Allergic rhinitis in northern vietnam: increased risk of urban living according to a large population survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about prevalence and risk factors of allergic rhinitis and chronic nasal symptoms among adults in Vietnam. We aimed to estimate the prevalence, risk factor patterns and co-morbidities of allergic rhinitis and chronic nasal symptoms in one urban and one rural area in northern Vietnam.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted from August 2007 to January 2008 in urban Hoankiem and rural Bavi in Hanoi among adults aged 21-70 years. Of 7008 randomly selected subjects, 91.7% participated in Bavi and 70.3% in Hoankiem.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Allergic rhinitis ever or chronic nasal symptoms were reported by 50.2%. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis ever was considerably higher in Hoankiem compared to Bavi, 29.6% vs 10.0% (p < 0.001). Allergic rhinitis ever and chronic nasal symptoms were both significantly associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms, respectively (p < 0.001). Exposure to gas, dust or fumes at work was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis ever, OR 1.57 (95% CI 1.34 - 1.84), nasal blocking, OR 1.90 (95% CI 1.68 - 2.15) and runny nose, OR 1.32 (95% CI 1.17 - 1.49), while somewhat surprisingly no association with smoking was found. Female sex was a significant risk factor for both nasal blocking and runny nose.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Allergic rhinitis ever was considerably more common in the urban area. Nasal blocking and runny nose was each reported by about one third of the studied sample with no major urban-rural difference. Further, exposure to air pollution at work was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis ever, nasal blocking and runny nose.</p

Prävalenz und Charakteristika von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit speziellem Versorgungsbedarf im Kinder- und Jugendgesundheitssurvey (KiGGS) in Deutschland

Um zu bevölkerungsrepräsentativen Einschätzungen der Prävalenz und der Charakteristika von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit gesundheitsbedingtem Versorgungsbedarf zu gelangen, sind Screening-Instrumente entwickelt worden. Diese zielen auf eine Erfassung von Konsequenzen körperlicher, seelischer und verhaltensbedingter Störungen ab, unabhängig von den zugrunde liegenden medizinischen Diagnosen. Eines der bestuntersuchten und unter Machbarkeitsaspekten bewährtesten Instrumente, der CSHCN-(Children with Special Health Care Needs)Screener, wurde in den Elternfragebogen des Kinder- und Jugendgesundheitssurveys (KiGGS) in Deutschland integriert. Die gewichtete Gesamtprävalenz von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit speziellem Versorgungsbedarf betrug 16,0% für Jungen und 11,4% für Mädchen. Bei Kindern im Vorschul- und Schulalter lag nach den Befragungsergebnissen ein spezieller Versorgungsbedarf 2- bis 3-mal häufiger vor als bei Kleinkindern. Bis zu einem Alter von 14 Jahren war ein deutlich höherer Versorgungsbedarf bei Jungen als bei Mädchen für alle Altersgruppen ersichtlich. Am deutlichsten ausgeprägt war der Geschlechtsunterschied bei den 3- bis 10-Jährigen. Kinder und Jugendliche mit Migrationshintergrund wiesen einen signifikant niedrigeren Versorgungsbedarf auf als Kinder ohne Migrationshintergrund. Dies traf insbesondere auf die Jungen (8,0% vs. 17,1%) zu. Signifikante Unterschiede im Versorgungsbedarf nach Sozialstatus, Größe des Wohnortes oder Zugehörigkeit des Wohnortes zu den alten oder neuen Ländern wurden nicht beobachtet. Mit Ausnahme eines fehlenden Zusammenhangs zwischen Versorgungsbedarf und sozioökonomischem Status zeigen die hier berichteten Ergebnisse gute Übereinstimmung mit Beobachtungen im US-amerikanischen National Survey of CSHCN.In order to arrive at population-based estimates on the prevalence and characteristics of children and adolescents with specific health care needs (CSHCN), screening instruments focussing on the consequences of physical, mental and behavioral problems rather than on medical diagnoses have been developed. One of the most feasible and widely tested instruments, the CSHCN screener was added to the self-administered questionnaire for parents of children participating in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). The overall weighted prevalence of CSHCN was 16.0% among boys and 11.4% among girls. Children at kindergarten or school age were more than 2-3 times more likely to screen positive compared to toddlers. Up to 14 years, the sex difference persisted through all age groups and was most pronounced between the ages of 3 and 10 years. Children with a migrant background had significantly lower rates of CSHCN compared to non-migrants. This was particularly true for boys (8.0% vs. 17.1%). CSHCN status was not related to social status, urbanization or residence in former West vs. former East Germany. Except for the lack of association with social status, these results are in good accordance with observations from the US National Survey of CSHCN

Selected problems of functional and spatial changes in suburban communes an example of the Dobrzeń Wielki commune

W ostatnich latach obserwuje się znaczne przekształcenia funkcjonalne oraz przestrzenne wsi. Podlegają im przede wszystkim wsie położone w bezpośrednim sąsiedztwie aglomeracji miejskich. O atrakcyjności lokowania na terenie wsi domostw osób pracujących w mieście decydują takie czynniki, jak: bliskość miejsca pracy, dogodne połączenia komunikacyjne, atrakcyjne ceny działek budowlanych oraz przyjazne warunki bytowania bliżej natury. W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki analiz dotyczących gminy Dobrzeń Wielki, znajdującej się w bezpośrednim sąsiedztwie Opola. Wykorzystano badania procesów demograficznych, rodzajów zabudowy, sposobu urządzania terenu, lesistości oraz ochrony krajobrazu. Krajobraz jest sumą elementów przyrodniczych oraz antropogenicznych i o jego typie decyduje stosunek udziału tych elementów. Zachwianie proporcji otwartych przestrzeni uprawnych i zajętych przez substancję budowlaną ma niekorzystny wpływ na jakość życia na wsi, jednocześnie rzutując na aspekt wizualny. Charakter, skala, zagęszczenie nowo powstałej substancji mieszkaniowej kreuje nowy krajobraz osiedli wiejskich, które formą skłaniają się ku terenom miejskim. Przyczyn tych zjawisk jest kilka. Powstaje między innymi zabudowa nieuporządkowana, o różnej formie, skali i kolorystyce, między innymi na skutek wytyczania kilkuarowych działek budowlanych i braku standardów urbanistycznych. Miejscowe plany zagospodarowania przestrzennego nie zapewniają utrzymania charakteru zabudowy. Ponadto na przyległe do miast tereny wiejskie wkracza zabudowa usługowa i przemysłowa o odmiennej od zabudowy wiejskiej formie, technologii budowy i kubaturze. Estetyka i regionalizm powoli zaczynają być doceniane jedynie w obiektach związanych z usługami gastronomicznymi, rozrywkowymi oraz rekreacją. W gminie Dobrzeń Wielki obserwujemy pełne spektrum problemów przekształceń krajobrazu wiejskiego, wynikających z oddziaływania miasta na przyległe tereny wiejskie.Remarkable functional and spatial transformation of rural areas has been observed in the recent years. This is especially true for villages situated near municipal agglomerations. People working in the town are attracted to settle in the countryside because of: close vicinity of the workplace, convenient transport, attractive prices of lands and nature-friendly life conditions. This paper presents the results of analyses pertaining to Dobrzeń Wielki - a commune situated in the close neighbourhood of Opole. Presented analyses explore the studies of demographic processes, types of housing, land management, forest cover and landscape protection. Any landscape is a sum of natural and anthropogenic elements and its type is determined by the proportion of these elements. Disturbing the ratio between open cropland areas and those covered by housing exerts an unfavourable impact on rural life quality and visual aspects. The character, scale and density of new-built housing create a new landscape of rural settlements which begin to resemble town grounds. There are several reasons of such phenomenon. Housing of variable form, scale and colour is out of order because of setting small building plots and a lack of any development standards. Local plans of spatial management do not secure the maintenance of residential character. Moreover, rural suburban areas are invaded by industrial and service sector buildings which differ from typical rural housing in the building technology and capacity. Aesthetics and regional values are being acknowledged only in objects associated with catering, entertainment and recreation. In the Dobrzeń Wielki commune we observe full spectrum of problems associated with the transformation of rural landscape originating from the urban impact on adjacent rural areas

The association of blood lead and blood pressure in population surveys.

Several reports from large population surveys have indicated that blood lead is positively related to blood pressure. We assessed this relation in 1,703 men (median blood lead = 83&mu;g per liter) and 1,661 women (median blood lead = 60&mu;g per liter), age 28 to 67 years, who participated in the first follow-up examination of the MONICA Augsburg cohort study in 1987-1988. Crude analyses confirmed a strong, positive association of blood lead concentrations with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We identified age, body mass index, hematocrit, and alcohol consumption as the quantitatively most important confounders of this association. Adjustment for these variables, in particular for hematocrit and alcohol consumption, considerably reduced the magnitude of the blood lead effect on blood pressure. There were no indications for marked nonlinearity or threshold effects. After control of confounders, a difference of 100&mu;g per liter in blood lead levels, corresponding to rather extreme positions in the lower and upper end of the population blood lead distribution, related to estimated blood pressure increases of less than 3mmHg. The appropriateness of treating hematocrit and alcohol consumption as confounders of the blood lead-blood pressure relation is discussed on the basis of current pathophysiologic concepts. We conclude that hematocrit should always be taken into account as a relevant confounder. On the other hand, the interrelation of alcohol consumption, blood lead, and blood pressure is presently not clearly understood; that is, its appropriate analytic handling cannot be determined. The consequences of these considerations on estimates of the blood lead effect on blood pressure may be both over- and underestimations