Propensity For Use Research Articles

Crop use structures resource selection strategies for African elephants in a human-dominated landscape.

To conserve wide-ranging species in degraded landscapes, it is essential to understand how the behavior of animals changes in relation to the degree and composition of modification. Evidence suggests that large inter-individual variation exists in the propensity for use of degraded areas and may be driven by both behavioral and landscape factors. The use of cultivated lands by wildlife is of particular interest, given the importance of reducing human-wildlife conflicts and understanding how such areas can function as biodiversity buffers. African elephant space use can be highly influenced by human activity and the degree to which individuals crop-raid. We analyzed GPS data from 56 free-ranging elephants in the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem using resource selection functions (RSFs) to assess how crop use may drive patterns of resource selection and space use within a population. We quantified drivers of similarity in resource selection across individuals using proximity analysis of individual RSF coefficients derived from random forest models. We found wide variation in RSF coefficient values between individuals indicating strongly differentiated resource selection strategies. Proximity assessment indicated the degree of crop use in the dry season, individual repeatability, and time spent in unprotected areas drove similarity in resource selection patterns. Crop selection was also spatially structured in relation to agricultural fragmentation. In areas with low fragmentation, elephants spent less time in crops and selected most strongly for crops further from protected area boundaries, but in areas of high fragmentation, elephants spent twice as much time in crops and selected most strongly for crops closer to the protected area boundary. Our results highlight how individual differences and landscape structure can shape use of agricultural landscapes. We discuss our findings in respect to the conservation challenges of human-elephant conflict and incorporating behavioral variation into human-wildlife coexistence efforts.

Association between Religiosity/Spirituality and Substance Use among Homeless Individuals

IntroductionAlcohol and illicit drug use are highly prevalent among the homeless population. Religiosity and spirituality (RS) have been widely associated with lower substance use. However, evidence of this relationship among the homeless is still scarce.ObjectivesTo assess the association between RS and the use of alcohol and illicit drugs among the homeless population of a large Brazilian urban center.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. Aspects such as spirituality (FACIT-Sp12), religiosity (P-DUREL), religious-spiritual coping (Brief-RCOPE), and self-applied questions about current substance use (alcohol and illicit drugs) were evaluated. Adjusted Logistic Regression models were performed.ResultsA total of 456 homeless individuals were included, with an average age of 44.5 (SD=12.6) years. More than half of the participants used alcohol (55.7%) weekly and 34.2% used illicit drugs weekly. The adjusted Logistic Regression models identified that aspects of RS were associated with a lower propensity for alcohol and illicit drug use, whereas negative religious-spiritual coping strategies were associated with a higher propensity for the use of both.ConclusionsThe prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use among participants was high. Positive RS and religious-spiritual coping were significant protective factors against the use of these substances. Conversely, negative religious-spiritual coping strategies were associated with risk factors.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The Relationship of Risk-Related Behaviors and Substance Use Among U.S. Army National Guard/Army Reserve Soldiers and Deployment Differences

U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve (ANG/USAR) soldiers are at risk for substance use, and research in other populations suggests risk-related behaviors and traits affect the propensity for use. Less is known about how deployment might amplify these effects. Our research explored the relations between risk-related behaviors and substance use among ANG/USAR soldiers and investigated differences by deployment (previously vs. never deployed). We drew a subset of data from Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing study of ANG/USAR soldiers and their partners (married/living together as if married). Cross-sectional regression models examined domains of risk (i.e., risk perception, risk-taking/impulsivity, sensation-seeking) and substance use (any current drug use, current non-medical use of prescription drugs, current illicit drug use, alcohol problems, and frequent heavy drinking [FHD]). Final models controlled for age, sex, anger, and PTSD. Interaction terms between risk behaviors and deployment status on substance use were also noted. Results revealed that greater risk perception was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of and protective against FHD. Greater risk-taking/impulsivity was associated with a higher likelihood of any current drug use and alcohol problems. Additionally, interaction models suggest that non-deployed soldiers at every level of risk-taking/impulsivity had a consistently high likelihood of illicit drug use overall. Sensation-seeking was not associated with any outcome. Findings demonstrate that greater risk-taking/impulsivity was associated with substance use, and never deployed/non-deployed ANG/USAR soldiers might be more vulnerable. Our work can help inform substance use interventions in the military by highlighting the role and impact of risk-related behaviors and non-deployment.

2D score-based estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects

Abstract Statisticians show growing interest in estimating and analyzing heterogeneity in causal effects in observational studies. However, there usually exists a trade-off between accuracy and interpretability for developing a desirable estimator for treatment effects, especially in the case when there are a large number of features in estimation. To make efforts to address the issue, we propose a score-based framework for estimating the conditional average treatment effect (CATE) function in this article. The framework integrates two components: (i) leverage the joint use of propensity and prognostic scores in a matching algorithm to obtain a proxy of the heterogeneous treatment effects for each observation and (ii) utilize nonparametric regression trees to construct an estimator for the CATE function conditioning on the two scores. The method naturally stratifies treatment effects into subgroups over a 2d grid whose axis are the propensity and prognostic scores. We conduct benchmark experiments on multiple simulated data and demonstrate clear advantages of the proposed estimator over state-of-the-art methods. We also evaluate empirical performance in real-life settings, using two observational data from a clinical trial and a complex social survey, and interpret policy implications following the numerical results.

Absence of a weekday effect on short- and long-term oncologic outcomes of gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a propensity score matching analysis

BackgroundDay of the week when elective gastrointestinal surgery is performed may be influenced by various background and tumor-related factors. Relationships between postoperative outcome and when in the week gastrectomy is performed remain controversial. We undertook this study to evaluate whether weekday of gastrectomy influenced outcomes of gastric cancer treatment (“weekday effect”).MethodsPatients who underwent curative surgery for gastric cancer between 2004 and 2017 were included in this retrospective study. To obtain 2 cohorts well balanced for variables that might influence clinical outcomes, patients whose gastrectomy was performed early in the week (EW group) were matched 1:1 with others undergoing gastrectomy later in the week (LW group) by use of propensity scores.ResultsAmong 554 patients, 216 were selected from each group by propensity score matching. Incidence of postoperative complications classified as Clavien-Dindo grade II or higher was similar between EW and LW groups (20.4% vs. 24.1%; P = 0.418). Five-year overall and recurrence-free survival were 86.0% and 81.9% in the EW group, and 86.2% and 81.1% in the LW group (P = 0.981 and P = 0.835, respectively).ConclusionsShort- and long-term outcomes were comparable between gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy early and late in the week.

Novel approach to surface functionalization of mullite-kaolinite hollow fiber membrane using organosilane-functionalized Co3O4 spider web-like layer deposition for desalination using direct contact membrane distillation

This work investigated a novel omniphobic mullite ceramic hollow fiber membrane (MCHFM) with low fouling and wetting propensity for use in direct contact of membrane desalination (MD) processes. The MCHFM was surface-coated with a spider web-like (SWL) cobalt oxide (Co3O4) rough layer via hydrothermal method at different reaction time (10, 13, 16, and 19 h) before a fluorination step using 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (97%) (FAS-17). After surface modification, the synthesized super hydrophilic membrane became highly repellent to water and other low surface tension liquids such as olive oil and engine oil with 32 and 31 mN/m of force, respectively. The surface-modified omniphobic membrane showed super-omniphobic properties towards engine oil at 154°, deionized water at 165°, and near superomniphobicity at 142.1° towards olive oil. The hydrothermal reaction time of the omniphobic membranes was studied using the DCMD test at 60 °C, while utilizing 30 g/L of NaCl and 8 mg/L of humic acid as feed. It was found that the hydrothermal reaction time at 16 h/FAS (Hy-16h/FAS) achieved a long-term stability as the rejection rate and water flux values were relatively constant (99.99%) and 22.8 kg/m2.h for about 4.3 h of the MD process. SEM analysis showed no fouling on the surface modified membrane. This was attributed to the Co3O4 spider web-like particles, which achieved superior anti-fouling properties. This implied the suitability of the fabricated omniphobic MCHFM with a SWL structure for DCMD and seawater desalination, in spite of organic contaminants.

Prehospital airway management for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A nationwide multicenter study from the KoCARC registry.

This study investigated whether prehospital advanced airway management (AAM) is associated with improved survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) compared with conventional bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation. We investigated the neurologically favorable survival of adult patients with OHCA who underwent BVM or AAM using the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium (KoCARC), a multicenter OHCA registry of Korea. The differences in clinical characteristics were adjusted by matching or weighting the clinical propensity for use of AAM or by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). The primary outcome was 30-day survival with neurologically favorable status defined by cerebral performance category 1 or 2. Of the 9,616 patients enrolled (median age= 71years; 65% male), there were 6,243 AAM and 3,354 BVM patients. In unadjusted analysis, the 30-day neurologically favorable survival was lower in the AAM group compared with the BVM group (5.5% vs. 10.0%; hazard ratio [HR]=1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.16 to 1.27; all p<0.001). In propensity score matching-adjusted analysis, these differences were not found (9.6% vs. 10.0%; HR=0.98, 95% CI=0.93 to 1.03, p>0.05). Inverse probability of treatment weighting- and LASSO-adjusted analyses replicated these results. In this nationwide real-world data analysis of OHCA, the 30-day neurologically favorable survival did not differ between prehospital AAM and BVM after adjustment for clinical characteristics.

Effects of cannabis ingestion on endometriosis-associated pelvic pain and related symptoms.

The use of cannabis for symptoms of endometriosis was investigated utilising retrospective archival data from Strainprint Technologies Ltd., a Canadian data technology company with a mobile phone application that tracks a range of data including dose, mode of administration, chemovar and their effects on various self-reported outcomes, including pelvic pain. A retrospective, electronic record-based cohort study of StrainprintTM users with self-reported endometriosis was conducted. Self-rated cannabis efficacy, defined as a function of initial and final symptom ratings, was investigated across the included symptom clusters of cramps, pelvic pain, gastrointestinal pain, nausea, depression, and low libido. Cannabis dosage form, dose and cannabinoid ratio information was also recorded. A total number of 252 participants identifying as suffering endometriosis recorded 16193 sessions using cannabis between April 2017 and February 2020. The most common method of ingestion was inhalation (n = 10914, 67.4%), with pain as the most common reported symptom being treated by cannabis (n = 9281, 57.3%). Gastrointestinal symptoms, though a less common reason for cannabis usage (15.2%), had the greatest self-reported improvement after use. Inhaled forms had higher efficacy for pain, while oral forms were superior for mood and gastrointestinal symptoms. Dosage varied across ingestion methods, with a median dose of 9 inhalations (IQR 5 to 11) for inhaled dosage forms and 1 mg/mL (IQR 0.5 to 2) for other ingested dosage forms. The ratio of THC to CBD had a statistically significant, yet clinically small, differential effect on efficacy, depending on method of ingestion. Cannabis appears to be effective for pelvic pain, gastrointestinal issues and mood, with effectiveness differing based on method of ingestion. The greater propensity for use of an inhaled dosage delivery may be due to the rapid onset of pain-relieving effects versus the slower onset of oral products. Oral forms appeared to be superior compared to inhaled forms in the less commonly reported mood or gastrointestinal categories. Clinical trials investigating the tolerability and effectiveness of cannabis for endometriosis pain and associated symptoms are urgently required.

Tough Enough: How Domestic Pressure to Use Force Affects Leaders Differently

AbstractExisting literature assesses how prior military training affects the likelihood that leaders use military force in office. One gap in this literature is whether a leader's domestic environment also shapes individual propensity for use of force. I focus on militarism as a domestic factor that triggers variation in the conflict tendencies of leaders and operationalize militarism with a novel metric that compares military to welfare spending. The results show that militarism has an equal effect on the conflict propensity of leaders with civilian and military backgrounds. However, comparing military leaders with combat experience to those without combat experience, the results show that militarism produces the strongest effect on the conflict propensity of military-no-combat leaders, particularly in dictatorships. I posit that this outcome results from the pressure that these leaders confront to demonstrate toughness. I refer to the pressure to perform toughness as the “demonstration dynamic” and use this concept to explain the dramatic shift in Libyan foreign policy from King Idris to Muammar Qaddafi.

Treatment persistence in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists in clinical practice in Sweden

AimTo compare treatment persistence in patients with type 2 diabetes initiating the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) dulaglutide, exenatide once‐weekly (QW), liraglutide or lixisenatide in routine clinical practice in Sweden and assess clinical outcomes.Materials and MethodsWe performed a retrospective study using data from several nationwide Swedish health registries, including the National Diabetes Register and other mandatory and population‐based registries. Individual level data were collected from 17 361 patients who initiated GLP‐1 RA treatment from 23 May 2015 to 15 October 2017, up to 2.5 years postindex (treatment start date). Treatment persistence and modification, predictors of discontinuation, HbA1c and body weight were recorded. Non‐persistence was defined as a treatment gap of more than 45 days. Treatment modification included switching and augmentation. Confounding was addressed through the use of propensity scores.ResultsTreatment persistence was higher and treatment modifications were lower in patients initiating dulaglutide compared with those on exenatide QW, liraglutide and lixisenatide. Patients who remained on the same treatment for 1‐year postindex experienced greater HbA1c reductions and a steadier decrease in body weight.ConclusionsOur study suggests that in clinical practice in Sweden there is a greater persistence of treatment among patients initiating dulaglutide compared with those on exenatide QW, liraglutide and lixisenatide. Persistence with the index GLP‐1 RA was closely correlated with positive clinical outcomes and thus should be considered a critical factor of patient‐centric treatment in Sweden.

Trends and Planning to use Contraception Tools in Women of Childbearing Age

The implementation of family planning can reduce the burden of development for the realization of the happiness and welfare of the people of Indonesia. The choice of an appropriate contraceptive method and following the conditions and needs can prevent a significant population growth rate. This study aims to analyze trends in the use of contraceptives and planning for contraceptive use among women of childbearing age in the province of West Sulawesi. The design used in this study was a cross-sectional survey using secondary data sources from the 2017 IDHS West Sulawesi province. The study population was all merried women in Indonesia with a sample size of 1682 peoples. The results showed that age group, education level, residence, and socioeconomic status influence the propensity for use and planning for the use of contraceptives. Whereas literacy only affects the planning of contraceptive use. A special approach is needed for women and their husbands to convince them of the benefits of using contraceptive devices to prosper their lives.

Abstract 17166: Comparison Between Use of Vasoactive Medications in Patients Undergoing PVC and VT Ablation

Background: Societal guidelines have set prerequisites regarding procedures conducted in the EP lab. Despite metrics for management of EP cases, no clear guidelines exist for use of hemodynamic drugs to support complex ablations, particularly in setting of structural heart disease. Objectives: We sought to understand the variety and range of vasoactive medication use in patients undergoing PVC/VT ablation. Methods: Patients undergoing PVC or VT ablation, from January 2015 to December 2016, at our institution were analyzed. Demographics, echocardiography, and procedural details, including vasoactive medication use, were analyzed. Results: Sequential patients undergoing PVC or VT ablation (70 in each arm) were studied. Those undergoing PVC ablation (56 +/- 14 years, 30% female) had an average EF of 58% in comparison to 44% (p&lt;0.01 for EF difference) in VT ablation patients (60 +/- 13 years, 20% female); more VT patients (62%) were under general anesthesia. Pressors were administered in 86% of cases with the significant majority (63%) consisting of alpha-agonists (phenylephrine, ephedrine, epinephrine). Importantly, 48% of cases required continuous drip initiation (Figure). Regardless of case type or abnormal EF, drip initiation with or administration of multiple bolus doses of alpha-agonists was much more frequent compared to inotropes (Figure). In a subset of patients with EF ≤ 35%, 96% received vasoactive medications with 73% receiving a continuous drip or multiple bolus doses of phenylephrine. Conclusions: Vasoactive medication use during ventricular EP cases is common. Regardless of baseline EF, a propensity for use of alpha-agonists exists that may affect the treatment of patients with abnormal LV function. More studies are needed to assess the impact of pressor use on patient safety and procedural endpoints in the EP lab. Figure:

The Impossibility of Conservatism? Insights from Russian History

Sometimes [...] revolution is necessary in order achieve piecemeal change. Equally, project can utopian its advocates believe it can achieved incrementally. Debates about gradual improvement or total transformation are just distraction. The question is whether the goals of the project are possible at all [...].-Gray (2011)Just imagine British Labour Party supporter and Party supporter met each other by chance in weird, wild country like Russia. What would they do? They'd go the pub or for cup of tea together.-Solidarity movement activist cited in White (2013)In his essay On Being Conservative (1956), philosopher Michael Oakeshott describes conservative disposition, as centered on a propensity use and enjoy what is available and to delight in what is present rather than what was or what may be (407-408). The present, as Oakeshott portrays it, is esteemed on account of its familiarity, its here-and-now quality, and its ability provide sufficient (rather than superabundant or blissful) conditions for life. Yet Oakeshott acknowledges the value of the present-and, ultimately, of conservatism itself-depends on the concrete, historical circumstances in which any political actor finds himself or herself.1 He goes on add the conservative approach politics characteristically asserts itself when there is much enjoyed, and it will strongest this is combined with evident risk of loss (408). And he observes if the present is arid, offering little or nothing used or enjoyed, then [the conservative] inclination will weak or absent (408).These remarks, by one of conservatism's best-known thinkers, point an important aspect of conservative theory, namely both the normative worth and practicality of conservative outlook depend on how much there is enjoy and value in actual historical circumstances. If they live in times of great hardship, or under arbitrary political rule, political actors and thinkers with conservative sympathies (such as respect for tradition, and predilection for slow, gradual improvements) will face painful moral dilemmas, and perhaps even justified in renouncing conservative behaviors altogether. Such thinkers have been called conservatives or, sometimes, conservatives because of their recourse radical means defend values such as stability, tradition, and authority (see for example, Dahl 1999; Muller 1987). Oakeshott himself intimates that, in historically turbulent times, the task of conservatively-inclined thinkers is no longer delighting in the present, but actively participating in the establishment of better future. And he concludes, rather enigmatically, that it is not at all inconsistent conservative in respect of government and radical in respect of almost every other activity (1956, 435).This paper explores some of the issues thinkers temperamentally disposed conservatism face they live in time and place in which laws and constitutions are dispensed with, and there is little of value conserve. It proceeds by discussing, first, the necessary preconditions for recognizably conservative approach change, before going on explore what might happen if those preconditions do not exist. While the conservative mistrust of revolution and preference for piecemeal approaches is well-known, less attention has been paid the plight of (potentially) revolutionary conservatives, who are convinced such approaches are of little or no use in their current circumstances. Part two of this essay, therefore, uses empirical examples illustrate how practice complicates some of the theoretical propositions discussed in part one. While Edmund Burke's (1729-1797) reactions the French Revolution have played liminal role in developing conservative political philosophy, other parts of history where conservatism's problems have emerged and have recognizable connection with the situation today remain of great interest. …

How does the propensity of living near rail transit moderate the influence of rail transit on transit trip frequency in Xi'an?

Many cities have made massive investments on rail systems to substitute transit for driving. Some studies have considered the confounding effect of attitudes in the connections between rail transit and travel behavior. However, they often focused on the average effect of rail transit and assumed that individuals' responses to transit improvements do not vary by their tastes. Using the 2014 data from Xi'an in China, this study explores the interaction effect between metro transit (heavy rail) and the propensity (i.e., predicted probability) of living in neighborhoods with metro transit on transit use. The propensity is positively associated with commute by metro transit and bus. Further, individuals with a strong propensity use transit equivalently no matter whether they live near metro transit, but metro transit tends to promote transit commute for those with a weak propensity of living near metro transit. Overall, building a rail line helps enhance transit ridership. Planners should also consider the variation in responses by individuals with different tastes when using policies to shape urban travel.

IP119. Correlates of Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest and Risk of Operative Mortality in Thoracoabdominal Aortic Repair

Use of hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) as a surgical adjunct in descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal repair (D/TAAA) is associated with variable results. We reviewed our experience using HCA during D/TAAA. Data were collected from medical records into an IRB-approved longitudinal clinical research database. Univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted by standard methods for frequency, continuous, and failure-time data. Preoperative characteristics and in-hospital and long-term outcomes were analyzed to identify correlates of HCA and determine risk factors for early and long-term mortality. Between 1999 and 2014, 1183 patients underwent 1251 thoracic or TAAA repair. HCA was required in 33 patients (2.6%; 23 men, 10 women). The median age was 60 (range, 50-68 years). A total of 29 patients (88%) had repair of the distal arch and descending thoracic and 4 (12%) for thoracoabdominal aorta. Median pump time and circulatory arrest time were 136 (IQR 111-153) and 18 (13-25), respectively. The perioperative stroke rate was 4 of 33 (12%). Three patients (9.1%) had spinal cord ischemia. Postoperative hemodialysis was required in 9.1% of patients. Overall, 30-day mortality was 8 (24%). Long-term survival over a median follow-up period of 1.4 (IQR .01-5.2) years was 47.4% at 5 years. Previous DTA repair, previous arch repair, prior TEVAR, history of coarctation, and emergency presentation had increased propensity for use of HCA (Table). Intraoperative coagulopathy commonly complicated the operative repair in those who required HCA (48.5% vs 13.9%; P < .001). HCA did not increase the risk for any postoperative major complications. Although long-term survival between D/TAAA repairs with and without HCA was not statistically different at 5 years (47.4% vs 58.5%; P = .069; Fig), HCA itself was a significant risk factor for overall mortality (hazard ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-2.9; P = .034). HCA was significantly associated with intraoperative coagulopathy and mortality but did not increase the risk for postoperative morbidity or mortality. Careful surgical planning with judicious application of HCA may be associated with acceptable outcomes, especially in patients when proximal aortic control is not easily accessible.TableIndependent correlates determining propensity for hypothermic circulatory arrest in descending thoracic aneurysm (DTA) and descending thoracoabdominal (DTAAA) repairParameterParameter estimateOR95% CLP valueDTAA extent C1.18873.2831.440, 7.482.0047Previous DTA repair1.56744.7941.832, 12.546.0014Prior arch repair1.43204.1871.821, 9.628.0008Prior TEVAR2.30139.9872.694, 37.018.0006Prior coarctation2.07937.9991.701, 37.609.0085Emergency1.20263.3291.313, 8.437.0113CL, Confidence limits; OR, odds ratio; TEVAR, thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Open table in a new tab

The Effect of Selected Properties Bakery Act in Accordance with the Customer's Use of Propensity to Consume: Focused on Busan

The Effect of Selected Properties Bakery Act in Accordance with the Customer's Use of Propensity to Consume: Focused on Busan

The Effect of Selected Properties Bakery Act in Accordance with the Customer's Use of Propensity to Consume: Focused on Busan

The Effect of Selected Properties Bakery Act in Accordance with the Customer's Use of Propensity to Consume: Focused on Busan

On the joint use of propensity and prognostic scores in estimation of the average treatment effect on the treated: a simulation study

Propensity and prognostic score methods seek to improve the quality of causal inference in non-randomized or observational studies by replicating the conditions found in a controlled experiment, at least with respect to observed characteristics. Propensity scores model receipt of the treatment of interest; prognostic scores model the potential outcome under a single treatment condition. While the popularity of propensity score methods continues to grow, prognostic score methods and methods combining propensity and prognostic scores have thus far received little attention. To this end, we performed a simulation study that compared subclassification and full matching on a single estimated propensity or prognostic score with three approaches combining the estimated propensity and prognostic scores: full matching on a Mahalanobis distance combining the estimated propensity and prognostic scores (FULL-MAHAL); full matching on the estimated prognostic propensity score within propensity score calipers (FULL-PGPPTY); and subclassification on an estimated propensity and prognostic score grid with 5 × 5 subclasses (SUBCLASS(5*5)). We considered settings in which one, both, or neither score model was misspecified. The data generating mechanisms varied in the degree of linearity and additivity in the true treatment assignment and outcome models. FULL-MAHAL and FULL-PGPPTY exhibited strong to superior performance in root mean square error terms across all simulation settings and scenarios. Methods combining propensity and prognostic scores were no less robust to model misspecification than single-score methods even when both score models were incorrectly specified. Our findings support the joint use of propensity and prognostic scores in estimation of the average treatment effect on the treated.

177 Use of propensity scores in occupational health?

ObjectivesIntervention studies are needed in occupational health in order to test if work improvements are effective, although not always possible. In the last decade, propensity score analysis has been widely...

Participation in health check-ups and mortality using propensity score matched cohort analyses

Objective All Japanese aged ≥ 40 years are eligible for free annual health check-ups including blood pressure and cholesterol measurements. It is well known that health check-up screenees are more likely to have healthy lifestyles and better health conditions than non-screenees. Therefore, controlling these factors is required to investigate whether screenees have a lower mortality risk than non-screenees independent of their lifestyles or health conditions. Methods We followed 48,775 Japanese National Health Insurance beneficiaries aged 40–79 years since 1994 for 11 years. We used Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for possible confounding factors. We also performed propensity for use of the health check-up matched cohort analyses. Results Compared to non-screenees, multiple-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among screenees were 0.74 (0.62–0.88) and 0.65 (0.44–0.95) for men and 0.69 (0.52–0.91) and 0.61 (0.36–1.04) for women, respectively. These relations were also observed when we used propensity matched cohort analyses. Conclusion This is the first study to show that mortality rates are lower among screenees than non-screenees in Japanese health check-ups when propensity matched cohort analyses were used for adjusting confounding factors. Further prospective studies, including randomized controlled trials, are required to confirm whether screening lowers mortality.