Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
ReviewUniversal masking during COVID-19 pandemic: Can textile engineering help public health? Narrative review of the evidence.
The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 is spreading very quickly around the world. In less than 7 months since it became known to the international community, the virus has infected 18 million in more than 180 countries and killing more than 700,000 people. Person-to-person transmission through infected respiratory droplets from patients with symptoms and asymptomatic carriers is the main mode of spread in the community. ⋯ To avoid personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage crisis for medical staff and other frontline workers, health authorities are recommending the use cloth masks. Although in theory, cloth masks can be helpful to limit the spread of the COVID-19, serious consideration should be given to the choice of textile, the number of layers of cloth used, pre-treatment of the material with water repellent material and other compounds that can enhance the filtration efficiency of the masks without compromising their breathability. This review uses concepts of textile engineering and the theoretical principles of filtration to make suggestions and recommendations to improve the quality and safety of cloth masks for the general public.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
Body mass index and mortality among community-dwelling elderly of Southern Brazil.
This study aims to measure the association between body mass index (BMI), comparing two different classifications, and mortality among community-dwelling elderly considering myopenia in Pelotas, Brazil. This is a longitudinal study started in 2014, we followed 1451 elderly people (≥ 60 years) enrolled in the "COMO VAI?" study. BMI was classified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the classification with specific cutoff points for older adults. ⋯ In conclusion the underweight increased the risk of death in community-dwelling elderly people during a follow-up of three years. The specific classification seemed to be more adequate to indicate risk of mortality in this population. Higher BMI protect against mortality when muscle mass was not considered.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
The link between LGBTQ-supportive communities, progressive political climate, and suicidality among sexual minority adolescents in Canada.
Despite supportive structural changes to reduce stigma towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) Canadian residents, sexual minority youth still face disparities compared to heterosexual peers. We aimed to characterize LGBTQ-supportive environments and political climates, and examine their links to suicidal behavior among sexual minority adolescents in western Canada. Data were from the 2013 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey, a cluster-stratified random cross-sectional survey of public school students in BC, Canada; We sampled 2678 self-identified LGB and mostly heterosexual students (69% girls) from 274 schools, representing an estimated provincial population of 24,624 sexual minority students in weighted models. ⋯ Further, progressive political climates predicted marginally significant lower suicidal ideation (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.78, 1.02]) and significantly lower self-harm behaviors (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.77, 0.99]). For sexual minority adolescent boys, no community-level variables were associated with suicidal behavior in adjusted models. Thus, LGBTQ-supportive communities and progressive political climates appear to be protective against suicidal behavior among sexual minority adolescent girls, but not sexual minority adolescent boys.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of a lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular risk among high-risk individuals for diabetes in a low- and middle-income setting: Secondary analysis of the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program.
We aimed to examine whether a lifestyle intervention was effective in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in individuals at high-risk of developing diabetes in a low- and middle-income setting. The Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program was evaluated by a cluster-randomized controlled trial (2013-2016) of 1007 individuals (aged 30-60 years) at high-risk for diabetes (Indian Diabetes Risk Score ≥ 60 and without diabetes) in Kerala state, India. Sixty polling areas in Kerala were randomized to intervention or control groups by an independent statistician using a computer-generated randomization sequence. ⋯ The favorable change in CVD risk with the intervention condition was mainly due to the reduction in tobacco use (change index: -0.25, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.09). Our findings suggest that a community-based peer-support lifestyle intervention could reduce CVD risk in individuals at high-risk of developing diabetes in India. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000262909.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialSick days in general hospital patients two years after brief alcohol intervention: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial.
Little is known about the long-term impact of brief alcohol interventions (BAIs) on health and on sick days in particular. The aim was to investigate whether BAIs reduce sick days in general hospital patients over two years, and whether effects depend on how BAIs are delivered; either through in-person counseling (PE) or computer-generated written feedback (CO). To investigate this, secondary outcome data from a three-arm randomized controlled trial with 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month follow-ups were used. ⋯ Differences between PE and CO, and concerning sick days when any reported, were non-significant. This study provides evidence for the long-term efficacy of BAIs concerning health, and concerning sick days in particular. BAIs have the potential to reduce the occurrence of sick days over 2 years, independent of whether they are delivered through in-person counseling or computer-generated written feedback.