Demographic characteristics, long-term health conditions and healthcare experiences of 6333 trans and non-binary adults in England: nationally representative evidence from the 2021 GP Patient Survey

Objective
In order to address the lack of data on the health and healthcare needs of trans and non-binary adults, NHS England includes questions asking about both gender and trans status in its surveys to support quality improvement programmes.
We used self-reported data from the GP Patient Survey to answer the research question: what are the demographic characteristics, health conditions and healthcare experiences of trans and non-binary adults in England?

Design/setting
Nationally representative, population-based cross-sectional survey in England with survey data collection from January to March 2021.

Participants
840 691 survey respondents including 6333 trans and non-binary adults.

Outcomes
We calculated weighted descriptive statistics, and using logistic regression explored 15 long-term physical and mental health conditions, and 18 patient experience items, covering overall experience, access, communication and continuity.

Results
Trans and non-binary adults were younger, more likely to be from Asian, black, mixed or other ethnic groups and more likely to live in more deprived parts of the country. Age-specific patterns of long-term conditions were broadly similar among trans and non-binary adults compared with all other survey respondents, with some variation by condition. Overall, inequalities in long-term health conditions were largest for autism: OR (95% CI), 5.8 (5.0 to 6.6), dementia: 3.1 (2.5 to 3.9), learning disabilities: 2.8 (2.4 to 3.2) and mental health: 2.0 (1.9 to 2.2), with variation by age. In healthcare experience, disparities are much greater for interpersonal communication (OR for reporting a positive experience, range 0.4 to 0.7 across items) than access (OR range 0.8 to 1.2). Additionally, trans and non-binary adults report much higher preference for continuity 1.7 (1.6 to 1.8), with no evidence of any differences in being able to see or speak to a preferred general practitioner.

Conclusion
This research adds up to date evidence about population demographics, health and healthcare needs to support healthcare improvement for trans and non-binary adults.

Leggi
Febbraio 2023

Abstract WMP107: Temporal Trends In Public Awareness Of Stroke: 1996-2021

Stroke, Volume 54, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWMP107-AWMP107, February 1, 2023. Background:Knowledge of stroke risk factors (RF) and warning signs (WS) may improve adherence to primary stroke prevention and encourage more rapid presentation after symptom onset. As a result, improving stroke knowledge has been a major public health focus. We sought to study trends in stroke knowledge between 1996 and 2021 in a well-defined population.Methods:Surveys were conducted in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2016, and 2021 in the 5-county Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky region, a population of 1.3 million that reflects the USA in terms of Black race, income, and educational attainment. Respondents were selected to reflect the age, race and sex distribution of the local ischemic stroke population. Potential subjects were contacted using random-digit dialing (with adjustment for cell phone use after 2005) and asked open-ended questions regarding stroke WS and RF knowledge. Correct answers for all years were determined based upon current AHA guidelines and public health messaging. Trends in knowledge were then evaluated over time adjusting for age, Race, sex, and education. Multiple logistic regression models and a cumulative model were used for analysis.Results:Over the 25-year period, 12,322 surveys were completed. After adjustment for age, sex, Race, and education, RF and WS knowledge significantly increased between 1996 and 2021 (P

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Febbraio 2023

Abstract WMP41: Changes In Stroke Mortality Among Black And White Persons Before And During Covid-19 Pandemic, United States 2015-2021

Stroke, Volume 54, Issue Suppl_1, Page AWMP41-AWMP41, February 1, 2023. Introduction:Although stroke death rates declined since 1950s, age-adjusted rates remained higher among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) than among non-Hispanic White (NHW) persons. No study has examined changes in disparities of stroke mortality among NHB and NHW before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:We calculated age-adjusted (US 2000 population) stroke death rates per 100,000 people among NHB and NHW ages ≥35 years from 2015-2021 using CDC WONDER. We compared NHB and NHW stroke death rates from 2015-2019 (before pandemic) to 2020-2021 (during pandemic) with respect to changes in rates, rate ratios (RR) and difference-in-difference in rates.Results:Trends and disparities of overall stroke death rates before the pandemic remained consistent between NHB (100.9 to 101.6 per 100,000 people) and NHW (69.1 to 70.6 per 100,000 people), with an average difference in rates of 31.3/100,000 and RR of 1.45. During the pandemic, stroke death rates increased but with different magnitudes among NHB (110.0 and 113.4 per 100,000) and NHW (72.0 and 73.1 per 100,000). Between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, the absolute difference in rates increased 25% from 31.3 (95% confidence interval 30.8-31.7) to 39.1 (38.3-39.8) per 100,000 and the relative difference measured by RR increased from 1.45 (1.44-1.46) to 1.54 (1.53-1.55) (p

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Febbraio 2023

US Life Expectancy in 2021 Lowest Since 1996

Life expectancy in the US decreased by about a half year between 2020 and 2021, from 77 years to 76.4 years, according to final 2021 mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Life expectancy in 2021 was at its lowest level since 1996. The report attributed the drop mainly to increased deaths from COVID-19 and drug overdoses.

Leggi
Gennaio 2023

Early initiation of antenatal care and its associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at public health centres in Bahir Dar Zuria zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021: a cross-sectional study

Objectives
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of, and factors associated with, early initiation of antenatal care (ANC) follow-up among pregnant women attending ANC services at Bahir Dar Zuria zone public health centres (HCs), Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia.

Design
An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from 15 December 2020 to 1 March 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was applied to select the study participants.

Setting
Five public HCs (Han HC, Shimbit HC, Dagmawi Minilik HC, Shumabo HC and Meshentie HC) in Bahir Dar Zuria zone.

Participants
Pregnant mothers who were attending their ANC service during the data collection period were enrolled in this study. A total of 592 mothers were interviewed for the study.

Outcome measure
Early initiation of ANC services (within 16 weeks of gestation).

Results
48.6% (95% CI 41.6% to 53.5%) of participants began their first ANC service before 16 weeks of gestation. Family size less than five (adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.25), urban residence (3.0, 1.48 to 6.17), secondary education (2.1, 1.3 to 3.6), college-level education and above (3.5, 1.8 to 6.8), primigravida (2.6, 1.65 to 4.14), planned pregnancy (3.5, 1.5 to 8.1) and knowledge about early initiation of ANC (1.7, 1.14 to 2.55) were significantly associated with early initiation of ANC.

Conclusion
A substantial number of participants had not received ANC services in a timely manner. Sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of the respondents were associated with timely booking of ANC services. Dissemination of information about recommended time to initiate ANC services and efforts to improve women’s educational status to increase knowledge about early initiation of ANC are needed in the region.

Leggi
Gennaio 2023

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prescription refills for immune-mediated inflammatory disorders: a time series analysis (January 2019 to January 2021) using the English Prescribing Dataset

Objective
To investigate monthly prescription refills for common immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory therapy (sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, azathioprine, methotrexate, leflunomide) prescriptions in England during the complete first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary analysis examined unit cost analysis and regional use.

Design and setting
A national cohort of community-based, primary care patients who anonymously contribute data to the English Prescribing Dataset, dispensed in the community in England, were included. Descriptive statistics and interrupted time series analysis over 25 months (14 months before, 11 months after first lockdown) were evaluated (January 2019 to January 2021, with March 2020 as the cut-off point).

Outcome measures
Prescription reimbursement variance in period before the pandemic as compared with after the first lockdown.

Results
Fluctuation in monthly medicines use is noted in March 2020: a jump is observed for hydroxychloroquine (Mann-Whitney, SE 14.652, standardised test statistic 1.911, p value=0.059) over the study period. After the first lockdown, medicines use fluctuated, with wide confidence intervals. Unit-cost prices changed substantially: sulfasalazine 33% increase, hydroxychloroquine 98% increase, azathioprine 41% increase, methotrexate 41% increase, leflunomide 20% decrease. London showed the least quantity variance, suggesting more homogeneous prescribing and patient access compared with Midlands and East of England, suggesting that some patients may have received medication over/under requirement, representing potential resource misallocation and a proxy for adherence rates. Changepoint detection revealed four out of the five medicines’ use patterns changed with a strong signal only for sulfasalazine in March/April 2020.

Conclusions
Findings potentially present lower rates of adherence because of the pandemic, suggesting barriers to care access. Unit price increases are likely to have severe budget impacts in the UK and potentially globally. Timely prescription refills for patients taking immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory therapies are recommended. Healthcare professionals should identify patients on these medicines and assess their prescription-day coverage, with planned actions to flag and follow-up adherence concerns in patients.

Leggi
Dicembre 2022

Effect of vaccination on the case fatality rate for COVID-19 infections 2020-2021: multivariate modelling of data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs

Objectives
To evaluate the benefits of vaccination on the case fatality rate (CFR) for COVID-19 infections.

Design, setting and participants
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has 130 medical centres. We created multivariate models from these data—339 772 patients with COVID-19—as of 30 September 2021.

Outcome measures
The primary outcome for all models was death within 60 days of the diagnosis. Logistic regression was used to derive adjusted ORs for vaccination and infection with Delta versus earlier variants. Models were adjusted for confounding factors, including demographics, comorbidity indices and novel parameters representing prior diagnoses, vital signs/baseline laboratory tests and outpatient treatments. Patients with a Delta infection were divided into eight cohorts based on the time from vaccination to diagnosis. A common model was used to estimate the odds of death associated with vaccination for each cohort relative to that of unvaccinated patients.

Results
9.1% of subjects were vaccinated. 21.5% had the Delta variant. 18 120 patients (5.33%) died within 60 days of their diagnoses. The adjusted OR for a Delta infection was 1.87±0.05, which corresponds to a relative risk (RR) of 1.78. The overall adjusted OR for prior vaccination was 0.280±0.011 corresponding to an RR of 0.291. Raw CFR rose steadily after 10–14 weeks. The OR for vaccination remained stable for 10–34 weeks.

Conclusions
Our CFR model controls for the severity of confounding factors and priority of vaccination, rather than solely using the presence of comorbidities. Our results confirm that Delta was more lethal than earlier variants and that vaccination is an effective means of preventing death. After adjusting for major selection biases, we found no evidence that the benefits of vaccination on CFR declined over 34 weeks. We suggest that this model can be used to evaluate vaccines designed for emerging variants.

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Dicembre 2022

Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close contacts of adults at high risk of infection due to occupation: results from the contact tracing strategy of the CoVIDA epidemiological surveillance study in Bogota, Colombia, in 2020-2021

Objectives
To estimate the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in close contacts of adults at high risk of infection due to occupation, participants of the CoVIDA study, in Bogotá D.C., Colombia.

Setting
The CoVIDA study was the largest COVID-19 intensified sentinel epidemiological surveillance study in Colombia thus far, performing over 60 000 RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study implemented a contact tracing strategy (via telephone call) to support traditional surveillance actions performed by the local health authority.

Participants
Close contacts of participants from the CoVIDA study.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
SARS-CoV-2 testing results were obtained (RT-PCR with CoVIDA or self-reported results). The secondary attack rate (SAR) was calculated using contacts and primary cases features.

Results
The CoVIDA study performed 1257 contact tracing procedures on primary cases. A total of 5551 close contacts were identified and 1050 secondary cases (21.1%) were found. The highest SAR was found in close contacts: (1) who were spouses (SAR=32.7%; 95% CI 29.1% to 36.4%), (2) of informally employed or unemployed primary cases (SAR=29.1%; 95% CI 25.5% to 32.8%), (3) of symptomatic primary cases (SAR of 25.9%; 95% CI 24.0% to 27.9%) and (4) living in households with more than three people (SAR=22.2%; 95% CI 20.7% to 23.8%). The spouses (OR 3.85; 95% CI 2.60 to 5.70), relatives (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.33 to 2.70) and close contacts of a symptomatic primary case (OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.24 to 1.77) had an increased risk of being secondary cases compared with non-relatives and close contacts of an asymptomatic index case, respectively.

Conclusions
Contact tracing strategies must focus on households with socioeconomic vulnerabilities to guarantee isolation and testing to stop the spread of the disease.

Leggi
Dicembre 2022