Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health articles from April 2003

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health archives from April 2003

"No ball games": children's views of their urban environments. (The Jech Gallery).
April 1, 2003... In 1998 and 1999, groups of 12-13 year old and 14-15 year old students in two schools in a town in the south east of England were asked to describe their neighbourhoods, as part of a wider qualitative research project investigating the relation...

The caterpillar and the butterfly: public health in Spain. (Speaker's Corner).
April 1, 2003... In Spain, like in other countries, public health services are a small part of the health system. They are under the mandate of either local or regional health authorities and they are responsible for health protection and promotion activities,...

Columbus on the need for strategy. (Aphorism of the Month).(goal-setting)
April 1, 2003... When Christopher Columbus set sail to America in 1492, he had no idea where he was going. When he got there, he had no idea where he was. And when he got home, he had no idea where he'd been. And he did this on somebody else's money. The...

Public health in the new European Union research programme: lobbying is needed. (EU Research Programme).
April 1, 2003... On 23 September 2002, the European Council and the European Parliament agreed the sixth Framework Programme for Research 2003-2008 (http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/index_en.html). The new programme reflects the lobbying and interests of...

Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide. (Public Health Policy and Practice).
April 1, 2003... A total of 293 findings from 42 studies on the impact of publicized suicide stories in the media on the incidence of suicide in the real world were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Studies measuring the effect of either an...

Who decides when to start preventive treatment? A questionnaire survey to compare the views of different population subgroups. (Short Report).
April 1, 2003... Lipid lowering drugs lower the risk of ischaemic cardiovascular events. The absolute benefit is highest in people at greatest risk of having an event in the near future, but adverse effects and costs are similar whatever the baseline risk. The...

Substantial potential for reductions in coronary heart disease mortality in the UK through changes in risk factor levels. (Public Health Policy and Practice).
April 1, 2003... Study objective: The UK government called for a 40% reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality in those aged under 75 by 2010. This paper examines the potential for cardiovascular risk factor changes to reduce coronary heart disease deaths...

Measuring the habitat as an indicator of socioeconomic position: methodology and its association with hypertension. (Theory and Methods).
April 1, 2003... Study objectives: (1) to develop an indicator of socioeconomic position based on the social standing of the habitat (SSH), that is, the residential building, its immediate surroundings, and local neighbourhood; (2) to assess the relation of SSH...

Defining equity in health. (Theory and Methods).
April 1, 2003... Study objective: To propose a definition of health equity to guide operationalisation and measurement, and to discuss the practical importance of clarity in defining this concept. Design: Conceptual discussion. Setting,...

Chinese SF-36 Health Survey: translation, cultural adaptation, validation, and normalisation. (Theory and Methods).(Short-Form Health Survey)
April 1, 2003... Study objective: To develop a self administered Chinese (mainland) version of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) for use in health related quality of life measurements in China. Design: A three stage protocol was followed including...

Landmine related injuries in children of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991-2000: comparisons with adults. (Short Report).
April 1, 2003... Each year landmines kill and maim an estimated 26 000 people worldwide. (1) About 10%-40% of these victims are children, most of whom are affected long after the cessation of hostilities. (2,3) These deaths and injuries are potentially...

Educational level as a contextual and proximate determinant of all cause mortality in Danish adults. (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Study objective: To examine the educational level in the area of living as a determinant of all cause mortality, controlling for individual and other correlated contextual factors. Design: Pooled data from two population based cohort...

Residential area deprivation predicts smoking habit independently of individual educational level and occupational social class. A cross sectional study in the Norfolk cohort of the European Investigation into Cancer (EPIC-Norfolk). (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Objectives: To investigate the independent association between individual and area based measures of socioeconomic status and cigarette smoking habit. Design and setting: Cross sectional, population based study. Participants and...

The historical specificity of early life car ownership as an indicator of socioeconomic position. (Short Report).
April 1, 2003... It has consistently been shown in the UK that those living in households with access to a car have lower mortality rates than those without household car access. (1) It has usually been inferred from this that car ownership is a good marker of...

No association of income inequality with adult mortality with in New Zealand: a multi-level study of 1.4 million 25-64 year olds. (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Study objective: To determine the association of regional income inequality within New Zealand with mortality among 25-64 year olds. Design: Individual census and mortality records were linked over the 1991-94 period. Income inequality...

Do psychosocial work factors and social relations exert independent effects on sickness absence? A six year prospective study of the GAZEL cohort. (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Study objectives: The objective of this prospective cohort study was to determine whether psychosocial work characteristics and social relations exert independent effects on the incidence of sickness absence in a population of middle aged...

Health status of users of hormone replacement therapy by hysterectomy status in Western Australia. (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Study objectives: To compare the demographic, behavioural, and biological correlates of use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women with an intact uterus and women who have undergone hysterectomy. Design: Cross sectional analysis of...

Inequalities in survival from colorectal cancer: a comparison of the impact of deprivation, treatment, and host factors on observed and cause specific survival. (Research Report).
April 1, 2003... Objective: To investigate whether socioeconomic deprivation is associated with cause specific and all cause survival for colorectal cancer and to what extent this is independent of significant prognostic factors. Design: Prospective...

Retrospective cohort study examining incidence of HIV and hepatitis C infection among injecting drug users in Dublin. (Short Report).
April 1, 2003... Unsafe injecting results in increased rates of hepatitis C and HIV among populations of injecting drug users. It is well established that it is unsafe to use needles or syringes that have previously been used by another injecting drug user. (1)...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... Health benefits of green spaces not confirmed Takano and colleagues' paper (1) on the association between proximity to "walkable green spaces" and longevity in senior citizens in Tokyo will be of interest to those involved in promoting...