Asthma AND sociodemographic Characteristics

Background: In recent decades, the incidence of depression has gradually increased in the general population globally. Depression is also common during gestation and could result in detrimental gestational complications for both the mother and the fetus. The survey presented aimed to evaluate whether pregnant women's perinatal depression could be associated with socio-demographic, anthropometry and lifestyle factors, and perinatal and postnatal outcomes. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 5314 pregnant women...

BACKGROUND: Work-related asthma (WRA), a preventable occupational disease, can result in adverse health outcomes and employment disability, including decreased productivity, lost workdays, and job loss. Early identification of WRA cases and avoidance of further exposures is crucial for optimal management. OBJECTIVE: We estimate WRA prevalence among US workers by selected sociodemographic characteristics, industry, and occupation groups and assess the differences in adverse health outcomes, preventive care, and lost workdays between persons with WRA and those with non-WRA...

BACKGROUND: Asthma was initially described as a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among young adults with asthma is not well studied. OBJECTIVE: The aims were to assess COVID-19 vaccine uptake among young adults in general and to explore potential determinants including sociodemographic factors and asthma. METHODS: Participants from the population-based birth cohort BAMSE (Barn/Child, Allergy, Milieu, Stockholm, Epidemiology) were included: 4,064 in the study population, 3,064 in a follow-up at age 24 years, and 2,049 in a COVID-19 follow-up (mean age, 26...

OBJECTIVES: Evidence on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence and associated risk factors informs primary health care consolidation regarding prevention and treatment strategies. In Lebanon, the government and many international organisations are still working to decrease the burden of NCDs. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of selected NCDs and their risk factors among adults in Lebanon, and to investigate the relationship between these risk factors and NCDs. STUDY DESIGN: A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted over one year, from 1 June 2022 to 31 June 2023, across five Lebanese governorates...

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to household secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) among adolescents has been shown to be associated with atopic dermatitis, and affects disproportionality females. However, the mechanisms underlying this link are uncertain. This study sought to identify modifiable factors that mediate the relationship between household SHS exposure and atopic dermatitis among adolescents. METHODS: During October 2015, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the ISAAC questionnaire for data collection from adolescents enrolled in nine high schools of Hawalli - one of the six governorates of Kuwait...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the seropositivity rate of pharmacists and pharmacy staff after the administration of two doses of the CoronaVac-SinoVac vaccine and to assess changes in their antibody levels according to sociodemographic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted between June 04, 2021 and September 30, 2021 in pharmacies located in Istanbul, Türkiye. The results of self-initiated immunoglobulin (Ig) G testing of the pharmacists and pharmacy staff, conducted at diagnostic laboratories contracted by the Istanbul Chamber of Pharmacists, were obtained using an online data collection tool...

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been related with a decreased probability of overweight/obesity as well as central obesity at all stages of the human life, decreasing the risk of diverse disease states and improving quality of life. Over the last few years, the prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity and especially abdominal obesity has highly increased worldwide, being associated with a higher likelihood of overweight/obesity as well as central obesity at the next stages of the life during adulthood...

BACKGROUND: Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) disproportionately affects children with low socioeconomic status (SES). The multilevel risk factors that drive these associations are not well understood. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the associations between SDB risk factors, including individual health conditions (obesity, asthma, and allergies), household SES (maternal education), indoor exposures (environmental tobacco smoke [ETS] and pests), and neighborhood characteristics (neighborhood disadvantage), and pediatric SDB symptoms? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were performed on 303 children (aged 6-12 years) enrolled in the Environmental Assessment of Sleep Youth study from 2018 to 2022...

BACKGROUND:  Trichotillomania (TTM) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by repetitive pulling out of one's own hair, in which the scalp, brows, and eyelids are the most common sites. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of TTM among healthcare workers and students and to determine its association with psychiatric disorders. METHODOLOGY:  This cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers and students in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire...

BACKGROUND: Hospital admissions account for a large share of the healthcare costs incurred by people with asthma. We assessed the hospital care use and costs associated with asthma severity using the UK Biobank cohort and linked healthcare data. METHODS: Adult participants with asthma at recruitment were classified using their prescription data into mild and moderate-to-severe asthma and matched separately to asthma-free controls by age, sex, ethnicity and location...

OBJECTIVE: For over a decade, the prevalence of asthma remained unchanged at around 7% in Bangladesh. Although asthma causes significant morbidity among both children and adults, updates on epidemiological data are limited on the prevalence in Bangladesh. This study attempted to determine the prevalence of asthma, and its modifiable and non-modifiable lifestyle predictors in a rural population of Bangladesh. METHOD: This study was part of a cross-sectional study that applied the WHO Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions via census in a rural area of Bangladesh, where self-reported data on asthma were recorded...

Background. Although biologic agents promise a short- to medium-term remission in asthma, it is unclear whether they can fundamentally alter disease course and achieve long-term remission. We aimed to investigate the clinical remission success of biologics in patients with severe asthma and the factors associated with remission. Methods. Adults followed-up due to severe asthma who were treated with mepolizumab or omalizumab were included in the study. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were reviewed...

Ambient air pollution has been associated with asthma onset and exacerbation in children. Whether improvement in air quality due to reduced industrial emissions has resulted in improved health outcomes such as asthma in some localities has usually been assessed indirectly with studies on between-subject comparisons of air pollution from all sources and health outcomes. In this study we directly assessed, within small areas in the province of Quebec (Canada), the influence of changes in local industrial fine particulate matter (PM2...

BACKGROUND: The use of digital technology in pediatric asthma management has emerged as a potential tool for improving asthma management. However, the use of digital tools has the potential to contribute to the inequitable delivery of asthma care because of existing social factors associated with asthma disparities. Our study focused on parents' chosen language and sociodemographic factors that might shape the use of digital technology in asthma self-management. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to estimate and compare patient, family, and technology-related characteristics by parents' chosen language (English or Spanish) and compare a digital literacy measure by sociodemographic factors...

BACKGROUND: Occupations that require heavy vocal use can place the person at risk of voice disorders (VDs). Heavy demands on the voice, especially for a long time or with loud back-ground noise, can lead to vocal abuse or misuse. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of perceived voice disorders among the teaching faculty at a female university, identify the risk fac-tors that affect their voice, and determine the effect of perceived voice disorders on their quality of life (QoL)...

BACKGROUND: The global prevalence of psychiatric disturbances is rising, detrimentally affecting the quality of care and treatment outcomes for individuals, particularly those with diabetes.This study investigated the association of risk factors for psychiatric disturbances among productive-age patients with diabetes (ages 30-59 years), considering sociodemographic characteristics and co-existing diseases. The risk factors considered included sociodemographic factors (e.g., residence, age, sex, marital status, education, and occupation) and co-existing diseases (e...

OBJECTIVE: Problem-solving skills and self-efficacy are among the topics that are frequently investigated in people with various chronic conditions. However, there are limited studies on asthma patients. Our study aims to compare self-efficacy and problem-solving skills in asthma patients and healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 23 women with asthma [age: 39 (34-56) years] and 23 healthy controls [age: 42 (30-55) years] in the study. Participants' sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics, Asthma Control Test, and the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale scores were recorded...

Poor sleep quality is frequent among COPD patients and it has been related to worse outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare the COPD and Asthma Sleep Impact Scale (CASIS) and the generic Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires as reliable tools for evaluating sleep quality and its relationship with COPD characteristics and survival. Stable COPD patients were prospectively evaluated. Anthropometric, sociodemographic, comorbidity, lung function and treatment data were collected. All patients completed CASIS and PSQI, mMRC dyspnea severity scale, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), sleep apnoea STOP-Bang and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of emergency department admissions (EDA) for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) and non-ACSC among older adults living in care homes (CH), to describe and compare their demographic and clinical characteristics, the outcomes of the hospitalisation process and the associated costs. METHOD: This multicenter, retrospective and observational study evaluated 2,444 EDAs of older adults ≥ 65 years old living in care homes in 5 emergency departments in Catalonia (Spain) by ACSC and non-ACSC, in 2017...

BACKGROUND: Asthma prevalence estimates among adults are limited for urban-rural classification across sociodemographic characteristics. OBJECTIVES: This study examined current asthma prevalence and annual trends by 6-level urban-rural categories across sociodemographic characteristics among US adults. METHODS: Asthma prevalence for 2020 and annual trends for 2012-20 were estimated using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The 2013 National Center for Health Statistics urban and rural categories were used to define urban-rural status...