Epidemiological investigation of caries prevalence in first grade school children in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

INTRODUCTION: The annual examination of first graders' oral health as stipulated by law aimed to reach every child in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) in their first year of school. We intended to evaluate the first graders' oral health based on the examination data for 2013/2014. METHODS: Instructed examiners measured the d3mft(deciduous)/D3MFT(permanent) index according to World Health Organization criteria in 25,020 predominantly 6-7 year-old first-grade school children. Only caries affecting dentin was diagnosed; no radiography or fiber-transillumination was used. Out of the d3mft value, the "Significant Caries Index" (SiC) was calculated. This index identifies the dmft score of the third of the population with the highest caries experience. Descriptive analysis was performed. RESULTS: Out of the the examined children, 60.9% were caries free. Mean d3mft score was 1.28 ± 2.27 while the mean SiC was 3.73 ± 2.51. A distinctly higher d3mft was found in the decidous molars compared to the front teeth. Boys were significantly more caries-experienced than girls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirm the lasting trend towards decreasing caries prevalence in children starting school found in previous cross-sectional studies. This trend was observed in the high-risk group (obtained by SiC) as well as in the entire study population. Particular attention in caries prophylaxis should be paid to the primary molars

Evaluation verhaltenspräventiver Gesundheitsförderungsmaßnahmen in Inklusionsbetrieben

Hintergrund: Inklusionsbetriebe nach §§ 215-218 SGB IX bieten schwerbehinderten Menschen eine Beschäftigung auf dem allgemeinen Arbeitsmarkt. Seit 2018 sind Inklusionsbetriebe verpflichtet, Maßnahmen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung (BGF) anzubieten. Ziel der Arbeit: Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, verhaltenspräventive BGF-Angebote in Form von Seminaren für schwerbehinderte Beschäftigte und deren Leitungskräfte in Inklusionsbetrieben zu evaluieren. Material und Methoden: Anhand eines multimethodischen Studiendesigns erfolgte im Zeitraum von Juni bis November 2021 eine Evaluation der 12 Beschäftigtenseminare (3 Seminarkonzepte, z. B. Selbstfürsorge im Arbeitsalltag) mittels Fokusgruppen (n = 44) und eine Evaluation der 3 Leitungskräfteseminare zur gesunden Führung mittels eines standardisierten Fragebogens (n = 10). Die erhobenen quantitativen Daten wurden deskriptiv ausgewertet und die qualitativen Daten mithilfe der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring induktiv analysiert. Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die durchgeführten Maßnahmen zur BGF von Beschäftigten hinsichtlich der Zufriedenheit, der Seminarlänge, der Verständlichkeit und des erwarteten Nutzens mehrheitlich positiv bewertet wurden. Die Leitungskräfte bewerteten die Seminarinhalte, die Didaktik, die Seminarleitung und den Beitrag der Teilnehmenden mehrheitlich positiv. Diskussion: Die Studie lieferte erste empirische Erkenntnisse zur Evaluation von BGF-Maßnahmen in Inklusionsbetrieben. Vor allem die auf die Inklusionsbetriebe angepassten Seminarinhalte konnten die Zufriedenheit der Teilnehmenden mit der Gesundheitsförderungsmaßnahme positiv beeinflussen. Insgesamt bedarf es weiterer Studien zur Entwicklung und Evaluation von verhältnis- und verhaltensbezogenen BGF-Maßnahmen in Inklusionsbetrieben.Background: Social firms according to §§ 215-218 SGB IX offer employment to severely disabled people on the general labour market. Since 2018, social firms are obliged to offer workplace health promotion (WHP) measures. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate behavioural-related offers implemented as seminars for WHP for severely disabled employees and their supervisors in social firms. Materials and methods: Using a multimethod study design, from June to November 2021, 12 seminars for employees (3 seminar concepts, e.g. on self-care in everyday work) were evaluated by means of focus groups (n = 44) and 3 seminars for supervisors on healthy leadership by means of a standardized questionnaire (n = 10). The collected quantitative data were analysed descriptively and the qualitative data were analysed inductively according to Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. Results: The results indicated that the implemented WHP measures for employees were rated positively by the majority in terms of satisfaction, seminar length, comprehensibility and usefulness. Similarly, supervisors evaluated the seminar content, didactics, instructor as well as the contribution of other participants mostly positively. Conclusion: The study provided initial empirical findings on the evaluation of WHP measures in social firms. In particular, seminar content adapted to the setting of social firms had a positive influence on participants’ satisfaction with health promotion measures. Overall, further studies are needed to develop and evaluate structural and behavioural-related WHP offers in social firms

Aufkommens- und Verteilungsfolgen des Ersatzes des deutschen einkommensteuerlichen Formeltarifs durch einen Stufentarif

A simplification of the German tax law is the major intend when proposing a graduated tax rate to replace the current German formula based tax scale. A plain tax rate structure requires catchy tax brackets (e.g. in 5.000 € or 10.000 € steps) and tax rates (e.g. tax rate differences of 5% or 10%). Our empirical analysis shows that such a graduated tax rate causes significant distributional effects and, depending on the particular form, affects different groups of tax payers in different ways. This holds in particular for the two graduated tax rate proposals from the German Liberal Party which additionally provoke substantial revenue losses. A graduated tax rate with little revenue and distributional effects compared to the current formula based tax scale lacks a plain structure and hence conflicts with the objective of tax simplification. © 2011 Verein für Socialpolitik

Estimating the Associations between Big Five Personality Traits, Testosterone, and Cortisol

OBJECTIVE: Hormones are often conceptualized as biological markers of individual differences and have been associated with a variety of behavioral indicators and characteristics, such as mating behavior or acquiring and maintaining dominance. However, before researchers create strong theoretical models for how hormones modulate individual and social behavior, information on how hormones are associated with dominant models of personality is needed. Although there have been some studies attempting to quantify the associations between personality traits, testosterone, and cortisol, there are many inconsistencies across these studies. METHODS: In this registered report, we examined associations between testosterone, cortisol, and Big Five personality traits. We aggregated 25 separate samples to yield a single sample of 3964 (50.3% women; 27.7% of women were on hormonal contraceptives). Participants completed measures of personality and provided saliva samples for testosterone and cortisol assays. RESULTS: The results from multi-level models and meta-analyses revealed mostly weak, non-significant associations between testosterone or cortisol and personality traits. The few significant effects were still very small in magnitude (e.g., testosterone and conscientiousness: r = −0.05). A series of moderation tests revealed that hormone-personality associations were mostly similar in men and women, those using hormonal contraceptives or not, and regardless of the interaction between testosterone and cortisol (i.e., a variant of the dual-hormone hypothesis). CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, we did not detect many robust associations between Big Five personality traits and testosterone or cortisol. The findings are discussed in the context of biological models of personality and the utility of examining heterogeneity in hormone-personality associations

Prevalence and prognostic impact of anaemia, renal insufficiency and iron deficiency in heart failure

Anämie (A), Niereninsuffizienz (RI) und Eisenmangel (ID) sind häufige Komorbiditäten der Herzinsuffizienz. Zum ersten Mal wurden in dieser Analyse die Prävalenz sowie der Einfluss auf Mortalität aller drei Komorbiditäten einzeln sowie koinzident in einer Population aus akut dekompensierten Herzinsuffizienzpatienten untersucht. Ebenso fehlten in der Literatur bisher Studien über die Prävalenz und den Einfluss auf die Mortalität von Anämie und Niereninsuffizienz abhängig von den vier AHA/ACC-Stadien bzw. von den verschiedenen Herzinsuffizienztypen HFrEF, HFpEF und dem hinsichtlich Herzinsuffizienz bisher asymptomatischen AHA/ACC-Stadium A/B. A, RI und ID sind häufig und treten bei Überlebenden nach Hospitalisierung mit akut dekompensierter HFrEF oft zusammen auf. Patienten mit A und RI mit oder ohne ID haben das höchste Risiko für Mortalität. Die Definition und prognostische Rolle des ID nach akuter kardialer Dekompensation erfordert weitere Forschungsbemühungen. Die Prävalenz von A und insbesondere von RI ist bereits in den aymptomatischen AHA / ACC-Stadien A und B hoch und nimmt mit dem Schweregrad der Herzinsuffizienz zu. Sowohl A als auch RI haben einen individuellen und kumulativen prognostischen Einfluss über das gesamte AHA / ACC-Spektrum. A und RI waren bei allen Herzinsuffizienztypen häufig. Mehr als 20% der asymptomatischen AHA / ACC-Patienten im Stadium A und B hatten bereits RI. A und RI zeigten einen negativen individuellen und kumulativen prognostischen Einfluss bei allen Herzinsuffizienztypen, einschließlich der asymptomatischen Patienten (bei HFpEF gab es nur einen Trend, höchstwahrscheinlich aufgrund der geringeren Patientenzahl). Bei Bestehen von A, RI oder ID ist eine sorgfältige Ursachenforschung indiziert im Rahmen eines ganzheitlichen Managements der Herzinsuffizienz mit dem Ziel, die Prognose der Herzinsuffizienz zu verbessern.Anaemia (A), renal insufficiency (RI) and iron deficiency (ID) are frequent comorbidities of heart failure. In this analysis the prevalence and the impact on mortality of all three comorbidities were examined individually and cumulative in a population of acutely decompensated heart failure patients for the first time. Likewise, studies on the prevalence and the impact on mortality from anemia and renal insufficiency depending on the four AHA / ACC stages or on the different types of heart failure HFrEF, HFpEF and the aymptomatic AHA / ACC precursor stages A and B have so far been lacking in the literature. A, RI, and ID are common and often coincide in survivors of the in-hospital phase after acutely decompensated HFrEF. Patients with A and RI with or without ID have the highest risk of all-cause mortality. The definition and prognostic role of ID after acute cardiac decompensation requires further research activities. The prevalence of A and in particular of RI is high already in the aymptomatic AHA/ACC precursor stages A and B, and increases with heart failure severity. Both, A and RI have an individual and cumulative prognostic impact across the entire AHA/ACC spectrum. A and RI were common in all types of heart failure. More than 20% of asymptomatic AHA/ACC stage A and B patients already had RI. A and RI showed adverse individual and cumulative prognostic effects in all heart failure types including also asymptomatic patients (in HFpEF patients there was only a trend, most likely due to the smaller number of patients). If there are the comorbidities of A, RI, or ID we need to do thorough causal research as part of a holistic heart failure management, with the aim to improve heart failure outcomes

Preprint "Effects of male testosterone and its interaction with cortisol on self- and observer-rated personality states in a competitive mating context"

Increases in human male testosterone (T) levels have been found after intrasexual competitions and exposure to females, facilitating competitive and courtship behaviours. This suggests that T reactivity should affect relevant personality state changes that are also observable to others. How exactly T reactivity, also under potential buffering effects of Cortisol (C), relates to personality state changes is unclear. In a preregistered study, we aimed at inducing T increases in young men (N=165) through dyadic intrasexual competitions while exposed to a female experimenter. We investigated self-reported and video-based observer-rated personality state changes, as captured by the Interpersonal Circumplex and social impressions, in relation to hormonal levels. Results revealed increases in self-reported competitiveness, as well as observer-rated dominance and self-assurance, relative to a control group and moderated by T reactivity and partly by TxC interactions. Thus, male T reactivity in a competitive mating context increased competitiveness/dominance, but did not decrease nurturance. This provides further insights into how hormonal and personality responses to challenges are intertwined in men, and partly supports a role of T in mediating a life history trade-off between mating/competing and parenting, as well as signalling dominance to rivals and potential mates