Journal of epidemiology and community health
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Aug 2020
ReviewImportance of collecting data on socioeconomic determinants from the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak onwards.
Disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) is widely associated with disease and mortality, and there is no reason to think this will not be the case for the newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has reached a pandemic level. Individuals with a more disadvantaged SEP are more likely to be affected by most of the known risk factors of COVID-19. SEP has been previously established as a potential determinant of infectious diseases in general. ⋯ This brief overview of the literature highlights that important socioeconomic characteristics are being overlooked when data are collected. As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, it is crucial to collect and report data on socioeconomic determinants as well as race/ethnicity to identify high-risk populations. A systematic recording of socioeconomic characteristics of patients with COVID-19 will be beneficial to identify most vulnerable groups, to identify how SEP relates to COVID-19 and to develop equitable public health prevention measures, guidelines and interventions.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Jun 2020
How do cardiovascular risk prediction equations developed among 30-74 year olds perform in older age groups? A validation study in 125 000 people aged 75-89 years.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction equations are being used to guide risk management among increasingly older individuals. We examined the performance of recent equations, derived from a 2006 cohort including almost all New Zealanders aged 30-74 years, among older people. ⋯ Entire-population CVD risk equations developed among 30-74 year olds do not perform well among older people. Existing risk algorithms developed from primarily middle-aged or early-retirement cohorts should be used with caution in those aged ≥75 years until carefully validated in narrow age bands to avoid masking poorer performance in older age groups.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Apr 2020
Variations in neonatal mortality, infant mortality, preterm birth and birth weight in England and Wales according to ethnicity and maternal country or region of birth: an analysis of linked national data from 2006 to 2012.
Risks of adverse birth outcomes in England and Wales are relatively low but vary across ethnic groups. We aimed to explore the role of mother's country of birth on birth outcomes across ethnic groups using a large population-based linked data set. ⋯ This study highlights evidence of better birth outcomes among UK-born infants of non-UK-born minority ethnic group mothers, and could inform the design of future interventions to reduce the risks of adverse birth outcomes through improved targeting of at-risk groups.