Utilisation of dental services by refugees in Germany: Results of the population-based RESPOND survey

Background: The utilisation of outpatient dental services is an important indicator for monitoring healthcare provision in Germany. In the general population, the 12-month prevalence of dental service utilization is 82.2 %. For refugees, this indicator has hardly been measured, although studies suggest an objectively high need for dental care. Methodology: As part of the population-based cross-sectional RESPOND study (2018), self-reported health and healthcare, including the use of dental services, was assessed in three representative, random samples of refugees residing in reception and shared accommodation centres in Baden-Württemberg and Berlin. Results: The indicator was available for 68.8 % (594) of the 863 surveyed refugees. Overall, 38.2 % of the respondents stated that they had utilised dental services in the previous 12 months, whereas 41.4 % had never used any dental care in Germany. Conclusions: The utilisation of dental services among refugees is very low compared to the level of utilisation in the general population. It reflects a discrepancy between access and needs

Migration and health: Moving towards diversity-oriented public health monitoring at the Robert Koch Institute

Summarizing categories, such as migration background or history of migration, do not reflect the diversity and heterogeneity of the population living in Germany and their health. A differentiated description of the health situation of people with a history of migration should consider migrationrelated, social, and structural determinants of health as well as their interactions. The findings obtained in the 'Improving Health Monitoring in Migrant Populations (IMIRA)' projects will help to improve the inclusion of people with a history of migration in future studies as well as in the RKI panel. This will enable an adequate description of the health situation of people with a history of migration and therefore of the general population in Germany. In future studies, the health status of people who have not been well included in health surveys so far, such as people who are not listed at the registration office, should be monitored. For this purpose, continuous development of sampling and survey methods is necessary

Application of the Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG ELISA antibody test to dried blood spots

The qualitative Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG ELISA antibody test has been most commonly used in the analysis of serum samples since early 2020. In the population-based seroepidemiological study 'CORONA-MONITORING bundesweit' (RKI-SOEP study) [1], however, it is used to analyse dried blood spots (DBS). A method study was therefore conducted comparing serum with dried blood, embedded in the 'CORONA-MONITORING lokal' study [2]. This method study comprised 276 individuals who had participated both in the baseline survey in May/June 2020 and in the follow-up survey of the study 'CORONA-MONITORING lokal' in October 2020. The sample was made up of individuals who either had a positive or indeterminate IgG test result in serum measurements at the time of the baseline survey (n = 265) or had a negative test result but reported a positive PCR test before the baseline survey in the questionnaire (n = 11)

School entrance examinations as a small-scale data source for health monitoring of children using obesity as an example

Background: In the scope of the nationwide obligatory school entrance examinations (SEE), a standardised assessment of the preparedness for school of preschool children takes place in the federal states of Germany. For this purpose, height and weight of the children are determined. These data are available in aggregated form at county level, but are not yet being regularly compiled and processed at national level for use in policy and research. Methods: In a pilot project, the indexing and merging of SEE data from 2015–2019 was tested in collaboration with six federal states. This was done using obesity prevalence at the time of the school entrance examination. In addition, prevalences were linked to small-scale indicators on settlement structure and sociodemographics from public databases, differences in obesity prevalence at county level were identified, and correlations to regional influencing factors were visualised. Results: It was feasible to merge SEE data from the federal states with little effort. The majority of the selected indicators were freely available in public databases. In an interactive, easily comprehensible and user-friendly Tableau dashboard for visualising the SEE data, it can be seen that obesity prevalences differ significantly between counties that are similar in terms of settlement structure or sociodemographics. Conclusions: Providing federal state SEE data and linking them to small-scale indicators enables region-based analyses and cross-state comparisons of similar counties and provides a data basis for continuous monitoring of the prevalence of obesity in early childhood

The Effects of Parental Socioeconomic Status on Children’ Physical Activity: Mediating Role of Motivation

Background: An important determinant of health and wellbeing is socioeconomic status as it can influence an individual’s exposure to several risk factors across the lifespan. Previous studies, using the self-report scales, have demonstrated that parental socioeconomic status is associated with physical activity in children. However, due to limitations of self-reporting methods, we aimed to assess the association between the parental socioeconomic statuses with accelerometer-measured physical activity among children. Motivation was included as a mediator.Method: 126 participants (45 girls, mean age of 10.92±1.89 years) wore the accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Parental socioeconomic status was measured by two items, namely, the parents’ education level and household income. The Intrinsic Motivation Scale was applied to measure motivation. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze data.Results: 74% of our sample was at medium level of parental socioeconomic status. Accelerometer data demonstrated that children spent 74.29% of the total time in sedentary behaviors, 17.20% in light physical activity, and 8.81% in Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA). On average, the daily time spent in MVPA was 45.19 minutes, which is below the WHO guideline. In fact, 27.7% (n=35) of children fulfilled the guideline. The results showed that parental socioeconomic status had significant effects on motivation (T=4.129) and MVPA (T=5.097). Moreover, motivation had a significant effect on MVPA (T=2.679). Finally, motivation significantly mediated the association between socioeconomic status and MVPA (P<0.001).Conclusion: As demonstrated in the findings, the socioeconomic statuses of parents and physical activity have become critical concerns about children. Accordingly, in order to increase the level of MVPA among children, large scale programs should be developed by the stakeholders to increase the parents’ socioeconomic status level

Experimental models of pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) ranks third in the structure of acute cardiovascular diseases. Every year there is a rapid increase in morbidity and mortality from PE. Laboratory biomarkers for PE diagnosis do not have the necessary specificity, and therefore are ineffective. PE requires timely active treatment, in particular for the prevention of serious complications. In this regard, further research is needed to study and search for novel promising biomarkers for the early detection of PE, pathophysiological mechanisms and targets for therapeutic effects. To a large extent, novel data on the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases, including PE, scientists receive from experimental studies using animal models. In this review, we summarize the main existing experimental models of PE, describe the principles and methods for modeling this disease. There are following models of PE: intravenous thrombin infusion, adenosine diphosphate-induced PE, PE induction by thromboplastin, recombinant human tissue factor or high molecular weight polyphosphates, collagen/adrenaline-induced PE, ex vivo thrombus intravenous administration, surgical model. This publication also presents our own experience in creating an artificial model of PE in animals using an intravenous thrombus. In our model, confirmation of PE was obtained during pathological examination and an increase in the level of following biomarkers: troponin, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and D-dimer. In this pilot study, a PE model was created to study the pathogenesis and novel treatment options for this disease. To confirm the effectiveness of the model, future studies are required

East–west inequalities and the ambiguous racialisation of ‘Eastern Europeans’

A growing scholarly literature describes people who moved from Europe’s East to its West as racialised. Others speak of ‘migratization’ or ‘xenophobia’. Many of these contributions have in common that they conceive of discrimination as occurring after migration. What is more, they focus on the attitudinal dimension of ‘prejudice’, as expressed in the media or the narratives of East–West movers themselves. What thereby slips from view is that racism has geopolitical-economic and legal dimensions, and structures life opportunities. This article explores how categories such as ‘Eastern European’ are invoked, deployed and how they are put to work – via policy or the law. The analysis shows that neoliberal policies have attributed a distinctive positionality to ‘Eastern Europeans’ in West European racial hierarchies. I argue that people from Europe’s East are distinctively, yet ambiguously racialised, and discuss facets of this ambiguity. Most notably, they are inferiorised within Europe, but often positioned within global racialised categories of ‘Europeanness’. This racialisation is not a product of twenty-first century mobilities but reflects and reproduces the peripheralisation of Europe’s East. Of course, racialisation shapes everyday lives after migration; yet, it also channels the life opportunities of those born in the East over the course of generations

Nachhaltigkeit in der Gesundheit(sversorgung) von zugewanderten Menschen

Nowak AC, Tallarek M, Hoffmann S, Hövener C, Razum O, Spallek J. Nachhaltigkeit in der Gesundheit(sversorgung) von zugewanderten Menschen. In: Hartung S, Wihofszky P, eds. Gesundheit und Nachhaltigkeit. Springer Reference Pflege – Therapie – Gesundheit. Berlin ; Heidelberg: Springer ; 2023: 1-11