the extent of spontaneous screening needs to be known

Gioco d'azzardo patologico: Monitoraggio e prevenzione in Trentino

La ricerca presenta i risultati di pi\uf9 studi sul fenomeno del gioco d'azzardo patologico. Nel volume \ue8 contenuta anche un'analisi delle misure di prevenzione e di trattamento adottate per prevenire e contenere il fenomeno del gioco d'azzardo patologico

MANUAL WORKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ADOPT UNHEALTHY HABITS

Background. In Italy, organized screening programmes invite the vast majority of the population for cervical and breast cancer, and about one half of the population for colorectal cancer. Programme activity and quality are closely monitored. Nevertheless, there is a vast spontaneous activity, both public and private, for which information on service and coverage is missing. To estimate actual population coverage for the three types of screening the extent of spontaneous screening needs to be known. Methods. PASSI is a national telephone-interview surveillance system that continuously collects information about behavioural health risk factors and the diffusion of preventive health interventions. From 2010 to 2013, more than 151,000 18- to 69-year-olds were interviewed. During 2013, 136 out of 147 Italian local health authorities participated in the survey. Information about screening includes: test uptake (Pap smear, HPV, mammography, faecal occult blood test, colonoscopy), date of the last test, provider of the last test (whether paid or for free, proxy of the organized screening programme), reason for not participating in screening, and screening promotion/recommendation received. Individual information on socio-economic characteristics is available. Results. Seventy-seven percent of the 25-64 year-old women interviewed said they had undergone a Pap smear or HPV test in the three years before the interview, 40% within the screening programme, 37% spontaneously and paying. Seventy percent of the 50-69 year-old women interviewed reported having had a mammography in the two years before the interview, 51% within the screening programme, 19% spontaneously and paying. Thirty-eight percent of the 50-69 year olds interviewed reported having undergone colorectal screening in the two years before the interview, 31% within the screening programme, 7% spontaneously and paying. All three screening programmes showed a decreasing North-South trend in coverage. From 2010 to 2013, coverage increased for all types of screening; the trend was stronger in the South; the increase was mostly due to the tests performed within the organized programmes. People with low education, economic problems, and immigrants from high migration pressure countries had lower coverage levels. In regions with well-implemented organized screening programmes, test coverage was higher and differences for socio-economic factors were smaller than in regions with incomplete programme activation

Risk factors for operated carpal tunnel syndrome: a multicenter population-based case-control study

Background. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a socially and economically relevant disease caused by compression or entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. This population-based case-control study aims to investigate occupational/non-occupational risk factors for surgically treated CTS. Methods. Cases (n = 220) aged 18-65 years were randomly drawn from 13 administrative databases of citizens who were surgically treated with carpal tunnel release during 2001. Controls (n = 356) were randomly sampled from National Health Service registry records and were frequency matched by age-gender-specific CTS hospitalization rates. Results. At multivariate analysis, risk factors were blue-collar/housewife status, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, sibling history of CTS and coexistence of trigger finger. Being relatively tall (cut-offs based on tertiles: women ≥165 cm; men ≥175 cm) was associated with lower risk. Blue-collar work was a moderate/strong risk factor in both sexes. Raised risks were apparent for combinations of biomechanical risk factors that included frequent repetitivity and sustained force. Conclusion. This study strongly underlines the relevance of biomechanical exposures in both non-industrial and industrial work as risk factors for surgically treated CTS

Incidence rates of in-hospital carpal tunnel syndrome in the general population and possible associations with marital status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a socially relevant condition associated with biomechanical risk factors. We evaluated age-sex-specific incidence rates of in-hospital cases of CTS in central/northern Italy and explored relations with marital status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seven regions were considered (overall population, 14.9 million) over 3–6-year periods between 1997 and 2002 (when out-of-hospital CTS surgery was extremely rare). Incidence rates of in-hospital cases of CTS were estimated based on 1) codified demographic, diagnostic and intervention data in obligatory discharge records from all Italian public/private hospitals, archived (according to residence) on regional databases; 2) demographic general population data for each region. We compared (using the χ_scoretest) age-sex-specific rates between married, unmarried, divorced and widowed subsets of the general population. We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for married/unmarried men and women.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age-standardized incidence rates (per 100,000 person-years) of in-hospital cases of CTS were 166 in women and 44 in men (106 overall). Married subjects of both sexes showed higher age-specific rates with respect to unmarried men/women. SIRs were calculated comparing married vs unmarried rates of both sexes: 1.59 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.57–1.60) in women, and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.40–1.45) in men. As compared with married women/men, widows/widowers both showed 2–3-fold higher incidence peaks during the fourth decade of life (beyond 50 years of age, widowed subjects showed similar trends to unmarried counterparts).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This large population-based study illustrates distinct age-related trends in men and women, and also raises the question whether marital status could be associated with CTS in the general population.</p

Electronic cigarette use as an aid to quit smoking in the representative Italian population PASSI survey

This study explored electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use as an aid to quit smoking and compared abstinence rates for different quitting methods in a representative sample of the Italian population. In the 2014–2015 PASSI survey, the ongoing Italian behavioural risk factor surveillance system, 6112 adults who smoked and made at least one quit attempt in the previous 12 months, were categorized into three groups according to the method used in their most recent quit attempt: e-cigarette only, no aid, other quitting methods (medications; programmes delivered in smoking cessation services; other unspecified methods). The primary outcome was self-reported abstinence for a period ≥ 6 months, adjusted for potential confounders. Eleven percent used e-cigarettes only, 86% no aid, 3% other quitting methods. Smoking abstinence was reported among 9% of those using no aid; 8% of e-cigarette users; 15% of those using other methods. No significant differences in abstinence were observed for e-cigarette users compared with those reporting no aid (adjusted Prevalence Ratio [aPR] = 0.81; 95%Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.58–1.14). Changing the reference group to e-cigarette users, those using other quitting methods were significantly more likely to report abstinence than e-cigarette users (aPR = 1.76; 95%CI = 1.07–2.88). One out of ten smokers who attempted to quit in 2014–2015 in Italy used e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes users were as likely to report abstinence as those using no aid, but were less likely to report abstinence than users of established quitting methods. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between e-cigarette types used to quit and abstinence rates

Electronic cigarette effectiveness to quit smoking in the representative Italian population PASSI survey, 2014 - 2016

Background This study explored electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use as an aid to quit smoking and compared abstinence rates for different quitting methods in a representative sample of the Italian population, 2014-2016. Methods In the 2014-2015 PASSI survey, the ongoing Italian behavioural risk factor surveillance system, 6,112 adults who smoked and made at least one quit attempt in the previous 12 months, were categorised into three groups according to the method used in their most recent quit attempt: ecigarette only, no aid, other quitting methods (medications; programmes delivered in smoking cessation services; other unspecified methods). The primary outcome was self-reported abstinence for a period ≥6 months, adjusted for potential confounders. We will perform the same analysis for 2016 Passi survey. Results Eleven percent used e-cigarettes only, 86% no aid, 3% other quitting methods. Smoking abstinence was reported among 9% of those using no aid; 8% of e-cigarette users; 15% of those using other methods. Compared with those reporting no aid to quit smoking, no statistically significant differences in abstinence were observed for e-cigarette users compared with those reporting no aid (adjusted Prevalence Ratio [aPR]=0.81;95% Confidence Interval (CI)=0.58-1.14), neither for those using other quitting methods (aPR=1.42;95%CI=0.95-2.13). Changing the reference group to e-cigarette users, users of other quitting methods were significantly more likely to report abstinence than e-cigarette users e-cigarette users (aPR=1.76; 95%CI=1.07-2.88). We will add results for the 2016 Passi survey. Conclusions One out of ten smokers who attempted to quit in 2014-2015 in Italy used e-cigarettes, a proportion three times higher than that recorded for other quitting methods. E-cigarettes users were no more as likely to report abstinence than as those using no aid, but were less likely to report abstinence than users of established quitting methods. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between e-cigarette types used to quit and abstinence rates

La domanda di gioco in Trentino

Il contributo riporta i risultati di tre indagini. Un'indagine campionaria sul gioco d'azzardo su un campione rappresentativo della popolazione adulta residente in provincia di Trento, un'indagine sugli atteggiamenti verso il gioco d'azzardo degli studenti degli istituti superiori della provincia di Trento (1000 soggetti) e un'indagine sui pazienti in cura presso il Servizio Dipendenze della provincia di Trento per gioco d'azzardo patologic