salt inequities

The Debye-Hückel (DH) formalism of bulk electrolytes equivalent to the Gaussian-level closure of the electrostatic Schwinger-Dyson identities without the interionic hard-core (HC) coupling is extended via the cumulant treatment of these equations augmented by HC interactions. By comparing the monovalent ion activity and pressure predictions of our cumulant-corrected DH (CCDH) theory with hypernetted-chain results and Monte Carlo simulations from the literature, we show that this rectification extends the accuracy of the DH formalism from submolar to molar salt concentrations...

Compared with other OECD countries, Bermuda ranks third globally in terms of income inequality globally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, anecdotal evidence suggested, significant fluctuations in the food demand and supply. We aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity, with a focus on the availability and affordability of various foods in Bermuda. We utilized a cross-sectional study design to investigate potential drivers of food insecurity within the local population. To gauge the level of household food insecurity we relied on the Bermuda Omnibus survey (N = 400) undertaken by Total Research Associates Ltd via telephone...

Inequalities in exposure to a health-promoting local food environment have been implicated in the generation of inequalities in diet-related behaviours and outcomes, including obesity and diabetes. Increasingly, poor diet and diet-related disease have been characterised as an emergent property of a complex system and, as such, the drivers of poor diet may be better understood by using a complex system perspective. In this study, we describe a participatory approach for understanding the system drivers of unhealthy food consumption...

An inverse association of education level with cardiovascular diseases has been documented in observational studies, yet the causality and potential mechanisms remain to be determined. To systematically investigate the causal associations of education level with cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular biomarkers, and socioeconomic factors, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization was performed. The results revealed that higher genetically determined education level was associated with lower risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus (odds ratio [OR] 0...

BACKGROUND: Online grocery delivery services (OGDSs) are a popular way of acquiring food. However, it is unclear whether OGDS use is associated with the healthiness of purchases and whether there are sociodemographic differences in OGDS use. If so, the increased prevalence of OGDS use may have implications for population diet, and differential OGDS use could contribute to diet inequalities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether OGDS use varies by sociodemographic characteristics and is associated with the amount and types of groceries purchased...

BACKGROUND: The health economic analysis incorporating effects on labour outcomes, households, environment, and inequalities (HEALTHEI) explores which food taxes would have greatest benefits to health, labour, and work outcomes; household expenditure; environmental sustainability; and inequalities within the UK food system. Work package 1 includes a rapid review and workshops, aiming to explore the effects of price increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages to facilitate the specification of food taxes and research design...

BACKGROUND: Parathyroidectomy by a high-volume surgeon is associated with a reduced risk of perioperative complications and of failure to cure primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. There are limited data on disparities in access to high-volume parathyroid surgeons in the United States. METHODS: We used publicly available 2019 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment data to identify all surgeons who performed >10 parathyroidectomies for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, anticipating that fee-for-service beneficiaries likely represent only a subset of their high-volume practices...

INTRODUCTION: The school population represents a fundamental group for health promotion actions, given that the foundations of healthy behaviors in adult life are established in children and adolescents, who can be greatly influenced by the school. OBJECTIVE: To describe the health-related behavioral factors of schoolchildren between 13 and 17 years of age in secondary and middle school in Colombia. METHODS: A national cross-sectional study was conducted (i...

The sorption of antibiotics on soil minerals and their cotransport have been widely studied for the past few years; however, these processes in concentrated salt solutions (estuary-like conditions) are not fully understood. This study aims to determine the possible sorption of oxytetracycline (OTC) on various natural and synthesized microsized minerals (including haematite, goethite, kaolinite, bentonite, lateritic, kaolinitic and illitic soil clays) under conditions mimicking pure, fresh, brackish and sea waters...

Inequality in access to urban green infrastructures has been a major concern among scholars and governments, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a lack of knowledge on how people respond to the pandemic regarding the usage of green infrastructure in cities. This paper explores the shifts in visitation to parks and trails, two popular green infrastructures in Salt Lake County, Utah, by analyzing the results of a survey conducted during the pandemic. Our conceptualization considers personal and neighborhood-level factors, including personal socioeconomic status, existing inequalities of green infrastructures, urban form, and neighborhood conditions...

BACKGROUND: Studies assessing the nutritional quality of food provided to the homeless population show deficiencies in micronutrients and excess fat, sugar, and salt. The availability of cheap, energy-dense and nutrient-poor food has changed the profile of people living with homelessness from primarily underweight to obese in western countries. Many factors influence the nutritional quality of food provided to the homeless population such as budget and time constraints, food donations and limited equipment...

Anti-hypertensive education is an important public health intervention to decrease the mortality and burden of the disease. Using digital technologies for education as a part of preventive measures for hypertension is a cost-effective approach and helps low-income communities and vulnerable populations overcome barriers to healthcare access. The coronavirus disease 19 pandemic further highlighted the need of new health interventions to address health inequalities. Virtual education is helpful to improve awareness, knowledge, and attitude toward hypertension...

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected children's lifestyle behaviours and mental health and wellbeing, and concerns have been raised that COVID-19 has also increased health inequalities. No study to date has quantified the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities among children. We compared pre-pandemic vs. post-lockdown inequalities in lifestyle behaviours and mental health and wellbeing among children living in rural and remote northern communities. METHODS: We surveyed 473 grade 4-6 students (9-12 years of age) from 11 schools in rural and remote communities in northern Canada in 2018 (pre-pandemic), and 443 grade 4-6 students from the same schools in 2020 (post-lockdown)...

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for global disease burden. Inequalities in health among urban poor and non-poor is a matter of concern. The current study was done to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and to describe the health seeking and risk factor profile of people with hypertension in the urban slums of Kochi, Kerala, India. METHODS: Blood pressure of 5980 adults from 20 randomly selected slums were measured by door to door survey by trained nurses as a part of baseline assessment for a cluster randomised controlled trail...

INTRODUCTION: The composite coverage index (CCI) is the weighted average coverage of eight preventive and curative interventions received along the maternal and childcare continuum. This study aimed to analyse maternal and child health indicators using CCI. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of demographic and health surveys (DHS) focused on women aged 15 to 49 and their children aged 1 to 4. This study took place in Guinea. The CCI (meeting the need for planning, childbirth assisted by qualified healthcare workers, antenatal care assisted by qualified healthcare workers, vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, taking oral rehydration salts during diarrhoea and seeking care for pneumonia) is optimal if the weighted proportion of interventions is > 50%; otherwise, it is partial...

INTRODUCTION: Despite the importance of salt reduction to health outcomes, relevant policy adoption in Ethiopia has been slow, and dietary consumption of sodium remains relatively high. AIM: This analysis aims to understand the content and context of existing food-related policy, strategy, and guideline documents to identify gaps and potential opportunities for salt reduction in Ethiopia in the wider context of global evidence-informed best practice nutrition policy...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to advertising of unhealthy commodities such as fast-food and gambling is recognised as a risk factor for developing non-communicable diseases. Assessment of the impact of such advertisement and the evaluation of the impact of any policies to restrict such advertisements on public health are reliant on the quality of the exposure assessment. A straightforward method for assessing exposure is to ask people whether they noticed any such advertisements in their neighbourhoods...

INTRODUCTION: Increasing food and nutritional inequities are apparent in urban settings across Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), along with nutrition transition towards ultra-processed diets high in fat, sugar, and salt. In urban informal settlements, characterized by insecurity and inadequate housing and infrastructure, food systems dynamics and their nutritional implications are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the food system determinants of food and nutrition security in urban informal settlements in LMICs with the goal of identifying effective approaches and entry points for policy and program...

OBJECTIVE: To inform strategies aimed at improving blood pressure control and reducing salt intake, we assessed educational inequalities in high blood pressure (HBP) awareness, treatment and control; physician's advice on salt reduction; and salt knowledge, perceptions and consumption behaviours in eastern Europe and central Asia. DESIGN: Data were collected in cross-sectional, population-based nationally-representative surveys, using a multi-stage clustered sampling design...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To characterize the barriers and opportunities associated with racial and ethnic disparities in blood pressure (BP) control. RECENT FINDINGS: Blood pressure (BP) control rates in the USA have worsened over the last decade, with significantly lower rates of control among people from racial and ethnic minority groups, with non-Hispanic (NH) Black persons having 10% lower control rates compared to NH White counterparts. Many factors contribute to BP control including key social determinants of health (SDoH) such as health literacy, socioeconomic status, and access to healthcare as well as low awareness rates and dietary habits...