Journal of epidemiology and community health
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Oct 2011
Alcohol outlet density, levels of drinking and alcohol-related harm in New Zealand: a national study.
Previous research shows associations of geographical density of alcohol outlets with a range of alcohol-related harms. Socioeconomic conditions that are associated with both outlet density and alcohol-related outcomes may confound many studies. We examined the association of outlet density with both consumption and harm throughout New Zealand while controlling for indicators of area deprivation and individual socioeconomic status (SES). ⋯ The positive associations seen between alcohol outlet density and both individual level binge drinking and alcohol-related problems appear to be independent of individual and neighbourhood SES. Reducing density of alcohol outlets may reduce alcohol-related harm among those who live nearby.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Aug 2011
Employment status and suicide: the complex relationships between changing unemployment rates and death rates.
Existing studies have described a strong correlation between unemployment rates and suicide rates, but the exact mechanisms through which they may interact with one another remain unknown. ⋯ It is important to be able to distinguish precisely between population-level concepts, such as rates, and individual-level characteristics, such as employment status, when considering the development of evidence-based suicide prevention strategies.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Jul 2011
Historical ArticleCan we reduce health inequalities? An analysis of the English strategy (1997-2010).
England was the first European country to pursue a systematic policy to reduce socio-economic inequalities in health. This paper assesses whether this strategy has worked, and what lessons can be learnt. ⋯ This is due to the fact that it did not address the most relevant entry-points, did not use effective policies and was not delivered at a large enough scale for achieving population-wide impacts. Health inequalities can only be reduced substantially if governments have a democratic mandate to make the necessary policy changes, if demonstrably effective policies can be developed, and if these policies are implemented on the scale needed to reach the overall targets.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Jun 2011
Can exposure to noise affect the 24 h blood pressure profile? Results from the HYENA study.
OBJECTIVE; To study the association between exposure to transportation noise and blood pressure (BP) reduction during nighttime sleep. ⋯ Road traffic noise exposure may be associated with a decrease in dipping. Noise from aircraft was not found to affect dipping in a consistent way across centres and indoor noise was not associated with dipping.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Jun 2011
Risk of autism spectrum disorders in children born after assisted conception: a population-based follow-up study.
To assess the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children born after assisted conception compared with children born after natural conception. ⋯ This population-based follow-up study found no risk of ASD in children born after assisted conception.