Injury & Poisoning: Mortality Among Residents of the Illawarra Health Area

Causes of death due to injury and poisonings in 1994-1998 among people resident in the Illawarra Health Area, and each ofits Local Government Areas (LGAs), as recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics\u27 Death Registrations, are reported in this issue of The Illawarra Population Health Profiler

Epidemiology of Influenza-like Illness during Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, New South Wales, Australia

To rapidly describe the epidemiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) during the 2009 winter epidemic of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in New South Wales, Australia, we used results of a continuous population health survey. During July–September 2009, ILI was experienced by 23% of the population. Among these persons, 51% were unable to undertake normal duties for <3 days, 55% sought care at a general practice, and 5% went to a hospital. Factors independently associated with ILI were younger age, daily smoking, and obesity. Effectiveness of prepandemic seasonal vaccine was ≈20%. The high prevalence of risk factors associated with a substantially increased risk for ILI deserves greater recognition

Inclusion of mobile phone numbers into an ongoing population health survey in Australia using an overlapping dual frame: description of methods, call outcomes and acceptance by staff and respondents

In Australia telephone surveys has been the method of choice for ongoing population health surveys. Although it was estimated in 2011 that 20% of the population were mobile phone only persons the inclusion of mobile only phone users into these existing landline population health surveys has not occurred. This paper is part of a project that is looking in detail at the inclusion of mobile phone numbers into an ongoing population health survey in Australia. This paper describes the methods used, the call outcomes and acceptance by the population, supervisors and interviewing staff

Should cities hosting mass gatherings invest in public health surveillance and planning? Reflections from a decade of mass gatherings in Sydney, Australia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mass gatherings have been defined by the World Health Organisation as "events attended by a sufficient number of people to strain the planning and response resources of a community, state or nation". This paper explores the public health response to mass gatherings in Sydney, the factors that influenced the extent of deployment of resources and the utility of planning for mass gatherings as a preparedness exercise for other health emergencies.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Not all mass gatherings of people require enhanced surveillance and additional response. The main drivers of extensive public health planning for mass gatherings reflect geographical spread, number of international visitors, event duration and political and religious considerations. In these instances, the implementation of a formal risk assessment prior to the event with ongoing daily review is important in identifying public health hazards.</p> <p>Developing and utilising event-specific surveillance to provide early-warning systems that address the specific risks identified through the risk assessment process are essential. The extent to which additional resources are required will vary and depend on the current level of surveillance infrastructure.</p> <p>Planning the public health response is the third step in preparing for mass gatherings. If the existing public health workforce has been regularly trained in emergency response procedures then far less effort and resources will be needed to prepare for each mass gathering event. The use of formal emergency management structures and co-location of surveillance and planning operational teams during events facilitates timely communication and action.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>One-off mass gathering events can provide a catalyst for innovation and engagement and result in opportunities for ongoing public health planning, training and surveillance enhancements that outlasted each event.</p

Canadian trends in the social determinants of health inequalities, a census-mortality linkage approach

Introduction Mortality inequalities by income and education levels have historically been estimated using an area-based approach in Canada. Although useful in measuring socioeconomic inequalities overtime, this method underestimates the level of inequality and only allows the examination of a single dimension at a time. Objectives and Approach To create a series of census linked datasets that allowed for the examination of health inequalities across different socioeconomic dimensions. Specifically, five census cycles (beginning with the 1991 Census) were probabilistically and deterministically linked to different health outcomes (mortality, cancer, hospitalization) to create the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC). Each dataset was created using a similar methodological approach which allowed for the measurement of these health inequalities over time. Mortality inequalities by both income and education level (including multidimensional) for all causes and cause-specific groups were examined. Results Five census linked datasets were constructed that followed mortality for a period of up to 20 years. The 1991 CanCHEC includes 2.6 million adults, the 1996 and 2001 CanCHECs include 3.5 million adults respectively, and the 2006 and 2011 CanCHECs include 5.9 and 6.5 million people respectively. Findings revealed a stair-stepped gradient in all-cause and cause-specific mortality by educational attainment and income quintile across each time period. The lowest mortality rates were among the university educated and richest income quintile and highest mortality rates among those with less than high school graduation and the poorest income quintile. The gradient differed by cause of death groupings. Over the 25-year time period, the mortality gradient trend varied by socioeconomic dimension and cause of death. Conclusion/Implications These data show clear mortality inequalities by socioeconomic position across the different time periods. These linked datasets can help advance knowledge in understanding health inequalities in Canada as well as provide a tool for on-going surveillance of health inequalities by different socioeconomic dimensions

Real world performance of privacy preserving record linkage

Introduction Privacy preserving record linkage (PPRL) using encoded or hashed data has potential to enable large-scale record linkage of previously inaccessible data. With limited real-world evaluation and implementation of PPRL at scale it is challenging for linkage practitioners to judiciously balance data protection with the accuracy and usability of linked datasets. Objectives and Approach We evaluated the performance of PPRL techniques using Bloom filters for linkage of data across primary and secondary care settings. This technique limits the need to disclose personal information for linkage activities. Primary care data included 272,202 records from 16 general practices in NSW. This was linked to 42.8 million records from a 7 year series of emergency presentations, hospitalisations and death registrations. For the purpose of evaluation, personal information was encoded within the data linkage centre. The quality of PPRL linkage was assessed against the true match status based on a gold standard probabilistic linkage using full personal identifiers. Results Compared to the gold standard probabilistic linkage using full personal identifiers, the PPRL techniques produced quality metrics of precision, recall and F measure in excess of 0.90. When configured to leverage pre-existing links between emergency department, hospital and mortality data, quality metrics around 0.98-0.99 were achieved. Lower rates of linkage quality were associated with missing demographic information and some residual variation in linkage quality across practices was observed. Conclusion/Implications PPRL using Bloom filters is a promising technique for achieving high quality linkage across primary and secondary care in Australia. Further evaluation will assess scalability and quality in Australia but international collaborations are encouraged to more rapidly develop the evidence base and tactical approaches to support real world implementations

Getting the most from routinely collected data

This issue of &nbsp;Public Health Research &amp; Practice delves into the world of &nbsp;‘big data’, with a broad look at the burgeoning availability and analysis of routinely collected data, and how best to use it to inform and improve public health policy and practice, and the health of our communities. The papers in this issue cover topics ranging from better use of data to drive policy change and efficiency, to the need to ensure public trust in health data dissemination, the potential of using geographic information systems (GIS) in research, and some examples of analysis of routinely collected data in practice. In a perspective piece, Louisa Jorm from&nbsp;the Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, outlines practical steps that could achieve real gains for public health through targeted investment in data research methods and workforce. And an international perspective describes the “Scottish model” ‒ a pioneering model for use of and application of routinely collected data that is unleashing the power of big data to create more effective and efficient health services. &nbsp

Respiratory Disease Among Residents of the Illawarra Health Area

Deaths and hospitalisations due to respiratory disease -focussing on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - among people resident in the Illawarra Health Area, and each of its Local Government Areas, are reported in this issue of The Illawarra Population Health Profiler. In addition, population-based survey data relating to asthmaprevalence, severity and management among Illawarra adults aged 16 years and over are reported

Injury & Poisoning: Morbidity Among Residents of the Illawarra Health Area

This issue of The Illawarra Population Health Profiler looks at the causes of hospitalisation due to injury and poisonings in1997/98 and 1998/99 among people resident in the Illawarra Health Area, and each of its Local Government Areas (LGAs). In addition population-based 1997 survey data relating to injuries among Illawarra adults aged 16 years and over are reported. The report examines un-intentional injury including falls and road injuries as well as intentional injuries such as self-harm