Integrating Socio-Economic Determinants of Canadian Women's Health

Female sex and cardiovascular disease risk in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional, population-based study

BACKGROUND

Sex-based differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden are widely acknowledged, with male sex considered a risk factor in high-income settings. However, these relationships have not been examined in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We aimed to apply the American Heart Association (AHA) ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) tool modified by the addition of C-reactive protein (CRP) to examine potential sex-based differences in the prevalence of CVD risk in rural Uganda.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study nested within a population-wide census, 857 community-living adults completed physical and laboratory-based assessments to calculate individual ideal CVH metrics including an eight category for CRP levels. We summarized sex-specific ideal CVH indices, fitting ordinal logistic regression models to identify correlates of improving CVH. As secondary outcomes, we assessed subscales of ideal CVH behaviours and factors. Models included inverse probability of sampling weights to determine population-level estimates.

RESULTS

The weighted-population mean age was 39.2 (1.2) years with 52.0 (3.7) % females. Women had ideal scores in smoking (80.4% vs. 68.0%; p < 0.001) and dietary intake (26.7% vs. 16.8%; p = 0.037) versus men, but the opposite in body mass index (47.3% vs. 84.4%; p < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin (87.4% vs. 95.2%; p = 0.001), total cholesterol (80.2% vs. 85.0%; p = 0.039) and CRP (30.8% vs. 49.7%; p = 0.009). Overall, significantly more men than women were classified as having optimal cardiovascular health (6-8 metrics attaining ideal level) (39.7% vs. 29.0%; p = 0.025). In adjusted models, female sex was correlated with lower CVH health factors sub-scales but higher ideal CVH behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to findings in much of the world, female sex in rural SSA is associated with worse ideal CVH profiles, despite women having better indices for ideal CVH behaviors. Future work should assess the potential role of socio-behavioural sex-specific risk factors for ideal CVH in SSA, and better define the downstream consequences of these differences.

Perceived Health in Patients with Primary Immune Deficiency

Purpose

Perceived health (PH) is a subjective measure of global health of individuals. While many studies have evaluated outcomes in patients with primary immune deficiency (PID), published literature evaluating PH among patients with PID is sparse. We evaluated the results of the largest self-reported survey of patients with PID to determine the factors that may contribute to differences in PH.

Methods

Data from a National Survey of Patients with Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases conducted by the Immune Deficiency Foundation was studied. Multivariate logistic regression was employed for data analysis.

Results

Thirty percent of the patients perceived their health status as excellent or very good (EVG), 31 % as good (G), and 39 % as fair, poor or very poor (P). Older patients were less likely to have EVG-PH compared to G-PH. Ones with college degrees were more likely to have P-PH compared to G-PH, and less likely to have EVG-PH. Patients who were acutely ill and hospitalized in the past 12 months, ones with limited activity, and chronic diseases, were more likely to have P-PH compared to G-PH. Patients with “on demand” access to specialty care and ones on regular IVIG had higher OR of having EVG-PH as opposed to G-PH. Patients cared for mostly by an immunologist were less likely to have P-PH compared to G-PH.

Conclusions

Our results emphasize the importance of PH in clinical practice. We suggest that recognizing the factors that drive PH in patients with PID is important for the development of disease prevention and health promotion programs, and delivery of appropriate health and social services to individuals with PID.

Gender-specific influence of socioeconomic status on the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache: the results from the Korean Headache Survey

Background

Socioeconomic status plays an important role in pain coping strategy. Its influence on migraine and tension-type headache may differ by gender. This study aimed to evaluate how socioeconomic status affects the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache by gender.

Methods

We used data from the Korean Headache Survey, a population-based sample of Koreans aged 19–69 years. Education level, district size, and household income were evaluated as socioeconomic variables.

Results

Among 1507 participants, the 1-year prevalence rates of migraine and tension-type headache were 8.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-4.6%] and 29.1% (95% CI 25.7-32.5%) in women and 3.2% (95% CI 1.9-4.6%) and 32.5% (95% CI 29.1-35.9%) in men, respectively. In women, multiple regression analysis found that living in rural areas was related to higher prevalence of migraine [odds ratio (OR) 4.52, 95% CI 1.85-11.02] and lower prevalence of tension-type headache (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.15–0.58) and college-level education was related to lower prevalence of tension-type headache (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.18–0.74). In men, multiple regression analysis failed to reveal significant influences of any socioeconomic variable on the prevalence of migraine or tension-type headache.

Conclusions

The influence of socioeconomic status on migraine and tension-type headache differs by gender, with women being more susceptible to socioeconomic influence.

Intersection of Canadian policy parameters affecting women with precarious immigration status: a baseline for understanding barriers to health

Canadian federal policy provides a framework for the immigration and health experiences of immigrant women. The official immigration category under which a migrant is admitted determines to what degree her right to remain in the country (immigration status) is precarious. Women immigrants fall primarily into the more dependent categories and they experience barriers to access to health services arising from this precarious status. Federal immigration and health policies create direct barriers to health through regulation of immigrants' access to services as well as unintended secondary barriers. These direct and secondary policy barriers intersect with each other and with socio-cultural barriers arising from the migrant's socioeconomic and ethno-cultural background to undermine equitable access to health for immigrant women living in Canada.

Hidden Heroines: Lone Mothers Assessing Community Health Using Photovoice

Between 2005 and 2007, a small group of lone mothers in Moncton, New Brunswick, carried out participatory action research within a university—community agency partnership. Applying the method of photovoice, the women took pictures within their community context on topics that they considered important to their health, health promotion, and quality of life. Eight themes that emerged from the process were represented with pictures and captions and presented in numerous public venues and conferences. Themes included finances, stress, support, personal development, violence and abuse, place, and transportation. The visual images and accompanying captions bring to the public arena the voices of those who are often most affected by public policy but have little, if any, input into its creation. Nurses and other health professionals can play a critical role in working toward gender and economic justice, while accompanying marginalized populations in ways that respect their beliefs, perceptions, and experiences.

Retrospective economic and outcomes analyses using non-US databases: a review

Retrospective database analyses pose a series of methodological challenges, some of which are unique to their data sources, particularly in countries outside the US. This study aimed to qualitatively review the methodological challenges of using non-US databases to conduct retrospective economic and outcomes research studies. We conducted a MEDLINE search to obtain a sample of literature published after the year 2000 on retrospective analyses using non-US databases. We reviewed all relevant components of the selected articles in accordance with the checklist proposed for retrospective database studies by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Task Force and identified issues found in the data sources, methods, study designs, statistics and sources of possible threats to internal and external validity. We found a wide variation in the quality of studies in terms of outcome definitions, patient selection criteria, data collection methods, sample sizes, risk adjustment methods, potential measurement errors and external validity of the studies. Few economic studies included information on indirect cost components because of a lack of relevant data. The quality of non-US retrospective database analyses varied. Future such analyses may be improved if researchers implement the checklist developed by the ISPOR Task Force on Retrospective Database Studies.