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O Razum

Publications and source records attributed to O Razum.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Critical reading of epidemiological papers. A guide.

Many clinicians, medical practitioners and decision makers have no formal training in epidemiology but need to understand and sometimes evaluate results in epidemiologic studies. This paper attempts to give guidance to non-epidemiologists on how to read and evaluate the quality of epidemiologic studies and their results critically. Different methodological issues for evaluating whether the results of a study are causal or by bias, chance or confounding are given. This includes criteria for the choice of an appropriate study design followed by problems of the definition of the study population and the sample selection. We will also point to potential sources of bias in the data collection procedure and list some principles for statistical analysis. Finally, we include comments on how the results should be presented and issues which are related to public health and ethical questions. Although it is not usually possible to perform a perfect study and the correct approach to study design and analysis is often highly dependent on specific features of the population and the surroundings, our paper should help to distinguish between weak and strong investigations and papers.

Bias↗
PubMed2000

Cardiovascular mortality patterns in Turkey: what is the evidence?

In Turkey, reliable cause-specific mortality data are not available. It is thus unknown whether ischaemic heart disease (as in western Europe and the US) or stroke (as in the Far East) is the prevailing cause of cardiovascular death. This information, however, is required for planning cardiovascular prevention programmes. We analyse available Turkish national cause-of-death data as well as patterns of cardiovascular mortality in a hospital in Ankara and among Turkish migrants in Germany. According to national statistics, the ischaemic heart disease-to-stroke ratio would be 0.3 among men aged 45-64 years, lower than that in Japan. Hospital and migrant data show this ratio to be 2-4. We demonstrate the implausibility of the national data by assessing the precision of cause-of-death assignment. We then discuss to what degree mortality experience among migrants is representative for their country of origin. Our findings suggest that the pattern of cardiovascular mortality in Turkey is closer to that in western Europe and the US than to that in the Far East. Finally, we discuss options for improving cardiovascular surveillance in Turkey.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Combining a name algorithm with a capture-recapture method to retrieve cases of Turkish descent from a German population-based cancer registry.

An increasing proportion of the 2 million Turkish residents in Germany is reaching the age in which cancer becomes a common health problem. However, data on cancer incidence and survival among Turkish residents are lacking due to incomplete reporting of nationality in German cancer registries. In the population-based cancer registry of the Saarland, retrieval by reported nationality yielded only 38% (95% confidence interval (CI): 31-45%) of the estimated number of Turkish cases in the registry; furthermore, nationality information was found to be inaccurate, and completeness dependent on the vital status of cases. A newly developed algorithm based on family names retrieved 85% (95% CI: 79-90%) of Turkish cases. Combining the two sources in a capture-recapture approach yielded 91% (95% CI: 86-94%) of the estimated total number of Turkish cases. Hence, the name-based algorithm provides a new and attractive tool for valid registry-based cancer research among Turks in Germany.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2000

Effectiveness of a decentralized, community-related approach to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factor levels in Germany.

AIMS: Conventional community-oriented prevention programmes have been moderately successful in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factor levels in the population. Within the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study, a new decentralized and community-related form of preventive intervention was tested. METHODS AND RESULTS: Interested lay people and general practitioners co-operated in developing activities conducive towards a healthier lifestyle in two towns. Changes in risk factor levels were evaluated by repeated surveys of independent cross-sectional samples in two intervention communities (n=3460, baseline; 2561, final). National survey data (n=4788, baseline; 5311, final) were used to describe secular trends. Six years after the onset of intervention activities the following changes in risk factor prevalence for both sexes combined were observed in the intervention communities (95% CI in brackets): smoking -10.5% (-17.6 to -3.4); hypertension -29.0% (-38.1 to -19. 9); total cholesterol >/=250 mg. dl(-1)-8.1% (-15.4 to -0.9). In contrast to a national increase in the prevalence of obesity, this rate remained stable in the intervention communities. CONCLUSION: Initiating preventive activities developed by community members under the responsibility of local doctors is effective in lowering cardiovascular risk factors at community level. Unlike traditional intervention programmes this new approach does not require external funding and guidance.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Coping strategies of health personnel during economic crisis: A case study from Cameroon.

OBJECTIVES: Severe economic crisis compelled many governments in Sub-Saharan Africa to adopt structural adjustment programmes. This was accompanied by price increases and cuts in the salaries of civil servants. We explored how health personnel in one province of Cameroon coped with this situation, and what the perceived effects on service quality were. METHODS: Key informant and focus group interviews with government and mission (church) health personnel; interviews with service users to validate the findings. RESULTS: Government health personnel had experienced larger cuts in salaries than their mission counterparts; they no longer received allowances and incentives still available to mission personnel and appeared more demotivated. Most government and mission personnel reported legal after-hours income raising activities. Government personnel frequently reported additional 'survival strategies' such as parallel selling of drugs, requesting extra charges for services, and running private practices during work hours. There was a high level of self criticism among government personnel indicating a dissonance between their attitude and practices. They considered these practices negative and harmful for service users. CONCLUSION: Remedial action is urgent. Options include reinstating allowances for good performance and ensuring regular supervision without blaming individual health workers for problems caused by the state of the health system.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

[Analytic-epidemiologic studies of migrants in Germany: planning and design].

Descriptive epidemiological studies can point towards health problems specific to migrants and minorities. To investigate etiological associations and for public health planning, analytical epidemiological studies are required. In Germany, epidemiological studies rarely include migrants and minorities. Underlying reasons are the high mobility and socio-cultural diversity of these groups. In addition, a classification by ethnic or national categories is problematic. This review discusses problems and possible solutions in the planning and design of analytical epidemiological studies among migrants and minorities.

Emigration and Immigration↗
PubMed1999

Trends in maternal mortality ratio among women of German and non-German nationality in West Germany, 1980-1996.

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality is a sensitive indicator for inequity in health. We describe recent trends in overall and cause-specific maternal mortality ratio among women of German and non-German nationality residing in West Germany. METHODS: Using birth and death register data for 1980-1996 we related 1067 cases of maternal death (ICD 9: 630-676) to 11.2 million live births. We assessed the effects of nationality and of marital status, a proxy for socioeconomic status, controlling for year of death and age of the mother in a Poisson regression model. RESULTS: Maternal mortality ratio in West Germany decreased from 13 per 100000 live births in 1980-1988 to 6.1 in 1989-1996. The crude relative risk for non-German nationality decreased from 1.9 (95% CI: 1.6-2.3) to 1.3 (1.0-1.7); after adjusting for age, year of death and marital status it was 1.7 (95% CI: 1.4-2.1) and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.2-2.1). Unmarried women incurred an adjusted relative risk of 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5-2.3). Non-German women experienced an excess mortality from abortions which largely disappeared in 1989-1996; concurrently, being unmarried no longer conveyed an additional risk to them. The risk status of German mothers developed unfavourably: increasing proportions are unmarried, which continues to be a marker of elevated relative risk in this group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest continuously improving accessibility and quality of obstetric services, in particular for women of non-German nationality. Still, inequity in maternal risk continues to exist. Maternal risk, however, is not determined by the simple distinction 'German' versus 'non-German'; its association with socioeconomic status extends beyond nationality.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1998

Cardiovascular mortality of Turkish nationals residing in West Germany.

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that cardiovascular mortality of Turkish nationals residing in West Germany (mainly former "guest workers" and their families) has been increasing over the past 15 years. Reasons would be their minority status and migration-related lifestyle changes. METHODS: Using registry data for the period 1981-1994, we calculated mortality rates from cardiovascular disease (CVD) (international classification of diseases (ICD) 390-459), ischemic heart disease (IHD) (ICD 410-414) and cerebrovascular disease (CVA) (ICD 430-438) of Turkish nationals aged 25-64 years and residing in West Germany, numbering 730,000 in 1981 and 941,000 in 1994. RESULTS: Between 1981 and 1994, age-adjusted CVD mortality rates (per 100,000) decline from 103 to 85 (-18%) in Turkish men and from 227 to 149 (-34%) in West German men. IHD mortality declines from 64 to 53 (-16%) in Turkish men and from 138 to 82 (-41%) in German men. CVD mortality of Turkish women remains around 45 while that of West German women declines from 84 to 57 (-33%). CONCLUSIONS: Our hypothesis was not confirmed. Turkish residents experience a stable or decreasing CVD and overall mortality which is lower than that of West Germans. Selective return to Turkey of individuals manifestly ill with CVD is improbable. Neither minority status nor a postulated unfavorable genetic disposition currently have a discernible effect on CVD mortality rates of Turkish residents. Future research should relate individual migration history, socio-economic status, and risk factor levels to mortality experience.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Routine screening for intrauterine growth retardation in Germany: low sensitivity and questionable benefit for diagnosed cases.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal screening for fetal growth retardation has proven effective in detecting at-risk pregnancies under study conditions. It is also widely believed to improve pregnancy outcomes. We assessed sensitivity of antenatal screening routines for intrauterine growth retardation under routine service conditions in Germany. We then compared pregnancy management and outcome in small for gestational age neonates with antenatally diagnosed growth retardation to neonates whose growth retardation had remained undetected. METHODS: Historical prospective study covering all 2378 singleton pregnancies with antenatal records delivered within a one-year period at a tertiary level maternity hospital in Germany. Antenatal records were linked with pregnancy outcome data. RESULTS: The sensitivity of screening routines based on ultrasound and non-systematic follow-up investigations was 32% as compared to 80-90% reported for ultrasound screening under study conditions. An antenatal diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation was associated with a 5 times higher rate of preterm delivery (p<0.001), mainly as a consequence of medical interventions to avoid fetal compromise, when compared to new-borns with growth retardation not detected before delivery; admission rates to neonatal care unit were 3 times higher (p<0.001). The proportion of low Apgar scores and low cord pH, indicating fetal distress, was not significantly different in detected and undetected cases. CONCLUSION: Screening routines for intrauterine growth retardation currently used in Germany miss the majority of cases and do not contribute towards improved pregnancy outcome in detected cases. A benefit of elective preterm delivery in the management of suspected intrauterine growth retardation was not evident.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1998

Low overall mortality of Turkish residents in Germany persists and extends into a second generation: merely a healthy migrant effect?

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that as a minority with lower socio-economic status, Turkish residents in Germany might experience a higher mortality than Germans. METHODS: All-cause mortality rates by age group and sex of Turkish and German adults for the time period 1980-94 were calculated from death registry data and mid-year population estimates. RESULTS: The age-adjusted mortality rate (per 100000) of Turkish males aged 25-65 years resident in Germany was 299 in 1980 and 247 in 1990, consistently half that of German males. The mortality of Turkish females in Germany was 140 in 1990, half that of German females. Mortality of Turkish males/females in Ankara was 835 and 426 in 1990. CONCLUSION: In view of the socio-economic status of Turkish residents in Germany the large mortality difference compared to Germans is unexpected. It cannot be fully explained by a selection at the time of hiring (healthy migrant effect) because it lasts over decades and extends into the second generation. A healthy worker effect is unlikely because Turkish residents have a lower employment rate than Germans. There is little evidence for movement of gravely ill persons back to Turkey. An 'unhealthy re-migration effect' in which socially successful migrants with a lower mortality risk stay in the host country while less successful ones return home even before becoming manifestly ill would partly explain our findings.

Adult↗