Adult Prevalence Rates Research Articles

Prevention Strategies in Obesity Management: A Systematic Review Comparing Canadian and American Guidelines for Adults.

The fast-increasing obesity prevalence rates in children, youths, and adults in the last decade have made obesity prevention a global public health priority. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the various obesity prevention strategies and guidelines implemented in the United States and Canada. Thus, for this study, a systematic review was performed on various online databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE. The decision to study the obesity prevention strategies in Canada and the United States is a result of the high prevalence rates of obesity in the two countries, alongside the numerous prevention interventions that have been executed to prevent obesity. Additionally, the systematic review used robust methodology that followed the Cochrane guidance and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Only studies published between 2014 and 2024, drawn from listed databases, were included in this systematic review. The quality of the included studieswas evaluated using the appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies, with the studies being rated moderate to high quality. Therefore, a total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The findings indicate that various obesity prevention interventions have been implemented across the United States and Canada, with diverse degrees of success in obesity prevention and management. Food labeling, regular exercises, portion size regulation, school-based intervention strategies, early childhood Intervention programs, and sugar-sweetened beverage taxation were found to be effective interventions for preventing obesity in children and adults. Based on the findings, there is a need to ensure full execution of the different interventions to ensure significant reduction in obesity prevalence, as well as prevention of obesity in different populations.

Summary Analysis of National Surveillance on Kashin-Beck Disease from 1990 to 2023

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics and epidemic situation of children with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in China, and provide the basis for formulating prevention and control measures. MethodsFixed-point monitoring, moving-point monitoring, and full coverage of monitoring were promoted successively from 1990 to 2023. Some children (7–12 years old) underwent clinical and righthand X-ray examinations every year. According to the KBD diagnosis criteria, clinical and X-ray assessments were used to confirm the diagnosis. ResultsIn 1990, the national KBD detectable rate was 21.01%. X-ray detection decreased to below 10% in 2003 and below 5% in 2007. Between 2010 and 2018, the prevalence of KBD in children was less than 0.4%, which fluctuated at a low level, and has decreased to 0% since 2019. Spatial epidemiological analysis indicated a spatial clustering of adult patients prevalence rate in the KBD areas. ConclusionThe evaluation results of the elimination of KBD in China over the last 5 years showed that all villages in the monitored areas have reached the elimination standard. While the adult KBD patients still need for policy consideration and care.

Patterns of substance use and initiation timing in adults with substance abuse: a comparison between those with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence, persisting into adulthood in 60% of cases, with an adult age prevalence rate of 4%. substance use disorder (SUD) is a recognized comorbidity with significant social and financial implications, necessitating detailed investigation. This longitudinal study focused on adults with SUD in addiction detention in two camps including Toska and Chitgar in the west and south of Tehran during 2021-2022. Participants underwent assessment using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID) to identify individuals with SUD, excluding those with major mental problems. The remaining subjects were assessed by Conner's questionnaire. And positive cases underwent a comprehensive ADHD interview. The study comprised 50 individuals with ADHD and 90 without ADHD, allowing for a comparative analysis of the onset age of substance use and patterns across both groups. The substances examined included alcohol, cannabis, crack, methamphetamine, tramadol, methadone, opium, ecstasy, morphine, and hypnotics. The study revealed a lower age of onset of substance use in the ADHD group. Furthermore, individuals with ADHD exhibited higher rates of alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine, and tramadol use, while the non-ADHD group showed elevated usage of Ritalin, methadone, ecstasy, morphine, and hypnotics. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of ADHD regarding the lower onset age of substance use and a further range of high-risk substances, such as alcohol, methamphetamine, and crack, would be crucial. Additionally, based on these findings, policy recommendations should emphasize early ADHD screening and intervention strategies to mitigate the risk of substance use disorders, thereby addressing the associated social and financial burdens.

Penggunaan Gigi Tiruan pada Lansia dengan Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A person who has reached the elderly stage will have an experienced degenerative process that causes several disorders. Changes in the masticatory function due to the loss of the remaining teeth can cause a transformation not only in the mastication system but also in the upper airway system of respiration. This is due to orofacial deformation, tongue retraction while in the resting position, occlusal vertical dimension changes, and a decrease in facial height. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep breathing disorder with 17 % prevalence rate in adults and increases up to 49% in the elderly stage. A complete denture can be a rehabilitative treatment option for the elderly OSA patient. Wearing dentures during sleep is against the principles of dentistry because it can cause the tongue to be positioned posteriorly. However, people, mostly women, still wears denture while sleeping. This might further increase the obstruction of upper airway system.

Systematic assessment of tumor necrosis at baseline in cervical cancer - An independent factor associated with poor outcome

Cervical cancer (CC) is a leading challenge in oncology worldwide, with high prevalence and mortality rates in young adults, most prominent in low to middle-income countries with marginal screening facilities. From the prospectively collected BioRAIDS (NCT02428842) cohort of primary squamous CC conducted in 7 European countries, a central pathology review was carried out on 294 patients’ tumors. The focus was on identification of tumor-stromal characteristics such as CD8+, CD45+, CD68+ staining cells, PD-L1 expression, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) together with the degree of tumor necrosis. Both (FIGO-2018) stage (I-II/III-IV) as well as tumor necrosis were highly significantly associated with Progression-free Survival (PFS); with tumor necrosis scoring as most potent independent factor in a multivariable analysis (p < 0.001). Tumor necrosis can be assessed in the very first diagnostic biopsyand our data suggest that this rapid, simple and cost-effective biomarker, should be routinely assessed prior to treatment decisions.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Bovine Fasciolosis at Jima Rare Woreda, Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted to determine prevalence and associated risk factors with fasciolosis in cattle at Jima Rare district, Ethiopia from June 2022 to November 2022. Examinations of the fasciolosis egg were performed by using sedimentation techniques. A total of 380 faecal samples from cattle were subjected to coprological investigation. Out of this 133 were positive for egg of Fasciola with an overall prevalence of 35% (133/380). The prevalence was 21.7% (20/92), 57.5% (54/94), 48% (46/96) and 13.3% (13/98) in Lenca Guracha, Dile kolba, Bebala and Misoma Dangago respectively. The variation of prevalence among kebeles were showed statistically significant difference (P&lt;0.05). The prevalence rates of fasciolosis based on sex were 35.5% (64/185) in females was higher when compared to 34.6% (69/195) in male sheep. However, the difference is not statistically significant (P&gt;0.05; X2 =0.03). Higher prevalence rate in adults 35.5% (65/181) was recorded when compared to young animals 34.2% (68/199). However, the difference is not statistically significant (P&gt;0.05; X2 =0.13). The prevalence rate among body condition is indicates that 43.2% (63/146), 34.8% (47/135) and 23.2% (23/99) in cattle with poor body condition, medium and good respectively. The analysis of data showed statistically significant (P&lt;0.05; X2 =10.3). As conclusion bovine fasciolosis was prevalent in district, thus causing major economic loss in the study area. Hence, control strategies targeted on the parasite and the intermediate hosts as well as implementation of appropriate grazing management in the study area were warranted.

The risk and prevalence of pressure injuries in older people in the home care service: a cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to understand the risk of developing pressure injuries (PIs) and their prevalence rate in older adults in Italy who received public funded home care services and who were often living alone. In May 2019, a cross-sectional study was performed according to the STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) guidelines. The data collection included demographic variables, a PI risk assessment using the Braden Scale score, the type of mobility devices available, the wound description detailing the PI category, body location and ongoing treatment. Data analysis was conducted using non-parametric descriptive statistics. Of the 2223 patients who participated in the study, the risk of developing a PI as measured with the Braden Scale sore was: 'absent' for 37.7%; 'mild' for 25.8%; 'moderate' for 13.8%; 'high' for 15.5%; and 'severe' for 7.1% of patients. The PI prevalence in the sample of home care service patients was 26%, of which 46% were inpatients with a Braden Scale score of <14. Of the PIs that developed during the study, 65% of these developed in patients in home care and of these, 81% had a Braden Scale score of ≤9. PIs developed not only during hospitalisation but at home. Assessing the commitment of patients and caregivers to PI prevention and treatment strategies in home care services could be key to reducing PI prevalence, hospital admissions for PIs, related complications for older people living at home, and the severity of the PI category.

Orphanhood vulnerabilities for violence and HIV by education, sex, and orphan type among 18-24-year-old youth: findings from the 2018 Lesotho violence against children and youth survey

ABSTRACT HIV and violence among orphans are key measures of vulnerability in low-resource settings. Although Lesotho has the second highest HIV adult prevalence rate (21.1%) in the world, and the prevalence of orphanhood (44.2%) and violence exposure (67.0%) is high, little research exist on orphanhood vulnerabilities for violence and HIV in Lesotho. Using data from 4,408 youth (18–24 years old) from Lesotho’s 2018 Violence Against Children and Youth survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional household survey, the study examined associations among orphan status, violence, and HIV and assessed how associations differed by education, sex, and orphan type, using logistic regression. Orphans had higher odds of violence (aOR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01–1.46) and HIV (aOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.24–2.29). Having primary education or less (aOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02–2.02), male sex (aOR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.27–2.36), and being a paternal orphan (aOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.14–1.80) were significant interaction terms for violence. Orphans who completed primary school or less (aOR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.09–2.39), female (aOR, 3.08; 95% CI, 2.14–4.42) and double orphans (aOR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.56–4.13) had higher odds of HIV. These relationships highlight the importance of comprehensive strategies to support education and family strengthening for orphans as core violence and HIV prevention efforts.

Effect of calcium supplementation on weight loss in overweight and obese women, Baghdad, 2021

Introduction: Obesity became a major public health burden worldwide and its prevalence rate in adults during the last forty years has been increasing in the developed and developing countries. Its prevalence among Iraqi women in 2020 was about 40%. Some studies suggested that calcium supplementation could accelerate weight loss and treat obesity. Objectives: To determine whether calcium intake during a weight loss program affects reduction of Iraqi women weight and whether there is a difference in the weight loss of both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal obese women after giving them calcium. Methods: An Interventional study was carried out on 50 overweight or obese Iraqi women "premenopausal or at least 3 years post-menopausal". They had been engaged in 6 month interventional program to reduce their weight through ingestion of calcium orally. Their BMI was measured in the beginning and in the end of that course. Results: The mean age among the participants was 45.4 ±17.3 years. 52% of them were premenopausal and 48% were postmenopausal. The reduction of BMI after 6 month calcium supplementation course was 74% among the whole women; which was significant, 88.5% among the premenopausal, which was also significant, and 58.3% among postmenopausal, which was not significant.

Eosinophilic esophagitis an update in children.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an emerging antigen-mediated, inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. EoE affects about 1/2,000 patients in the United States (US), with a higher prevalence rate in adults (43.4/100,000) than in children (29.5/100,000), prevailing in Caucasians and male sex. EoE is a multifactorial disease typically characterized by type 2 inflammation. Pathogenesis is not entirely understood and is likely non-IgE mediated. Food allergens trigger EoE, stimulating the dysregulated immune cells through an impaired esophageal epithelial barrier. Clinical presentation of EoE depends on age and mainly includes food refusal, vomiting, abdominal or chest pain, dysphagia, and food impaction. Endoscopy is the gold standard to diagnose EoE. The goal of EoE therapy is to achieve clinical and histological remission to prevent esophageal fibrosis and improve patients’ quality of life (QoL). Cornerstones of therapy are PPIs, topical steroids, and elimination diets. Over recent decades, research progress has been made in terms of a greater understanding of the EoE pathogenesis and new therapeutic approaches. However, there are still several unmet needs, such as non-invasive tools and biomarkers for monitoring the disease. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Mental Health Risk and Associated Factors in the Aftermath of the 2015 Earthquake in Nepal: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: In 2015, Nepal was struck by two massive earthquakes with magnitudes over the 7.0 Richter Scale, imposing short- and long-term mental health risks. This review aims to: (a) evaluate mental health risk among the earthquake survivors; and, (b) identify factors that influence it. Methods: The following databases: Scopus and PubMed were searched to identify studies published from 2015 to July 2020 on the mental health risk among the Nepali populations. Inclusion criteria were: (a) primary research related to mental health after the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, (b) English language articles, (c) access to full-text literature, and (d) studies conducted on the general population of Nepal. Exclusion criteria were: (a) newspaper articles or other forms of popular media, (b) grey records and reviews or, (c) studies carried out among patients in a clinical setting. Key features and risk of bias factors were extracted from each study to obtain necessary characteristics for further analysis of results. Results: The initial search produced 134 articles, however, a total, 14 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were explored for this review. Ten of these articles were obtained from established databases, and four additional studies were obtained from other sources. Findings indicate that post-traumatic stress was mostly present among earthquake survivors with rates varying from 4.9% to 51%. Mental health risks for children and adolescent were mostly high with rates greater than 23% across studies. However, the adult prevalence rate for mental health risk was lower than that of children and adolescents, with most rates across studies lower than 20%. Socio-demographic factors (such as gender and age) and methodological heterogeneities such as variations in study design and mental health tools used to assess rates were associated factors that potentially influenced the findings. Conclusion: Mental health risks are present among earthquake survivors in Nepal. Various factors have been identified as potential mental health risk rate influencers including sex, with females presenting as the higher at-risk group for mental health relative to males. Methodological issues such as a wide range of mental health assessment instruments employed across studies can potentially impact rates.

Epidemiological Trends for Cryptococcosis in Swaziland (Eswatini), Southern Africa

Cryptococcosis is a fungal disease that is characterized by inflammation of the lungs and central nervous system, and it is commonly associated with HIV/AIDS. Even though the disease accounts for roughly 15% of all AIDS-related deaths, it is relatively neglected. This is most especially true in Southern Africa which has the highest HIV/AIDS cases in the world and accounts for more than 10% of all HIV/AIDS cases worldwide most especially in Southern African countries such as Swaziland (Eswatini) which has the highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the world. Despite this, there are little or no previous studies with regards to the epidemiological trends for cryptococcosis in Swaziland (Eswatini) which further suggests that it is relatively neglected. With the increasing spread of virulent strains of the fungus such as Cryptococcus gattii causing outbreaks in several countries around the world, it is important to have a concrete understanding of the epidemiological trends for cryptococcosis in Swaziland (Eswatini). This is also important during the current coronavirus outbreak as previous studies have reported higher morbidity and mortality rates among COVID-19 patients that are also co-infected with HIV/AIDS, cryptococcus as well as other secondary infections. This is further supported by the fact that Southern Africa has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Africa as well as one of the highest in the world. As a result, the purpose of this study is to determine the epidemiological trends for cryptococcosis in Swaziland (Eswatini) as this will enable adequate control, management, assessment, policies, and regulations that will be useful during outbreaks. This will be achieved by performing a repeated cross-sectional study to determine the epidemiological changes and trends for cryptococcosis in Swaziland (Eswatini) over a 5-year period from 2023 to 2028.

Atopic Dermatitis: Epidemiology and Clinical Phenotypes.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, lifelong, relapsing condition. The wide spectrum of the possible clinical presentations, depending on patient' s age, age of onset of disease, topography and morphology of dermatitis, limits the epidemiologic information on its prevalence and incidence. A clear definition of the different clinical AD phenotypes and epidemiology is essential for an appropriate patient's treatment and management, in particular for adults. This review summarizes the most recent epidemiologic data from the 21st century, on AD prevalence and incidence rates either in children or adults, with a special focus on their trends in Europe. Moreover, an effort to categorize diverse AD clinical expressions, has been made, aiming to facilitate differential diagnosis and speed up the start of the correct therapy.

Effectiveness of anti-smoking interventions towards community: a meta-analysis study.

Smoking is one of the biggest public health problems in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the MPOWER package which provides a guide for tobacco control. The package includes six evidence based anti-smoking interventions. This meta-analysis study aims to assess the effectiveness of MPOWER - (M)onitor, (P)rotect, (O)ffer, (W)arn, (E)nforce, and (R)aise. In the study, "smoking prevalence rate, smoking cessation rate and number of cigarettes smoked daily" outputs were used in adult and adolescent age groups. Literature search has been made with "smok*, tobacco, cigarette*" keywords from the databases of Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane-Library. Abstracts were assessed in detail according to the inclusion criteria by the research team. Quality of articles was evaluated with modified Jadad criteria. The follow-up periods of articles were determined in two groups named as short and long term periods. We used random effects model (p ≤ 0.05) and fixed effects model (p > 0.05) according to the heterogeneity test results. P and O interventions, which are evaluated with smoking cessation rate, increased the smoking cessation rate in adults by 39% in the longest follow-up period - RR: 1.39 (1.23-1.57). However, it was determined that the interventions were not effective on smoking cessation rate in adolescents - RR: 1.13 (0.90-1.42). Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was the most effective intervention for smoking cessation rate in adults. W interventions, which are evaluated with smoking prevalence rate, decreased the smoking prevalence rate in adults by 13% in the longest follow-up period - OR: 0.87 (0.82-0.92). P, W and E interventions, which are evaluated with smoking prevalence rate, decreased the smoking prevalence rate in adolescents by 26% in the longest follow-up period - OR: 0.74 (0.68-0.80). MPOWER interventions affect smoking prevalence rate, smoking cessation rate and number of cigarettes smoked daily in different age groups. Well-controlled, well-planned and cost-effective anti-smoking interventions have great importance for public health protection.

Sunbed Use among 11- to 17-Year-Olds and Estimated Number of Commercial Sunbeds in England with Implications for a 'Buy-Back' Scheme.

Prior to 2011 legislation prohibiting children from using commercial sunbeds, the prevalence of sunbed use in 15- to 17-year-olds in some areas in England was as high as 50%. Despite significant decreases since 2011, children today still practice indoor tanning. We estimated current sunbed use in 11- to 17-year-olds in England, the number of available commercial sunbed units, and the associated cost of a ‘buy-back’ scheme to remove commercial sunbeds under a potential future policy to ban sunbeds. We undertook a calibration approach based on published prevalence rates in English adults and other sources. Internet searches were undertaken to estimate the number of sunbed providers in Greater Manchester, then we extrapolated this to England. Estimated mean prevalence of sunbed use was 0.6% for 11- to 14-year-olds and 2.5% for 15- to 17-year-olds, equating to 62,130 children using sunbeds in England. A predicted 2958 premises and 17,865 sunbeds exist nationally and a ‘buy-back’ scheme would cost approximately GBP 21.7 million. Public health concerns remain greatest for 11- to 17-year-olds who are particularly vulnerable to developing skin cancers after high ultraviolet exposure.

Subtype-specific differences in Gag-protease replication capacity of HIV-1 isolates from East and West Africa

BackgroundThe HIV-1 epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is heterogeneous with diverse unevenly distributed subtypes and regional differences in prevalence. Subtype-specific differences in disease progression rate and transmission efficiency have been reported, but the underlying biological mechanisms have not been fully characterized. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the subtypes prevalent in the East Africa, where adult prevalence rate is higher, have lower viral replication capacity (VRC) than their West African counterparts where adult prevalence rates are lower.ResultsGag-protease sequencing was performed on 213 and 160 antiretroviral-naïve chronically infected participants from West and East Africa respectively and bioinformatic tools were used to infer subtypes and recombination patterns. VRC of patient-derived gag-protease chimeric viruses from West (n = 178) and East (n = 114) Africa were determined using a green fluorescent protein reporter-based cell assay. Subtype and regional differences in VRC and amino acid variants impacting VRC were identified by statistical methods. CRF02_AG (65%, n = 139), other recombinants (14%, n = 30) and pure subtypes (21%, n = 44) were identified in West Africa. Subtypes A1 (64%, n = 103), D (22%, n = 35), or recombinants (14%, n = 22) were identified in East Africa. Viruses from West Africa had significantly higher VRC compared to those from East Africa (p < 0.0001), with subtype-specific differences found among strains within West and East Africa (p < 0.0001). Recombination patterns showed a preference for subtypes D, G or J rather than subtype A in the p6 region of gag, with evidence that subtype-specific differences in this region impact VRC. Furthermore, the Gag A83V polymorphism was associated with reduced VRC in CRF02_AG. HLA-A*23:01 (p = 0.0014) and HLA-C*07:01 (p = 0.002) were associated with lower VRC in subtype A infected individuals from East Africa.ConclusionsAlthough prevalent viruses from West Africa displayed higher VRC than those from East Africa consistent with the hypothesis that lower VRC is associated with higher population prevalence, the predominant CRF02_AG strain in West Africa displayed higher VRC than other prevalent strains suggesting that VRC alone does not explain population prevalence. The study identified viral and host genetic determinants of virus replication capacity for HIV-1 CRF02_AG and subtype A respectively, which may have relevance for vaccine strategies.

Estimating Global Prevalence of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Overweight or Obese Adults

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a new terminology updated from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, we aim to estimate the global prevalence of MAFLD specifically in overweight and obese adults from the general population by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis through mining the existing epidemiological data on fatty liver disease. We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane and google scholar database from inception to November, 2020. DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model with Logit transformation was performed for data analysis. Sensitivity analysis and meta-regression were used to explore predictors of MAFLD prevalence in pooled statistics with high heterogeneity. We identified 116 relevant studies comprised of 2,667,052 participants in general population with an estimated global MAFLD prevalence as 50.7% (95% CI 46.9-54.4) among overweight/obese adults regardless of diagnostic techniques. Ultrasound was the most commonly used diagnostic technique generating prevalence rate of 51.3% (95% CI, 49.1-53.4). Male (59.0%; 95% CI, 52.0-65.6) had a significantly higher MAFLD prevalence than female (47.5%; 95% CI, 40.7-54.5). Interestingly, MAFLD prevalence rates are comparable based on classical NAFLD and non-NAFLD studies in general population. The pooled estimate prevalence of comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome was 19.7% (95% CI, 12.8-29.0) and 57.5% (95% CI, 49.9-64.8), respectively. MAFLD has an astonishingly high prevalence rate in overweight and obese adults. This calls for attention and dedicated action from primary care physicians, specialists, health policy makers and the general public alike.

The prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia: An updated systematic review

BackgroundGout continues to increase in prevalence in developed countries with Oceanic countries particularly affected. Both gout and hyperuricaemia are associated with the metabolic syndrome and its sequelae. Recently, the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported a prevalence rate of 0.8% which appeared incongruous with other published research. Thus, an updated systematic review was undertaken to review the literature on the prevalence of gout and hyperuricaemia in Australia from data published after 2011. MethodsA comprehensive, systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science in addition to relevant websites to identify research reporting the prevalence of gout and/or hyperuricaemia in Australia from May 2011 until June 2020. Crude gout and hyperuricaemia prevalence data was obtained and presented alongside case ascertainment, time-period, age range and stratified by gender if available. Results118 full text articles were screened. 12 articles were included for analysis of gout prevalence. 4 articles were identified for the hyperuricaemia analysis. Wide variation in prevalence figures exist largely due study design and sample age range. Studies using a case definition of self-reported diagnosis of gout reported prevalence rates between 4.5% and 6.8%. The remaining studies used either electronic coding data from general practitioners or wastewater estimation of allopurinol consumption and documented adult prevalence rates between 1.5% and 2.9%. Prevalence increases with age, male sex and over time in keeping with global data. Hyperuricaemia prevalence ranged between 10.5% and 16.6% in Caucasian or an Australian representative population. AIHW estimates applied a chronic condition status, defined as current and lasted or expected to last more than six months, to cases of gout in the Australian National Health Survey. This likely results in an under-estimation in reported Australian gout prevalence rates. ConclusionsGout is highly prevalent in Australia compared to global comparisons and continues to increase over time. Hyperuricaemia prevalence is also high although contemporary data is limited.

12-week Of Tai Chi Training Improves Cognitive Function In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Manifestation of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an early sign indicative of accelerated decline in cognitive function during ageing that precedes the development of dementia. Its prevalence rate in older adults in China (≥ 60) ranges from 10% to 20%. To date, there is no documented pharmacological intervention for dementia. Preliminary studies, however, have shown that exercise can improve cognitive function. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of Tai Chi training in improving cognitive function in older adults with MCI. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted between October, 2018 and May, 2019. In this two-arm, single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 20 Chinese adults aged ≥50 years with MCI [Score of Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong Version (MoCA-HK) below 7th percentile of the age and education-corrected normative data of Hong Kong] were randomly assigned to Control (CON, n=10, received no intervention) and Tai Chi (TC, n=10, received 12-week Tai Chi training) groups. Global cognitive function was the primary outcome which was assessed by MoCA-HK 12 weeks after post-randomization. Secondary outcomes including executive function, working memory, long term memory, and attention were assessed by trial making test A and B, digit span, 30-min delay recall test and attention network test respectively. Data were analyzed by generalized linear model with baseline as covariate. RESULTS: TC provoked a robust improvement in MoCA-HK score compared with CON (TC: +24% vs CON: +9%, P<0.001). TC participants also performed better in 30-min delay recall (TC: +52% vs CON: +8%, P=0.005) and trial making test B/A ratio compared with CON (TC: -21% vs CON: -2%, P=0.028). No statistical difference was observed in forward and back digit span. There was no statistical difference in reaction time, accuracy, alerting network and orienting network between the two groups. However the change in executive network was significantly different between TC and CON (TC: +19% vs CON: -24%, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A 12-week Tai Chi training can improve global cognitive function in older adults with MCI. Tai Chi improves executive function and long-term memory and alters the attention network.

Investigation of the Environmental and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Counties with a High Asthma Burden to Focus Asthma Action in Utah

Rising adult asthma prevalence (AAP) rates and asthma emergency room (AER) visits constitute a large burden on public health in Utah (UT), a high-altitude state in the Great Basin Desert, USA. This warrants an investigation of the characteristics of the counties with the highest asthma burden within UT to improve allocation of health resources and for planning. The relations between several predictor environmental, health behavior and socio-economic variables and two health outcome variables, AAP and AER visits, were investigated for UT’s 29 counties. Non-parametric statistical comparison tests, correlation and linear regression analysis were used to determine the factors significantly associated with AER visits and AAP. Regression kriging with Utah small area data (USAD) as well as socio-economic and pollution data enabled local Moran’s I cluster analysis and the investigation of moving correlations between health outcomes and risk factors. Results showed the importance of desert/mining dust and socio-economic status as AAP and AER visits were greatest in the south of the state, highlighting a marked north–south divide in terms of these factors within the state. USAD investigations also showed marked differences in pollution and socio-economic status associated with AAP within the most populous northern counties. Policies and interventions need to address socio-economic inequalities within counties and between the north and south of the state. Fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particulate matter monitors should be installed in towns in central and southern UT to monitor air quality as these are sparse, but in the summer, air quality can be worse here. Further research into spatiotemporal variation in air quality within UT is needed to inform public health interventions such as expanding clean fuel programs and targeted land-use policies. Efforts are also needed to examine barriers to routine asthma care.