Das Gesundheitswesen
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Nov 2007
[Do German nutrition interventions for children and adolescents meet quality criteria for program planning and evaluation? - Results of a survey of institutions at state and regional levels].
The international literature describes comprehensive nutrition interventions for children and adolescents, and gives recommendations for successful program planning. For Germany, only few studies on these issues are available, and there is a particular scarcity of data on implementation, acceptance and effectiveness of nutrition interventions. Thus the aim of this study was to record nutrition interventions at state and regional levels in Germany, and to assess their project design and evaluation quality. On the basis of these data, conclusions about implementation, acceptance and effectiveness of interventions are made. ⋯ In Germany, a high number of nutrition interventions for children and adolescents is being conducted. However, only five quality indicators were fulfilled by more than 75% of the projects. Because of inadequate evaluation quality, only little evidence for implementation, acceptance, and effectiveness could be found. More evaluation studies are needed to more successfully plan, implement and assess future interventions.
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Nov 2007
[Health behaviour and health-risk behaviour among job-seekers: a screening at an employment agency].
The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of health behaviours and health-risk behaviours among three groups of job-seeking persons at employment agencies: short-term unemployed, long-term unemployed, and non-unemployed (e.g., threatened by job loss) persons. A related aim was to identify the general willingness of persons recruited at employment agencies to participate in a study regarding health behaviours. ⋯ The high participation rate, along with the high rates of risky behaviour and lack of health behaviour indicate the demand for intervention programs for job-seekers and the opportunity of using this setting for proactive interventions that could reach more than 70% of all job-seekers.
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On the basis of a representative sample (N=546) of adolescents of the city of Stuttgart (class levels 8 and 9) this article explores the extent to which the self-evaluation of body weight deviates from the classification of weight recommended by the German Arbeitsgemeinschaft Adipositas im Kindes- und Jugendalter (AGA, Working Committee on Obesity in Children and Adolescents). The analysis revealed that 47.7% of the girls and 38.2% of the boys do not correspond with the body mass index-based classification recommended by the AGA. ⋯ The findings are displayed in the context of current national and international research results. In conclusion, the role of public health services in terms of promoting healthy body weight is discussed.
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Jul 2007
[Prevention of overweight and obesity in the workplace. BASF-health promotion campaign "trim down the pounds--losing weight without losing your mind"].
The rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associated diseases is leading to substantial health and socio-economic problems in industrialized countries. The Commission of the European Community indicates that workplaces are a setting that has a strong potential for health promotion and disease prevention. Against this background the department of occupational medicine and health protection of the BASF Aktiengesellschaft initiated a health promotion campaign "Trim down the pounds--Losing weight without losing your mind" on the prevention of overweight and obesity at the workplace. ⋯ The health promotion campaign "Trim down the pounds" demonstrated that the workplace is a promising focal point for conducting prevention programmes based on the proximity of occupational medical services to the employee. Prevention of overweight and obesity in the workplace is possible by promoting healthy diets in workplace-canteens and physical activity programs like "walking in the lunch break". These programs are substantially strengthened by occupational medical activities in detecting obesity-related diseases. Health promotion at the workplace can be viewed as a benefit to employee and employer alike with employers benefiting from a reduction of lost productivity costs.
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Jun 2007
[Utilisation of medical resources of patients with pain undergoing an outpatient opioid therapy].
In Germany, opioid therapy of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain has not been sufficiently scrutinised. Furthermore, no observational resource utilisation study for these patients concerning the treatment with opioids is available. For the analysis of outpatient costs 6 months before and after the first prescription of different opioids (oxycodone HCI, fentanyl TD, morphine retard), data from the IMS disease analyser (mediplus) database were employed. ⋯ The number of consultations rose significantly after the first prescription of opioids. Patients with chronic pain, who are treated with long-lasting opioids for the first time, initially use considerably more healthcare resources. The type of opioid influences the amount of resource utilisation.