Examining waist and neck circumferences as screening tools for metabolic syndrome in a sub-Saharan Caucasian cohort at three year follow-up: the SABPA prospective cohort

Objectives: Waist circumference (WC) cut-off points specific to  sub-Saharan Caucasians do not exist with which to identify metabolic syndrome. Neck circumference (NC), as an additional measure, was previously found to be a worthy identifier of metabolic syndrome.  Therefore, the aim was to determine NC and WC cut-off points specificto our Caucasian cohort, to confirm baseline cut-off points and to  determine whether or not WC cut-off points specific to this cohort differed from the Joint Interim Statement (JIS) WC guidelines.Design, subjects and setting: A target population study, nested in a prospective cohort, was assessed and included 90 and 96 Caucasian men and women aged 24-65 years from the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Municipality District, North West province.Outcomes measures: Anthropometric and fasting biological markers for metabolic syndrome, e.g. systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein, were obtained.Results: Cut-off points were determined with the use of a receiver operating characteristic. With the use of cohortspecific WC cut-offs, metabolic syndrome prevalence did not change. WC cut-off points were 96 cm for men and 88 cm for women. NC cut-off points were 42 cm and 35 cm, for men and women, respectively.Conclusion: WC cut-off points specific to these Caucasians differed to those from the JIS guidelines, but corresponded with the baseline findings of the prospective cohort. From a clinical perspective, we cautiously suggest the application of NC, rather than WC, as an anthropometric measure of metabolic syndrome in women as it was a stronger predictor of metabolic syndrome and is not influenced by menopausal status per se

STEM Pedagogy: The Concept of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Applied in Teaching Human Biology

Science teachers have been finding it difficult to truly apply the concept of integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics when teaching the individual disciplines for which they have been certified. Students have not been able to see the unity that exists in STEM. This poster uses a human arm to demonstrate how teaching science can vividly expose the concepts of mathematics, engineering and technology. This demonstrates an inspired and motivated unit on teaching human biology which leads to understanding the relationship of science, technology, engineering, and mathematical concepts

Determining ethnic-, gender-, and age-specific waist circumference cut-off points to predict metabolic syndrome: the Sympathetic Activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans (SABPA) study

Objective: The aim was to determine receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) waist circumference (WC) cut-off points best associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a cohort of South African teachers.Design: Target population study.Setting and subjects: Four hundred and nine urban black (Africans) and white (Caucasians) from the Kenneth Kaunda district in North West province, between the ages of 25 and 65 years old, were stratified according to gender and age (25-45 years and 46-65 years).Outcome measures: Anthropometric, fasting overnight urine and biological markers for MetS.Results: ROC analysis determined pathological WC cut-off points of 91 cm for African men and 84 cm for African women. It is recommended that WC cut-off points should be 97 cm for Caucasian men and 84 cm for Caucasian women. Pathological WC cut-off points significantly predicted MetS in all ethnic-, gender- and age- specific groups, especially in male groups, with odds ratios of 7.6 [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4-17.1, p-value = 0.00) for African men and 6 (95% CI: 3-12.1, p-value = 0.00) for Caucasian men.Conclusion: ROC-developed WC cut-off points were found to be good predictors of MetS in a South African cohort, especially in the men. Further research in prospective cohort studies is warranted to verify our findings.Keywords: SABPA study, waist circumference cut-off points, metabolic syndrome, Met

Smoking behaviour and passive smoke exposure of adults – Results from GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS

Background: Smoking is a significant health risk and the leading cause of premature death. Passive smoke causes the same negative effects on health as smoking, albeit to a lesser extent. The reduction of tobacco consumption and the protection against passive smoke are thus important health objectives. Methods: The study German Health Update (GEDA 2019/2020-EHIS) is a cross-sectional telephone survey (04/2019 to 09/2020) of the resident population in Germany with questions relating to the current smoking behaviour and relating to the passive smoke exposure. The analysis sample comprises 22,708 persons from 18 years of age. Results: 24.0% of women and 33.9% of men from 18 years of age smoke currently, at least occasionally. Among both sexes, adults from 65 years of age smoke significantly more rarely than adults in the younger age groups. 4.1% of adults, who do not smoke themselves, are subjected daily to passive smoke exposure indoors. This affects in particular young adults and men. There are educational differences in tobacco consumption and in passive smoke exposure to the disadvantage of adults from lower educational groups. Conclusions: In Germany, there is still a need for action for effective measures for tobacco prevention, smoking cessation and tobacco control policy, which are effective in all population groups and which take into account the concerns of socially disadvantaged groups

Think outside the Box: Rezension zu "Erzählen über Gesellschaft" von Howard. S. Becker

Howard S. Becker: Erzählen über Gesellschaft. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2019. 978-3-658-15869-