Behavior-related Risk Factors Research Articles

Identifying behaviour-related and physiological risk factors for suicide attempts in the UK Biobank.

Suicide is a global public health challenge, yet considerable uncertainty remains regarding the associations of both behaviour-related and physiological factors with suicide attempts (SA). Here we first estimated polygenic risk scores (PRS) for SA in 334,706 UK Biobank participants and conducted phenome-wide association analyses considering 2,291 factors. We identified 246 (63.07%) behaviour-related and 200 (10.41%, encompassing neuroimaging, blood and metabolic biomarkers, and proteins) physiological factors significantly associated with SA-PRS, with robust associations observed in lifestyle factors and mental health. Further case-control analyses involving 3,558 SA cases and 149,976 controls mirrored behaviour-related associations observed with SA-PRS. Moreover, Mendelian randomization analyses supported a potential causal effect of liability to 58 factors on SA, such as age at first intercourse, neuroticism, smoking, overall health rating and depression. Notably, machine-learning classification models based on behaviour-related factors exhibited high discriminative accuracy in distinguishing those with and without SA (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.909 ± 0.006). This study provides comprehensive insights into diverse risk factors for SA, shedding light on potential avenues for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

GCF2 mediates nicotine-induced cancer stemness and progression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Cigarette smoking is one of the most impactful behavior-related risk factors for multiple cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nicotine, as the principal component of tobacco, is not only responsible for smoking addiction but also a carcinogen; nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that nicotine enhances HCC cancer stemness and malignant progression by upregulating the expression of GC-rich binding factor 2 (GCF2), a gene that was revealed to be upregulated in HCC and whose upregulation predicts poor prognosis, and subsequently activating the Wnt/ꞵ-catenin/SOX2 signaling pathway. We found that nicotine significantly increased GCF2 expression and that silencing of GCF2 reduced nicotine-induced cancer stemness and progression. Mechanistically, nicotine could stabilize the protein level of GCF2, and then GCF2 could robustly activate its downstream Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, our results thus suggest that GCF2 is a potential target for a therapeutic strategy against nicotine-promoted HCC.

BEHAVIOR-RELATED RISK FACTORS AND WORKING LIFE EXPECTANCY IN ENGLAND

Abstract Over the past decades, the UK has introduced pension and labour market reforms that aimed at increasing the length of working life among the older working population. Behaviour-related risk factors such as low physical activity level, alcohol consumption, smoking as well as obesity are associated with labour market participation and early retirement. However, the extent to which the co-occurrence of these behaviour-related risk factors predict how long people stay in employment (working life expectancy) has not yet been investigated. We used a large nationally representative sample of older people in England participants of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), from 2002 to 2018. We applied multistate life table models to repeated measures to estimate sex-specific working life expectancy from the age of 50. We considered the following behaviours: smoking, daily alcohol consumption, being physically inactive and being obese. At the age of 50, men with no behaviour-related risk factors could expect to work on average 11 years (95%CI:10.96; 11.44) longer (9 for women, 95%CI:8.98;9.44), whereas men with 2+ behaviour-related risk factors could expect to work on average 9.2 additional years (95%CI:9.19; 9.85) (7.4 for women, 95%CI:7.3; 7.8). Men and women engaging in one behaviour-related risk factor had slightly higher lower working life expectancy than those not engaging in any behaviour-related risk factors.

Behavior-related risk factors and time to death among persons with alcohol consumption versus persons without: A general population study with mortality follow-up after 20 years

BackgroundEvidence shows that low to moderate alcohol consumers seem to live longer than abstainers. Insufficient consideration of subgroups among abstainers and of further behavior-related risk factors for death might be reasons. The aim of this study was to compare alcohol lifetime abstainers, former drinkers, and current consumers with regard to mortality considering tobacco smoking, body overweight, and physical inactivity. MethodsA general adult population sample of residents aged 18 to 64 had been drawn at random in northern Germany. Among eligible persons, 4093 (70.2%) participated. Assessments included alcohol consumption by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption in addition to lifetime alcohol abstinence and former drinking. A score of behavior-related risk factors was built from tobacco smoking, body overweight, and physical inactivity. Twenty years later, a mortality follow-up was conducted. Data of 4028 study participants were analyzed. ResultsAt baseline, former alcohol consumers but not current low to moderate alcohol drinkers had more behavior-related risk factors than lifetime abstainers. At follow-up, former alcohol drinkers with two or more behavior-related risk factors had a shorter time to death than lifetime abstainers with 0 or one behavior-related risk factor (hazard ratio 3.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.63–7.20). Low to moderate alcohol drinkers did not survive longer than lifetime alcohol abstainers with 0 or one behavior-related risk factor. ConclusionThe results provide evidence against the assumption that alcohol consumption has a beneficial effect on health and longevity.

How can public health agencies support the adoption of a population health management approach in PHC? The case of SVN

Abstract Slovenia has a longstanding tradition of providing accessible and comprehensive PHC services. Established in 1927, Slovenian PHC strongly emphasizes addressing health equity and reaching out to vulnerable populations in local communities to identify environmental, social and behaviour-related risk factors and diagnose disease in its early stage of development. Through a cross-sectoral cooperation based on a community based approach and a strong collaboration of public health and primary care services, Slovenia has improved health and reduced health inequality over the last decades. Registered nurses in family medicine teams conduct regular screening and follow-up for people with noncommunicable diseases to reduce family doctors’ growing burden and workload. Each family medicine practice has a list of registered patients (a capitation list), managed in defined groups of healthy individuals; those with risk factors; and those with the most common chronic diseases. Financial incentives are given for meeting target values in screening check-ups. The National Public Health Institute manages and leads the noncommunicable disease prevention and control programme at the national level.

Association with Combined Occupational Hazards Exposure and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A Workers' Health Examination Cohort 2012–2021

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to occupational hazards and the metabolic syndrome. A secondary objective was to analyze the additive and multiplicative effects of exposure to risk factors. MethodsThis retrospective cohort was based on 31,615 health examinees at the Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital in Republic of Korea from 2012–2021. Demographic and behavior-related risk factors were treated as confounding factors, whereas three physical factors, 19 organic solvents and aerosols, and 13 metals and dust were considered occupational risk factors. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios. ResultsThe risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in night shift workers (hazard ratio = 1.45: 95% confidence interval = 1.36–1.54) and workers who were exposed to noise (1.15:1.07–1.24). Exposure to some other risk factors was also significantly associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. They were dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, trichloroethylene, xylene, styrene, toluene, dichloromethane, copper, antimony, lead, copper, iron, welding fume, and manganese. Among the 28 significant pairs, 19 exhibited both positive additive and multiplicative effects. ConclusionsExposure to single or combined occupational risk factors may increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Working conditions should be monitored and improved to reduce exposure to occupational hazards and prevent the development of the metabolic syndrome.

Identification of Risk Factors for Suicide and Insights for Developing Suicide Prevention Technologies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Suicide is a termite that engulfs close to seven hundred thousand people worldwide each year. Existing work on risk factors that predict suicide lacks statistical associations, does not consider most countries, and has a wide range of risk factor domains. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to enhance our current understanding of suicidality by identifying risk factors that are most strongly associated with suicide and their impact on developing technological interventions for suicide prevention. A search strategy was carried out on four databases: (1) PsycINFO, (2) IEEE Xplore, (3) the ACM Digital Library, and (4) PubMed, and twenty-five studies were included based on the inclusion criteria. Factors statistically associated with suicide are any diagnosed mental disorder, adverse life events, past suicide attempts, low education level, loneliness or high levels of isolation, bipolar disorder, depression, multiple chronic health conditions, family history of suicide, sexual trauma, and being female. Domain-wise, comorbid disorders, and behavior-related risk factors are most strongly associated with suicide. We present a new hierarchical model of risk factors for suicide that advances our understanding of suicide and its causes. Finally, we present open research directions and considerations for developing suicide prevention technologies.

Blood glucose levels and the relationship of body mass index and circumference with blood glucose in China

Objective: To describe and compare blood glucose levels in adults aged 18 years old and above in China and explore the relationship between BMI and waist circumference with blood glucose. Methods: China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance were conducted in 298 counties/districts in China in 2018, covering 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method selected permanent residents aged 18 years and above. Information on demographics, behavior-related risk factors, BMI, waist circumference, and blood glucose were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire, physical measurement, and laboratory examination. After complex weighting of data, they described the blood glucose levels of people with different characteristics and explored the relationship of BMI and waist circumference with blood glucose by multiple linear regression model analysis. Results: A total of 177 816 adults were included in the study. The average fasting blood glucose and average glycosylated hemoglobin were (5.73±1.46) mmol/L and (5.37±0.83) %, with people aged 60 years old and above group highest than that of other, with males higher than females (P<0.001); and urban was higher slightly than rural for the average of average glycosylated hemoglobin (P<0.001). The average fasting blood glucose and average glycosylated hemoglobin increased with increased BMI and waist circumference (P<0.001). Results from multiple linear regression model analysis showed that: 1) for each increase in BMI unit and waist circumference, the fasting glucose levels increased by 0.019 mmol/L and 0.008 mmol/L (all P<0.001) in those not diagnosed with diabetes, 2) by 0.021 mmol/L (P=0.163) and 0.014 mmol/L (P=0.004) in those newly detected as diabetes, and 3) by 0.028 mmol/L (P=0.088) and 0.023 mmol/L (P<0.001) in those self-reported as having been diagnosed as diabetes, respectively. However, glycosylated hemoglobin levels increased: 1) by 0.015% and 0.006% in those not diagnosed as diabetes (all P<0.001), 2) by 0.050% and 0.019% in those newly detected as diabetes (all P<0.001), and 3) by 0.033% and 0.019% in those self-reported as having been diagnosed as diabetes (all P<0.001), respectively. These associations with waist circumference were more robust than with BMI. Conclusions: Adults not diagnosed with diabetes with abnormal BMI or waist circumference are the key population for prevention and control. Measures improving the awareness rate of waist circumference should be taken to maintain average blood glucose in various groups.

238 The association between quitting electronic cigarette use in pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Nearly half of mothers who report electronic (e)-cigarette use during pregnancy believe e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. We aim to determine the association of quitting e-cigarette use in pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a cross-sectional study of women participating in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and with live singleton birth during 2016-2019. Women were classified based on their e-cigarette use: before pregnancy only (quitters), last three months of pregnancy only (initiators), at both times (sustained users), and neither time (non-users). We used a modified Poisson regression to determine the association between quitting e-cigarette use and preterm birth (&lt;37 weeks) and low birth weight (&lt;2,500 grams) adjusting for demographic, social-economic, and behavior-related risk factors. Analyses were weighted to account for the survey design and non-response. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Based on 150,950 women who responded to the survey, there were estimated 2.9% quitters, 0.2% initiators, 1.0% sustained users, and 95.9% non-users in the U.S. Compared to sustained e-cigarette users, quitters had a similar risk in preterm birth (adjusted risk ratio [ARR]: 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65, 1.08) and a significantly reduced risk in low birth weight (ARR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.61, 0.97) adjusting for traditional cigarette use, age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, family income, prior preterm birth, prior live births, BMI prior to pregnancy, pregnancy weight gain, kotelchuck index, multivitamin use, drinking prior to pregnancy, year of birth, and residential state. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: As FDA authorizes the sales of certain e-cigarettes, women smokers may switch to e-cigarettes, believing they are reducing harm. Our study shows that quitting e-cigarette use is associated with a reduction of low birth weight. Clear messaging is needed to help women cease e-cigarette use in pregnancy.

Effects of data preprocessing on results of the epidemiological analysis of coronary heart disease and behaviour-related risk factors

Background We carried out this study to demonstrate the effects of outcome sensitivity, participant exclusions, and covariate manipulations on results of the epidemiological analysis of coronary heart disease (CHD) and its behaviour-related risk factors. Material and methods Our study population consisted of 1592 54-year-old men, who participated in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. We used the Cox proportional-hazards model to predict the hazard of CHD and applied different sets of outcomes concerning outcome sensitivity and data preprocessing procedures regarding participant exclusions and covariate manipulations. Results The mean follow-up time was 23 years, and 730 men received the CHD diagnosis. Cox regressions based on data with no participant exclusions most often discovered statistically significant associations. Loose inclusion criteria for study participants with any CVD during the follow-up and strict exclusion criteria for participants with no CVD were best in discovering the associations between risk factors and CHD. Outcome sensitivity affected the associations, whereas the covariate type, continuous or categorical, did not. Conclusions This study suggests that excluding study participants who are not disease-free at baseline is probably unnecessary for epidemiological analyses. Epidemiological research reports should present results based on no data exclusions together with results based on reasoned exclusions.

Timing of Entry into Paid Employment, Adverse Physical Work Exposures and Health: The Young Helsinki Health Study.

It is not well known how the timing of entry into paid employment and physical work exposures contribute to different health outcomes in young employees. Thus, we determined the associations of age at entry into paid employment and physical work exposures with general and mental health in young employees and determined whether associations differ by behavior-related risk factors. Data were collected via online and mailed surveys in autumn 2017 from employees of the City of Helsinki aged 18–39 years (n = 5897; 4630 women and 1267 men, response rate 51.5%). Surveys comprised measures of age at entry into paid employment, seven working conditions, behavior-related risk factors and health outcomes (self-rated health [SRH] and common mental disorders [CMD] as generic indicators of physical and mental health). Logistic regression analysis was used. After full adjustment, age at entry was not associated with the health outcomes; however, in additional analyses, younger age at first employment was associated with smoking and obesity (OR 3.00, 95% CI 2.34–3.85 and 1.67, 95% CI 1.32–2.11 for those started working at age of ≤18 years, respectively). Of the working conditions, sitting and standing were positively associated with poor SRH and CMD and uncomfortable working postures with CMD. Working conditions were broadly similarly associated with health outcomes among those with and without behavior-related risk factors. Although we found little support for modification by behavior-related risk factors, overweight, obesity and smoking were associated with poor SRH and binge drinking and smoking with CMD. Additionally, moderate and high levels of leisure-time physical activity were inversely associated with poor SRH. In conclusion, early entry into paid employment appears not to associate to immediate poorer health in young employees, although it was associated with smoking and obesity even after full adjustment. Exposure to physically heavy work and uncomfortable working postures may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes.

Status of sleep and influencing factors in employed floating population in China

Objective: To understand the sleep status and related influencing factors among 18-59 years old employed floating population and to provide evidence for policy development. Methods: Data were gathered from the Chinese Floating Population Chronic Disease Surveillance (2012) program. Floating population were selected through multistage clustering sampling method and stratified by industries from China. Information on demographics, behavior-related risk factors, sleep duration and social pressure etc., were collected through face-to-face interview on questionnaires. After complex weighting of data, multivariable logistic regression method was used to explore the sleep status and related influencing factors among these employed floating people. Results: A total of 43 521 subjects were included in the study. The average sleep duration per day was 7.77 h, with females (7.87 h) higher than males (7.69 h). The prevalence of insufficient sleep was 12.3% (95%CI: 11.8%-12.7%), with 45-59 years old group (21.2%) higher than that of the 18-year olds (11.2%). Results from the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that factors as gender, age, marital status, education, occupation, inflowing area, behavior-related risk factors, BMI, social pressure, self-rated health status and self-reported chronic diseases were the main factors that affecting the rates of sleep deficiency in this population. The prevalence rate of insufficient sleep was 1.18 times higher (95%CI: 1.07-1.31) in males than that in females, and 1.22 (95%CI: 1.11-1.33) times higher in smokers than that in the non-smokers, 1.31(95%CI: 1.16-1.49) times higher in excessive drinkers than that of the normal population, 1.46 (95%CI: 1.29-1.65) times and 1.33 (95%CI: 1.18-1.50) times in those with heavier workload and stress than those without. Conclusion: The prevalence of insufficient sleep among the employed floating population was affected by multiple factors that called for more attention by different departments of the government.

Behavior-related risk factors for opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma among rural people living along the mekong river in five greater mekong subregion countries

Opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma (OV-CCA) is a major public health problem in Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Countries, the poorest region in Asia. People in this region have similar traditions or respect the same religion. There is no difference in lifestyle and food culture. Excluding Thailand, publications on risk factors for OV-CCA from the GMS Countries are few, especially data on behavioral risk factors for OV-CCA. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the behavior-related risk factors and to compare the risk of OV-CCA among rural people living along the Mekong River in five GMS countries. It was a cross-sectional analytic study during June and October 2017. All participants with informed consent completed the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of risk factors. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were used to compare the risk of OV-CCA. It was found that there were more drinkers than non-drinkers in all areas, except in Vietnam. The highest history of liver fluke infection was found in Cambodia. Praziquantel use and consumption of raw freshwater fish dishes were mostly found in Lao PDR. The highest consumption of nitrosamine-contaminated foodstuffs was found in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. The spatial comparison of OV-CCA risk showed that Lao PDR and Ubon Ratchathani were two risk areas when compared to Tachileik, Myanmar (a reference area). This study provided the behavior-related risk factors for OV-CCA among people in five GMS Countries which would be a major jigsaw puzzle leading to proactive surveillance for OV-CCA prevention in the future.

Emotional stimuli candidates for behavioural intervention in the prevention of early childhood caries: a pilot study

BackgroundOral diseases, such as early childhood caries (ECC), have a complex etiology with common, behaviour-related risk factors. Appropriately targeted behavioural intervention using effective tools can help to eliminate risk behaviour leading to ECC. The aim of this study was to ascertain which visual stimuli with a supporting text evoke the strongest emotional response in infants’ mothers and, therefore, are suitable candidates for inclusion in behavioural interventions within the prevention of ECC.MethodsThirty-nine mothers of one-year-old children who filled out an originally designed electronic questionnaire, containing 20 visual stimuli with accompanying texts related to dental caries (10/10 with positive/negative intended emotional response), were included in this cross-sectional study. The emotional impact of each stimulus in the mothers was evaluated using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) technique, which represents three emotional dimensions: valence, arousal, and dominance.ResultsEach of the stimuli was assessed by the mothers of infants based on its emotional impact. The real emotional response (evaluated according to the median of valence) was in line with the primarily intended response in 90% of cases (p < 0.05). The text with a warning evoked a greater emotional response (evaluated according to the median of arousal) in mothers than only the informative instruction (p < 0.05). The relationship between arousal and valence (r = − 0.99; p < 0.05) indicates that the more aversive stimuli raise higher arousal. The significant correlation between valence and dominance shows that the more positive the stimuli, the higher feeling of control over the evoked emotion the mothers have (r = 0.83; p < 0.05), and, on the contrary, the lowest control over emotion is correlated with higher arousal (r = − 0.85; p < 0.05). Generally, mothers rated themselves as in high control of their emotions over the individual stimuli.ConclusionsThis pilot study proved that negative pictorial and text warnings about the risks of developing caries had the potential to evoke strong emotional responses in the mothers of infants. We identified three visual stimuli that could be included in future extensive motivation material in an attempt to affect the preventive behaviour of mothers, and thus the oral health of their infants.

Association between area-level education and the co-occurrence of behavior-related risk factors: a multilevel analysis.

This study aimed to investigate the association of four different risk factors for chronic diseases and accumulation of these health behaviors with area-level education, regardless of individual-level characteristics in Brazil. A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern Brazil including 1,720 adults in 2009/2010. The simultaneous occurrence of tobacco smoking, abusive drinking, unhealthy eating habits, and physical inactivity was investigated. Using multilevel models, we tested whether area-level education was associated with each risk factor and with the co-occurrence of them after controlling sociodemographic individual-level variables. We observed a between-group variance of 7.79, 7.11, 6.84 and 1.08% for physical inactivity, problematic use of alcohol, unhealthy eating habits, and smoking, respectively. The between-group variance for the combination of four behaviors was 14.2%. Area-level education explained a significant proportion of the variance observed in physical inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. Residents of low educational level neighborhoods showed a 2.40 (95%CI 1.58 - 3.66) times higher chance of unhealthy eating and 1.78 (95%CI 1.19 - 2.67) times higher chance of physical inactivity. The likelihood of individuals with two or three/four risk factors was simultaneously higher among residents of low educational level neighborhoods. Public policies should consider the area-level characteristics, including education to control risk factors for chronic diseases.

Behavior-Related Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in the US Adult Population

This study is based on data from the 2009-2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of the civilian population of the United States. The NHIS focuses on a number of health conditions, including low back pain. The objective of this study is to explore behavior-related factors associated with low back pain in the US adult population, including leisure-time physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use, sleep duration, and obesity. Low back pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal health disorder with profound impact on individuals, business, and society. Addressing behavior-related factors holds the potential to reduce the burden of low back pain on a societal basis. To account for the complex sampling design of the NHIS, the Taylor linearized variance estimation methods were used to conduct weighted descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses in exploring the relationships between low back pain and a set of behavior-related risk factors. This study shows associations between self-reported lower back pain and reported leisure-time physical inactivity, current or former smoking, current or former alcohol drinking, short sleep duration, and obesity. This study identified a number of behavior-related factors that appear to have a significant relationship with low back pain. Public health policy makers and clinicians should consider these factors to reduce the burden of low back pain. This study supports the need for longitudinal study design in future research. 2.

Depressive Symptoms and Behavior-Related Risk Factors, Italian Population-Based Surveillance System, 2013.

IntroductionDepression may increase the likelihood of adopting behaviors risky to health. Population studies investigating the association between depressive symptoms and behavior-related risk factors are lacking in Italy. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of various self-reported behavior-related risk factors and to study their associations with current depressive symptoms in the Italian adult general population.MethodsData collected in 2013 from people aged 18 to 69 years participating in the Italian behavioral risk factor surveillance system were used for the analysis. Indicators of no leisure-time physical activity, obesity, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption were investigated. Depressive symptoms were explored through the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.ResultsIn the survey sample of 39,463 participants, 34.4% of adults engaged in no leisure-time physical activity, 26.2% were cigarette smokers, 11.5% were excessive alcohol consumers, and 10.3% were obese. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 6.2%. People with depressive symptoms were more likely to be physically inactive (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR], 1.13), cigarette smokers (APR, 1.34), obese (APR, 1.27) and excessive alcohol consumers (APR, 1.43) than those without depressive symptoms.ConclusionThe contribution of this study to the existing evidence lies not just in confirming the association between depression and behavior-related risk factors in the Italian context but also in suggesting that programs for simultaneously improving people’s mental and physical health should be developed and implemented.

Health At Risk: Exploring Geographical Differences In Health Risk Factors Among Canada’s Aboriginal Population

Smoking, obesity, and binge drinking are identified as important behavior-related risk factors for long-term health outcomes. Aboriginal People in Canada have significantly higher self-reported rates of all three of these negative health factors compared to the general population of Canada. Initial results from this study demonstrate that there are significant differences in Aboriginal smoking, binge drinking, and obesity rates depending on province or region of residence. Continued analyses clarify the nature of these geographic effects and provide some important implications for industry and government policy-makers.

Clustering of behavioural risk factors in the Portuguese population: data from National Health Interview Survey

Background: Given that behaviour-related risk factors cluster together in individuals and populations it is important to study their patterns to inform Public Health interventions and decisions aimed at controlling disease and promoting health. This study examines the clustering and variation across different socio-demographic groups of four major behavioural risk factors (smoking, heavy drinking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet) in two groups of the Portuguese adult population, one with and one without diabetes. Methods: The study population was derived from the 2005/2006 National Health Interview Survey for Portugal. Clustering was evaluated by comparing the observed and expected frequency of the different possible combinations of the four risk factors. A binary multiple logistic regression model was fitted to examine the socio-demographic variation in the clustering of the four risk factors. Results: Among the Portuguese population (584,286 individuals surveyed), 8.9% of diabetics and 19.5% of non diabetics accumulated two or three behavioural risk factors. Behavioural risk factors are explored considering all possible multiple combinations (k=16). The most frequent combination was smoking and unhealthy diet. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the likelihood of individuals having two or more risk behaviours simultaneously was greater in men 35-44 years old and lower education level both in diabetics and in non diabetics.

Risk factors for falls of older citizens

Fall prevention is a major issue in the ageing society. This study provides an overview of all risk factors for falls of older citizens. A literature search was conducted to retrieve studies of the past 25 years. All participants from the studies lived in the community or institutions and were aged 60 or older. The following key word combinations were used, limited to the title: elderly or older people or older adults and fall and risk. The risk factors were categorised as relevant and amendable, relevant but non amendable, inconclusive or unsupported. In total 30 publications were studied in 2013 in Enschede, the Netherlands. The relevant intrinsic risk factors are muscle strength, balance capacity, reactive power, dual tasking and sleep disturbance. Relevant extrinsic risk factors are home hazards, wrong use of assistive devices and bad footwear. Behaviour-related risk factors are hurrying, risk taking, physical inactivity and fear of falling. Relevant symptoms that could be caused by underlying risk factors are mobility problems, gait problems, vertigo, use of assisting devices and history of falls. Several risk factors are determined to be relevant and amendable. The provided overview could be used to create fall preventive measures for elderly.