Holdarfar starfshópa : líkamsþyngdarstuðull og hlutfall of feitra

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenMeðaltal líkamsþyngdarstuðuls og hlutfall of feitra í ýmsum starfshópum bendir til þess að margir einstaklingar í þessum hópum séu yfir kjörþyngd. Undantekningar eru einkum flugfreyjur og konur í læknastétt. Atvinnurekendur geta séð sér hag í því að að skapa starfsmönnum skilyrði til hollra lífshátta í vinnunni. Hjúkrunarfræðingar og grunnskólakennarar, sem leiðbeina ungum og öldnum um heilsufar og lífshætti, ættu að leitast við að vera góðar fyrirmyndir skjólstæðinga og nemenda

Mortality among female industrial workers

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate mortality among female industrial workers with the hypothesis that mortality by smoking related causes was in excess among them. Material and methods: The design was that of a retrospective cohort study. The cohort comprised 13 349 women who contributed to a pension fund for factory workers in Reykjavík during the period 1970-1995. The follow-up time was 1975-1995. The death rate of the cohort was compared to that of all Icelandic women during the period 1981-1995. The cohort was studied with regard to selected causes of death, and subsequently according to age at first entrance in the pension fund, different lag-time, employment time and by time at start of employment. Results: Results showed an excess of external causes but a deficit of most other causes of death, including smoking related diseases. However, in some of the analyses there were indications of elevated lung cancer. Highest mortality was seen among those women who started to pay to the pension fund before thirty years of age. Conclusions: The notable excess of external causes in the group needs further exploration wheras the results did not confirm the assumption that smoking related causes of death were elevated in the group. Methodological problems in studies of women's health are discussed.Tilgangur: Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að kanna dánartíðni meðal iðnverkakvenna með þeirri tilgátu að dánartíðni vegna reykingatengdra sjúkdóma væri hærri meðal þeirra en annarra íslenskra kvenna. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknarsniðið var afturskyggn hóprannsókn. Í rannsóknarhópnum voru 13 349 konur sem greiddu í lífeyrissjóð félags verksmiðjufólks í Reykjavík á árabilinu 1970-1995. Fylgitíminn var 1975-1995. Aldursbundnar dánartölur vegna tiltekinna dánarmeina voru bornar saman við aldursbundnar dánartölur kvenna á Íslandi á árabilinu 1981-1995. Fyrst var dánartíðni vegna tiltekinna dánarmeina athuguð í hópnum, en síðan var tekið tillit til aldurs við fyrstu greiðslu til lífeyrissjóðsins, mismunandi langs biðtíma, starfstíma eins og hann var skilgreindur í rannsókninni, og loks á hvaða árabili konurnar komu fyrst inn í sjóðinn. Niðurstöður: Voveifleg dauðsföll voru tíðari meðal iðnverkakvenna en annarra en dánartíðni var lægri en vænta mátti af flestum öðrum dánarorsökum, þar með töldum reykingatengdum sjúkdómum, þótt vísbendingar væru um hærri dánartíðni vegna krabbameins í öndunarfærum í sumum undirhópum. Dánartíðnin var hæst meðal þeirra kvenna sem hófu greiðslu í lífeyrissjóðinn fyrir þrítugt. Ályktanir: Tíðni voveiflegra dauðsfalla í hópnum krefst frekari athugunar en niðurstöðurnar staðfestu ekki þá tilgátu að reykingatengdar dánarorsakir væru tíðari meðal iðnverkakvenna en annarra. Aðferðafræðileg vandamál í rannsóknum á kvennahópum eru rædd

Work strain and well being among different groups of female personnel in geriatric care

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: To study possible inequalities in work strain and well-being among women working in geriatric care and to find out if some groups might need special public health measures. Material and methods: In this cross-sectional questionnaire reaching throughout Iceland, the participants were employees in 62 geriatric nursing homes and geriatric hospital wards with 10 or more employees. A total of 1886 questionnaires were distributed. The 84-item questionnaire included questions on demographic and work-related factors, health and life style. Age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated and confidence intervals were set at 95% (95% CI). Registered nurses were taken as a reference category. Results: The response rate was 80%. Registered nurses accounted for 16%, practical nurses 21%, unskilled attendants 44%, cleaning personnel 8% and others 12% of the total group. Men were 4.5% of the group. The practical nurses, unskilled attendants and cleaning personnel assessed work as more physically difficult, and more monotonous both physically and mentally, than did the registered nurses, who enjoyed somewhat more physical and mental well-being than the others. Little difference was found as to visits to doctors. Conclusions: Various personnel groups of women in geriatric care have different physical and psychosocial workload that is reflected in their well being. The results provide opportunities to guide public health measures for people employed in geriatric care

Health-related quality of life among Icelanders

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: To study health-related quality of life (HRQL) among adults in Iceland with a generic Icelandic instrument, IQL (Icelandic Quality of Life), if it is the same among men and women, and if it changes by increasing age. Furthermore, it was intended to find norms for men and women in different age groups in order to evaluate patients' deviation in HRQL. Material and methods: IQL was sent to 2800 individuals, a random sample from the national registry, stratified by sex in 10 years age groups from 20-79 years and those above 80 years. For each sub-scale on the instrument and for the combined instrument raw scores were calculated for men and women in the age groups 20-49 years, 50-69 years and 70 years and older which were converted to a T-score. Results: The response rate was 61%, lower among the youngest (20-29 years) as well as among the oldest (80 years and older), but similar for men and women. Internal missing values were few. Reliability of the test was good (Cronbach's alfa=0.91). HRQL among women in general was worse than that of men both in general as well as on most sub-scales. HRQL decreases with advancing age, however, with certain exceptions. A marked difference was found between the youngest and the oldest. The quality of life in the oldest group is worse than among the younger, both in general and on most sub-scales except finance and anxiety. Depression and social function do not change significantly with age. The oldest are especially worse on the scales general health, energy and physical health. Sleep becomes worse with increasing age, especially among women. Five factors explain two thirds of the variance, general health (23.4%), mental wellbeing (20.5%), satisfaction (9.0%), sleep (6.9%) and finance (6.3%). Conclusions: When evaluating HRQL among patients it is necessary for health-care providers and researchers to take into consideration the difference in HRQL between men and women and the changes occurring with age.Inngangur: Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að athuga heilsutengd lífsgæði fullorðinna Íslendinga með prófi sem samið hefur verið hér, HL-prófinu, hvort þau væru eins hjá körlum og konum og hvort þau breyttust með hækkandi aldri. Jafnframt var ætlunin að fá almenn viðmið eftir aldri og kyni svo að hægt væri að meta frávik ákveðinna hópa. Efniviður og aðferðir: HL-prófið var sent til 2800 einstaklinga, lagskipts slembiúrtaks úr þjóðskrá, jafnmargra karla og kvenna á hverju 10 ára aldursbili frá 20-79 ára og 80 ára og eldri. Reiknaðar voru grunneinkunnir fyrir hvern kvarða prófsins og fyrir prófið í heild, fyrir karla og konur í aldurshópunum, 20-49 ára, 50-69 ára og 70 ára og eldri og þeim breytt í staðaleinkunn, T-einkunn. Niðurstöður: Heildarsvörun var 61%, lægri í yngsta (20-29 ára) og elsta aldursflokknum (80 ára og eldri) en svipuð hjá körlum og konum. Innra brottfall var lítið. Áreiðanleiki prófsins í heild reyndist góður (Cronbachs alfa=0,91). Heilsutengd lífsgæði kvenna í heild eru greinilega lakari en karla og á flestum kvörðum. Heilsutengd lífsgæði minnka með hækkandi aldri, með undantekningum þó. Áberandi munur er á elsta og yngsta hópnum. Lífsgæði elsta hópsins eru lakari en hinna yngri bæði í heild og á flestum kvörðum nema fjárhag og kvíða. Depurð og samskipti breytast ekki marktækt með aldri. Þeir elstu eru áberandi lakastir á kvörðunum almennt heilsufar, þrek og líkamsheilsa. Svefn versnar með hækkandi aldri, einkum hjá konum. Fimm meginþættir skýra mest af breytileikanum, almennt heilsufar (23,4%), andleg líðan (20,5%), ánægja (9,0%), svefn (6,9%) og fjárhagur (6,3%). Ályktanir: Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar sýna að nauðsynlegt er að þeir sem skipuleggja heilbrigðisþjónustu og rannsaka árangur meðferðar taki tillit til mismunandi heilsutengdra lífsgæða karla og kvenna og til þeirra breytinga sem verða með aldrinum

Health-related quality of life of patients before and after treatment

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is increasingly used to estimate needs for medical treatment, to evaluate its outcome and quality of care. The aim of this study was to compare the HRQL of several diagnostic groups before and after treatment with the HL-test (HL = IQL, Icelandic Quality of Life test) and to study its validity for measuring changes in quality of life. Material and methods: Patients on waiting lists for coronary catheterization, orthopedic or urologic operations, patients in psychiatric out-patient treatment and patients entering treatment for alcohol dependence were asked to fill in the HL-test, a total of 1195 patients. Three months after treatment they were retested. The results of tests were standarized with population norms available to make them directly comparable with those of the general population. Results: The response rate was 75% in each round. The HRQL of all patients was reduced in all aspects compared to that of the general population, that of the heart and urology patients less so than that of the orthopedic and psychiatric patients. Each group had a specific profile, especially marked for the orthopedic and psychiatric patients. Following treatment the HRQL or some aspects of it improved in all groups, especially for those which it had been most impaired. Conclusions: Studies of HRQL provide information useful for planning and delivery of health services. The HL-test is an instrument with good validity and reliability which is easy to use for such studies.Tilgangur: Heilsutengd lífsgæði (HL) hafa í vaxandi mæli verið notuð til að meta þörf fyrir læknismeðferð, árangur hennar og gæði umönnunar. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að bera saman heilsutengd lífsgæði nokkurra sjúklingahópa fyrir og eftir meðferð með HL-prófinu og athuga frekar réttmæti þess og getu til að mæla breytingar á líðan fólks. Efniviður og aðferðir: Sjúklingar sem biðu hjartaþræðingar, aðgerða á bæklunar- eða þvagfæraskurðdeild, voru í meðferð á göngudeild geðdeildar eða voru að byrja í meðferð vegna áfengissýki, samtals 1195 sjúklingar, voru beðnir að svara HL-prófinu. Þremur mánuðum eftir meðferð voru þeir beðnir að svara prófinu aftur. Niðurstöður prófanna voru staðlaðar samkvæmt viðmiðum eftir kyni og aldri svo að hægt væri að sjá beint hvernig þær viku frá því sem almennt gerist. Niðurstöður: Heildarsvörun var 75% í hvorri umferð. Allir sjúklingarnir voru með skert lífsgæði á öllum þáttum prófsins miðað við jafnaldra þeirra, hjarta- og þvagfærasjúklingar minna en bæklunar- og geðsjúklingar. Skerðingin var sérkennandi fyrir hvern hóp, sérstaklega aðgreindust bæklunar- og geðsjúklingarnir greinilega hvor frá öðrum og frá hinum. Eftir meðferð bötnuðu lífsgæðin eða einhverjir þættir þeirra hjá öllum hópunum, mest þeir sem höfðu verið lakastir fyrir. Ályktanir: Með rannsóknum á heilsutengdum lífsgæðum er unnt að afla frekari þekkingar sem nýtist við skipulagningu og framkvæmd heilbrigðisþjónustu. HL-prófið er einfalt tæki til slíkra rannsókna, réttmætt og áreiðanlegt

Complex circular subsidence structures in tephra deposited on large blocks of ice: Varða tuff cone, Öræfajökull, Iceland

Several broadly circular structures up to 16 m in diameter, into which higher strata have sagged and locally collapsed, are present in a tephra outcrop on southwest Öræfajökull, southern Iceland. The tephra was sourced in a nearby basaltic tuff cone at Varða. The structures have not previously been described in tuff cones, and they probably formed by the melting out of large buried blocks of ice emplaced during a preceding jökulhlaup that may have been triggered by a subglacial eruption within the Öræfajökull ice cap. They are named ice-melt subsidence structures, and they are analogous to kettle holes that are commonly found in proglacial sandurs and some lahars sourced in ice-clad volcanoes. The internal structure is better exposed in the Varða examples because of an absence of fluvial infilling and reworking, and erosion of the outcrop to reveal the deeper geometry. The ice-melt subsidence structures at Varða are a proxy for buried ice. They are the only known evidence for a subglacial eruption and associated jökulhlaup that created the ice blocks. The recognition of such structures elsewhere will be useful in reconstructing more complete regional volcanic histories as well as for identifying ice-proximal settings during palaeoenvironmental investigations

The Sound of Interconnectivity; The European Vasculitis Society 2022 Report

The first European Vasculitis Society (EUVAS) meeting report was published in 2017. Herein, we report on developments in the past 5 years which were greatly influenced by the pandemic. The adaptability to engage virtually, at this critical time in society, embodies the importance of networks and underscores the role of global collaborations. We outline state-of-the-art webinar topics, updates on developments in the last 5 years, and proposals for agendas going forward. A host of newly reported clinical trials is shaping practice on steroid minimization, maintenance strategies, and the role of newer therapies. To guide longer -term strategies, a longitudinal 10-year study investigating relapse, comorbidity, malignancy, and survival rates is at an advanced stage. Disease assessment studies are refining classification criteria to differentiate forms of vasculitis more fully. A large international validation study on the histologic classification of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) glomerulonephritis, recruiting new multicenter sites and comparing results with the Kidney Risk Score, has been conducted. Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) genomics offers potential pathogenic subset and therapeutic insights. Among bio-markers, ANCA testing is favoring immunoassay as the preferred method for diagnostic evaluation. Consolidated development of European registries is progressing with an integrated framework to analyze large clinical data sets on an unprecedented scale

Cohort Profile: COVIDMENT: COVID-19 cohorts on mental health across six nations

Why were the cohorts set up? With more than 218 million cases and 4.5 million deaths worldwide (Worldometers, 31 August 2021), the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented influence on the global economy and population health. As a potent global disaster, it is likely to significantly affect the incidence of adverse mental health symptoms and psychiatric disorders, particularly in vulnerable and highly affected populations. The World Health Organization and leading scientific journals have alerted concerning the potential adverse mental health impact of COVID-19 and emphasized the need for multinational research in this area, which additionally provides new insights into disease mechanisms