Journal of epidemiology and community health
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Jan 2009
Methodological issues related to longitudinal epidemiological assessment of developmental trajectories in children.
This supplement presents some of the methodological issues that arose during the early phases of protocol development for the National Children's Study (NCS), a probability sample of 100,000 children that will be followed prospectively from pregnancy through 21 years of age, and to share some of the challenges and solutions that were discussed. These papers on motor, social/emotional, psychiatric and neurocognitive/behavioural development do not define the protocol of the NCS, but reflect methodology related to the design of research and assessment of developmental trajectories in children that may be useful to other epidemiologists planning similar longitudinal studies.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Dec 2008
Contribution of violence to health inequalities in England: demographics and trends in emergency hospital admissions for assault.
Violence is increasingly recognised as a major public health issue yet health data are underutilised for describing the problem or developing responses. We use English emergency hospital admissions for assault over four years to examine assault demography and contribution to health inequalities. ⋯ Hospital admission and A&E data identify a direct contribution made by violence to health inequalities. Levels of violence inhibit other interventions to improve people's health through, for instance, outdoor exercise or delivery of health-related services in affected areas. With disproportionate exposure to violence in poorer areas even in those under 15, early life primary prevention initiatives are required in disadvantaged communities to reduce childhood harm and the development of adult perpetrators and victims of violence.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Nov 2008
Historical ArticleThe hazards of daily life: an historical perspective on adult unintentional injuries.
Unintentional injuries are a major public health problem. This paper analyses coroners' inquests from Sussex, England, for the period 1485-1688 to consider the circumstances surrounding adult unintentional injury deaths. Parallels with the situation today are examined. Travel was found to be the most hazardous activity, drowning was also highly significant and there were large differences between men and women.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Aug 2008
Meta AnalysisExposure to indoor mould and children's respiratory health in the PATY study.
Living in a damp or mouldy home reportedly damages children's respiratory health, yet mould appears not to be a prominent risk factor in the public's perception. Analyses of data on over 58,000 children from the Pollution and the Young (PATY) study are presented. In this collaboration, researchers from 12 cross-sectional studies pooled their data to assess the effects of air quality on a spectrum of children's respiratory disorders. ⋯ Indoor mould exposure was consistently associated with adverse respiratory health outcomes in children living in these diverse countries.