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Biomedical subjects

C Alvarez-Dardet

Publications and source records attributed to C Alvarez-Dardet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Alcohol and intimate partner violence: do we have enough information to act?

BACKGROUND: Male alcohol consumption is one of the accepted risk factors for intimate partner violence. The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of the association between male alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence against women and the quality of the evidence of published papers exploring this relationship empirically. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies (1966-2004). Eight databases from Social and Behavioural Sciences, Clinical Medicine, and Life Sciences were reviewed. Studies with available 2 x 2 table or odds ratio were analysed using meta-analytic techniques. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the systematic review: 14 (63.6%) were cross-sectional studies, 6 (27.3%) case-series, 2 (9.1%) case-control studies. Ten studies analysed the relationship between alcohol and violence as their primary hypothesis and only two used a direct measure of alcohol consumption. Of them, 11 papers were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled odds ratio was 4.57 (95% confidence limits 3.30-6.35), but a high degree of heterogeneity was observed. The magnitude of the effect was inversely associated with the year of publication. The biggest odds ratios were obtained in the studies with the smallest sample sizes. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence about the relationship between alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence is of low quality in the study designs and maybe biased by publication of positive results. Currently there is not enough empirical evidence to support preventive policies based on male alcohol consumption as a risk factor in the particular case of intimate partner violence.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2006

[Medical scientific Romania in the European context].

UNLABELLED: A national and international publications bibliometric analysis was assessed to evaluate the scientific research situation about Romania and the relation with the European Parliament Health objectives for 2003-2008. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A bibliographical search in MEDLINE between 1999 and 2003 was performed. An annual review was done and the articles were classified on seven activity branches. The clinical medicine articles were classified by using medical specialties. The 2003-2008 Health European report was classified on fourteen objectives and related to the Romanian scientific production. RESULTS: 2068 articles were found, distributed 271 in 1999, 373 in 2000, 434 in 2001, 492 in 2002, and 498 in 2003. 1335 are clinical medicine, 485 basic sciences, 126 Public Health, 40 pollution and environmental, 36 mental health and 25 nursing articles. 21 were not classified. CONCLUSIONS: The highest article's number belongs to the clinical medicine field and the highest research interest was found in Ophthalmology medical specialty. An increasing scientific research evolution was found but a focussed research tendency was observed around some of the European Union Parliament's objectives.

Bibliometrics↗
PubMed2001

Does the liberalisation of abortion laws increase the number of abortions? The case study of Spain.

BACKGROUND: Over the course of the 1980s a public debate on abortion took place in Spain culminating in a more permissive social climate and, in 1985, the partial decriminalisation of abortion. Before this, women were forced to abort illegally or abroad in countries which had decriminalised abortions. The aim of this study is to present jointly the evolution of abortions in Spanish women in England and Wales between 1974 and 1995, The Netherlands between 1980 and 1995 and Spain since the start of the register in 1987 through to 1995 and to compare trends both before and after the law in Spain. METHODS: Incidence rates were calculated in each of the countries studied and the slopes of the curves for 1974-1984 and 1987-1995 were compared. Data were obtained from reports published by the offices of abortion surveillance in England and Wales, The Netherlands and Spain. RESULTS: The rates increased constantly throughout the study period. From 1974 to 1985, a total of 204,736 Spanish women aborted in England and Wales and The Netherlands. After the law was passed, 34,895 Spanish women had abortions in those countries over the period 1986-1995. During 1987-1995, 340,214 Spanish women terminated their pregnancies in Spain. The regression coefficients before and after the passing of the law were beta = 0.3538 (0.307-0.400) and beta = 0.319 (0.243-0.394) respectively; no difference was observed. CONCLUSIONS: During the study period a significant proportion of reproductive-aged Spanish women had abortions in England and Wales and The Netherlands. Decriminalisation has had no observed effect on the trends in abortion, but rather it has benefited Spanish women by making abortion available locally and, therefore, reducing the inequalities implied by lack of access to proper health care services. These data demonstrate the impact of the liberalisation of abortion on the trends of procedures performed in other countries.

Abortion Applicants↗
PubMed2001

The widening social class gap of preventive health behaviours in Spain.

As a way of forecasting future evolution of inequalities in disease burden and mortality, trends in preventive health behaviours by social class were examined. Using the Spanish National Health Survey from 1987 to 1997 the evolution of the Health Practices Index (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, sleep hours and the Quetelet index) is described for the Spanish non-institutionalised adult population. In the last 10 years the disadvantaged population of Spain (social class groups IV and V) has not opted for healthier behavioural choices. On the contrary the Health Practices Index figures have worsened during the study period. Conversely, the more affluent groups (social class groups I, II and III) have exhibited a net gain in the index. Due to this, an increase in the existing gap in health inequalities in Spain in terms of morbidity and mortality can be forecast for the near future. As time trends of a summary indicator of preventive health behaviours by social class have not been described in other countries, a replication of this study in different cultural, social and economic milieus could produce valuable information.

Adult↗