Articles: mortality.
-
There continues to be considerable controversy over whether ownership of a handgun increases or decreases the risk of violent death. ⋯ The purchase of a handgun is associated with a substantial increase in the risk of suicide by firearm and by any method; the increase in the risk of suicide by firearm is apparent within a week after the purchase of a handgun. The magnitude of the increase and the relation between handgun purchase and the risk of death by homicide differ between men and women.
-
To examine the changing relation between income inequality and mortality through different stages of economic development in Taiwan. ⋯ The health of the population is affected more by relative income than by absolute income after a country has changed from a developing to a developed economy.
-
Recent guidelines for treatment of overweight and obesity include recommendations for risk stratification by disease conditions and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, but the role of physical inactivity is not prominent in these recommendations. ⋯ In this analysis, low cardiorespiratory fitness was a strong and independent predictor of CVD and all-cause mortality and of comparable importance with that of diabetes mellitus and other CVD risk factors.
-
Body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) is known to be associated with overall mortality. We investigated the effects of age, race, sex, smoking status, and history of disease on the relation between body-mass index and mortality. ⋯ The risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other diseases increases throughout the range of moderate and severe overweight for both men and women in all age groups. The risk associated with a high body-mass index is greater for whites than for blacks.
-
To report Palmerston North Hospital's (PNH) recent experiences with paediatric admissions to the general Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and to identify any aspects relevant to regionalisation of paediatric intensive care. ⋯ If the PNH experience reflects that of other similar institutions, then non-tertiary ICUs admit small numbers of critically ill paediatric patients who tend to be of low to moderate severity, but who cover the full spectrum of severity. Most cases can be well managed locally, but appropriate referral and transfer is an important component in the delivery of a rational and integrated paediatric intensive care service.