Influence of Flexibility and Variability of Working Hours on Health and Well‐Being

Flexible working hours can have several meanings and can be arranged in a number of ways to suit the worker and/or employer. Two aspects of “flexible” arrangement of working hours were considered: one more subjected to company control and decision (variability) and one more connected to individual discretion and autonomy (flexibility). The aim of the study was to analyze these two dimensions in relation to health and well‐being, taking into consideration the interaction with some relevant background variables related to demographics plus working and social conditions. The dataset of the Third European Survey on working conditions, conducted in 2000 and involving 21,505 workers, was used. Nineteen health disorders and four psycho‐social conditions were tested by means of multiple logistic regression analysis, in which mutually adjusted odds ratios were calculated for age, gender, marital status, number of children, occupation, mode of employment, shift work, night work, time pressure, mental and physical workload, job satisfaction, and participation in work organization. The flexibility and variability of working hours appeared inversely related to health and psycho‐social well‐being: the most favorable effects were associated with higher flexibility and lower variability. The analysis of the interactions with the twelve intervening variables showed that physical work, age, and flexibility are the three most important factors affecting health and well‐being. Flexibility resulted as the most important factor to influence work satisfaction; the second to affect family and social commitment and the ability to do the same job when 60 years old, as well as trauma, overall fatigue, irritability, and headache; and the third to influence heart disease, stomachache, anxiety, injury, and the feeling that health being at risk because of work. Variability was the third most important factor influencing family and social commitments. Moreover, shift and night work confirmed to have a significant influence on sleep, digestive and cardiovascular troubles, as well and health and safety at work. Time pressure also showed a relevant influence, both on individual stress and social life. Therefore, suitable arrangements of flexible working time, aimed at supporting workers' coping strategies, appear to have a clear beneficial effect on worker health and well‐being, with positive consequences also at the company and social level, as evidenced by the higher “feeling to be able to work until 60 years of age”.     

Linking Human Health and Livestock Health: A “One-Health” Platform for Integrated Analysis of Human Health,Livestock Health,and Economic Welfare in Livestock Dependent Communities

Background

For most rural households in sub-Saharan Africa, healthy livestock play a key role in averting the burden associated with zoonotic diseases, and in meeting household nutritional and socio-economic needs. However, there is limited understanding of the complex nutritional, socio-economic, and zoonotic pathways that link livestock health to human health and welfare. Here we describe a platform for integrated human health, animal health and economic welfare analysis designed to address this challenge. We provide baseline epidemiological data on disease syndromes in humans and the animals they keep, and provide examples of relationships between human health, animal health and household socio-economic status.

Method

We designed a study to obtain syndromic disease data in animals along with economic and behavioral information for 1500 rural households in Western Kenya already participating in a human syndromic disease surveillance study. Data collection started in February 2013, and each household is visited bi-weekly and data on four human syndromes (fever, jaundice, diarrhea and respiratory illness) and nine animal syndromes (death, respiratory, reproductive, musculoskeletal, nervous, urogenital, digestive, udder disorders, and skin disorders in cattle, sheep, goats and chickens) are collected. Additionally, data from a comprehensive socio-economic survey is collected every 3 months in each of the study households.

Findings

Data from the first year of study showed 93% of the households owned at least one form of livestock (55%, 19%, 41% and 88% own cattle, sheep, goats and chickens respectively). Digestive disorders, mainly diarrhea episodes, were the most common syndromes observed in cattle, goats and sheep, accounting for 56% of all livestock syndromes, followed by respiratory illnesses (18%). In humans, respiratory illnesses accounted for 54% of all illnesses reported, followed by acute febrile illnesses (40%) and diarrhea illnesses (5%). While controlling for household size, the incidence of human illness increased 1.31-fold for every 10 cases of animal illness or death observed (95% CI 1.16–1.49). Access and utilization of animal source foods such as milk and eggs were positively associated with the number of cattle and chickens owned by the household. Additionally, health care seeking was correlated with household incomes and wealth, which were in turn correlated with livestock herd size.

Conclusion

This study platform provides a unique longitudinal dataset that allows for the determination and quantification of linkages between human and animal health, including the impact of healthy animals on human disease averted, malnutrition, household educational attainment, and income levels.     

Ecosystem Health and Sustainability创刊

<正>2015年3月18日,Ecosystem Health and Sustainability(EHS,ISSN:2332-8878)创刊,为全球生态学科技工作者提供了又一个高水平的出版平台。EHS由中国生态学学会与美国生态学会共同出版,是全球第一本由不同国家生态学会合作出版的学术期刊。EHS希望运用现代出版技术和理念,打破国家和学科壁垒,为全世界,特     

Ecosystem Health and Sustainability征稿

正Ecosystem Health and Sustainability(EHS,ISSN 2332-8878),一本全新的、开放获取、在线出版国际期刊。由美国生态学会(ESA)与中国生态学学会(ESC)合作出版。EHS于2015年3月创刊,主要报道宏观生态学和可持续性科学。重点关注人类活动如何影响生态系统的变化,特别关注如何将生态学应用到可持续发展决策中的系统性方法。EHS的国际顾问委员会由23位科学家组成,其中包括多位泰勒奖和沃尔沃奖获得者、     

Ecosystem Health and Sustainability创刊

<正>2015年3月18日,Ecosystem Health and Sustainability(EHS,ISSN:2332-8878)创刊,为全球生态学科技工作者提供了又一个高水平的出版平台。EHS由中国生态学学会与美国生态学会共同出版,是全球第一本由不同国家生态学会合作出版的学术期刊。EHS希望运用现代出版技术和理念,打破国家和学科壁垒,为全世界,特     

Use of Systems Biology Approaches to Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies of Myocardial Infarction and Blood Cholesterol in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study

With the advance of genome-wide association studies and newly identified SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) associations with complex disease, important discoveries have emerged focusing not only on individual genes but on disease-associated pathways and gene sets. The authors used prospective myocardial infarction case-control studies nested in the Nurses’ Health and Health Professionals Follow-Up Studies to investigate genetic variants associated with myocardial infarction or LDL, HDL, triglycerides, adiponectin and apolipoprotein B (apoB). Using these case-control studies to illustrate an integrative systems biology approach, the authors applied SNP set enrichment analysis to identify gene sets where expression SNPs representing genes from these sets show enrichment in their association with endpoints of interest. The authors also explored an aggregate score approach. While power limited one’s ability to detect significance for association of individual loci with myocardial infarction, the authors found significance for loci associated with LDL, HDL, apoB and triglycerides, replicating previous observations. Applying SNP set enrichment analysis and risk score methods, the authors also found significance for three gene sets and for aggregate scores associated with myocardial infarction as well as for loci-related to cardiovascular risk factors, supporting the use of these methods in practice.     

Hospital Expenditure at the End-of-Life: What Are the Impacts of Health Status and Health Risks?

Background

It is important for health policy and expenditure projections to understand the relationship between age, death and expenditure on health care (HC). Research has shown that older age groups incur lower hospital costs than previously anticipated and that remaining time to death (TTD) was a much stronger indicator for expenditure than age. How health behaviour or risk factors impact on HC utilisation and costs at the end of life is relatively unknown. Smoking and Body Mass Index (BMI) have featured most prominently and mixed findings exist as to the exact nature of this association.

Methods

This paper considers the relationship between TTD, age and expenditure for inpatient care in the last 12 quarters of life; and introduces measures of health status and risks. A longitudinal dataset covering 35 years is utilised, including baseline survey data linked to hospital and death records. The effect of age, TTD and health indicators on expenditure for inpatient care is estimated using a two-part model.

Results

As individuals approach death costs increase. This effect is highly significant (p<0.01) from the last until the 8th quarter before death and influenced by age. Statistically significant effects on costs were found for: smoking status, systolic blood pressure and lung function (FEV1). On average, smokers incurred lower quarterly costs in their last 12 quarters of life than non-smokers (~7%). Participants’ BMI at baseline did show a negative association with probability of HC utilisation however this effect disappeared when costs were estimated.

Conclusions

Health risk measures obtained at baseline provide a good indication of individuals’ probability of needing medical attention later in life and incurring costs, despite the small size of the effect. Utilising a linked dataset, where such measures are available can add substantially to our ability to explain the relationship between TTD and costs.     

Ecosystem Health and Sustainability创刊

<正>2015年3月18日,Ecosystem Health and Sustainability(EHS,ISSN:2332-8878)创刊,为全球生态学科技工作者提供了又一个高水平的出版平台。EHS由中国生态学学会与美国生态学会共同出版,是全球第一本由不同国家生态学会合作出版的学术期刊。EHS希望运用现代出版技术和理念,打破国家和学科壁垒,为全世界,特别是发展中国家和新兴经济体的生态学家提供一个高水平的国际学术交流平台,促进发展中国家与发达国家生态学研究成果的学术交流。     

Ecosystem Health and Sustainability创刊

<正>2015年3月18日,Ecosystem Health and Sustainability(EHS,ISSN:2332-8878)创刊,为全球生态学科技工作者提供了又一个高水平的出版平台。EHS由中国生态学学会与美国生态学会共同出版,是全球第一本由不同国家生态学会合作出版的学术期刊。EHS希望运用现代出版技     

LIVE BIRTH CERTIFICATES—Evaluation of Medical and Health Data in California

In a study of 1,609 single live births occurring in San Francisco County, the information on the birth certificate was compared with that on the hospital record to determine completeness and accuracy of the items reported on the certificate.Items such as color or race of mother, age of mother, birth weight and birth length of child were well recorded on the certificate and agreed with information found in the hospital record.Medical conditions were grossly underreported on the birth certificate. Conditions relating to the mother were more frequently recorded than those relating to the infant, but the birth certificates recorded less than one-fifth of all medical conditions of both mother and infant that were entered in the hospital records.Methods suggested for improving the quality of maternal and newborn morbidity information include revision of the medical section of the present certificates of live birth and fetal death and use of a precoded hospital record.     

A Tale of Two Citrullines—Structural and Functional Aspects of Myelin Basic Protein Deimination in Health and Disease

Myelin basic protein (MBP) binds to negatively charged lipids on the cytosolic surface of oligodendrocyte membranes and is responsible for adhesion of these surfaces in the multilayered myelin sheath. The pattern of extensive post-translational modifications of MBP is dynamic during normal central nervous system (CNS) development and during myelin degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting its interactions with the myelin membranes and with other molecules. In particular, the degree of deimination (or citrullination) of MBP is correlated with the severity of MS, and may represent a primary defect that precedes neurodegeneration due to autoimmune attack. That the degree of MBP deimination is also high in early CNS development indicates that this modification plays major physiological roles in myelin assembly. In this review, we describe the structural and functional consequences of MBP deimination in healthy and diseased myelin. Special issue dedicated to Drs. Anthony and Celia Campagnoni.     

Importation of Shiga Bacillus Dysentery into California—Clinical and Public Health Significance

Concurrent with the regional epidemic of classic Shiga dysentery in Central America during 1969 and 1970, a pronounced increase in the isolation of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 was noted in California. A retrospective study of 20 cases diagnosed in California in 1969 and 1970 revealed that 18 of the patients had traveled to Central America or Mexico during or immediately before the onset of symptoms. Sixteen were known to have been admitted to hospital; there was one death. Despite the concern that such importations might result in epidemics in this country among groups living in crowded, unsanitary settings, no definite secondary transmission was identified in this study. The problems of differential diagnosis, laboratory isolation of the agent, chemotherapy, and epidemic control are discussed.     

First Announcement of and Call for Papers for ＂Forum on Genetics Progress and Human Health＂

＂Forum on Genetics Progress and Human Health＂ will be held at Yunnan University in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, in November, 2007. The forum focuses on the current progress and future directions in all major aspects of human genetics and medical genetics. The submitted papers written in English will be considered for publication in Journal of Genetics and Genomics after peer-review and papers in Chinese in Hereditas （Beijing）. Papers in the following areas are encouraged for submission and outstanding papers will be selected for oral presentation in the forum.     

First Announcement of and Call for Papers for ＂Forum on Genetics Progress and Human Health＂

＂Forum on Genetics Progress and Human Health＂ will be held at Yunnan University in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, in November, 2007. The forum focuses on the current progress and future directions in all major aspects of human genetics and medical genetics. The submitted papers written in English will be considered for publication in Journal of Genetics and Genomics after peer-review and papers in Chinese in Hereditas （Beijing）. Papers＇ in the following areas are encouraged for submission and outstanding papers will be selected for oral presentation in the forum.     

Using “Big Data” to Capture Overall Health Status: Properties and Predictive Value of a Claims-Based Health Risk Score

BackgroundInvestigators across many fields often struggle with how best to capture an individual’s overall health status, with options including both subjective and objective measures. With the increasing availability of “big data,” researchers can now take advantage of novel metrics of health status. These predictive algorithms were initially developed to forecast and manage expenditures, yet they represent an underutilized tool that could contribute significantly to health research. In this paper, we describe the properties and possible applications of one such “health risk score,” the DxCG Intelligence tool.MethodsWe link claims and administrative datasets on a cohort of U.S. workers during the period 1996–2011 (N = 14,161). We examine the risk score’s association with incident diagnoses of five disease conditions, and we link employee data with the National Death Index to characterize its relationship with mortality. We review prior studies documenting the risk score’s association with other health and non-health outcomes, including healthcare utilization, early retirement, and occupational injury.

Results and Conclusions

We find that the risk score is associated with outcomes across a variety of health and non-health domains. These examples demonstrate the broad applicability of this tool in multiple fields of research and illustrate its utility as a measure of overall health status for epidemiologists and other health researchers.     

What Are the Health Benefits of Active Travel? A Systematic Review of Trials and Cohort Studies

Background

Increasing active travel (primarily walking and cycling) has been widely advocated for reducing obesity levels and achieving other population health benefits. However, the strength of evidence underpinning this strategy is unclear. This study aimed to assess the evidence that active travel has significant health benefits.

Methods

The study design was a systematic review of (i) non-randomised and randomised controlled trials, and (ii) prospective observational studies examining either (a) the effects of interventions to promote active travel or (b) the association between active travel and health outcomes. Reports of studies were identified by searching 11 electronic databases, websites, reference lists and papers identified by experts in the field. Prospective observational and intervention studies measuring any health outcome of active travel in the general population were included. Studies of patient groups were excluded.

Results

Twenty-four studies from 12 countries were included, of which six were studies conducted with children. Five studies evaluated active travel interventions. Nineteen were prospective cohort studies which did not evaluate the impact of a specific intervention. No studies were identified with obesity as an outcome in adults; one of five prospective cohort studies in children found an association between obesity and active travel. Small positive effects on other health outcomes were found in five intervention studies, but these were all at risk of selection bias. Modest benefits for other health outcomes were identified in five prospective studies. There is suggestive evidence that active travel may have a positive effect on diabetes prevention, which may be an important area for future research.

Conclusions

Active travel may have positive effects on health outcomes, but there is little robust evidence to date of the effectiveness of active transport interventions for reducing obesity. Future evaluations of such interventions should include an assessment of their impacts on obesity and other health outcomes.