Fabrizio Faggiano

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality among women and among men: an international study

OBJECTIVES This study compared differences in total and cause-specific mortality by educational level among women with those among men in 7 countries: the United States, Finland, Norway, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Estonia. METHODS National data were obtained for the period ca. 1980 to ca. 1990. Age-adjusted rate ratios comparing a broad lower-educational group with a broad upper-educational group were calculated with Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS Total mortality rate ratios among women ranged from 1.09 in the Czech Republic to 1.31 in the United States and Estonia. Higher mortality rates among lower-educated women were found for most causes of death, but not for neoplasms. Relative inequalities in total mortality tended to be smaller among women than among men. In the United States and Western Europe, but not in Central and Eastern Europe, this sex difference was largely due to differences between women and men in cause-of-death pattern. For specific causes of death, inequalities are usually larger among men. CONCLUSIONS Further study of the interaction between socioeconomic factors, sex, and mortality may provide important clues to the explanation of inequalities in health.

Effects of clinical pathways in the joint replacement: a meta-analysis

BackgroundA meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the use of clinical pathways for hip and knee joint replacements when compared with standard medical care. The impact of clinical pathways was evaluated assessing the major outcomes of in-hospital hip and knee joint replacement processes: postoperative complications, number of patients discharged at home, length of in-hospital stay and direct costs.MethodsMedline, Cinahl, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. The search was performed from 1975 to 2007. Each study was assessed independently by two reviewers. The assessment of methodological quality of the included studies was based on the Jadad methodological approach and on the New Castle Ottawa Scale. Data analysis abided by the guidelines set out by The Cochrane Collaboration regarding statistical methods. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan software, version 4.2.ResultsTwenty-two studies met the study inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis for a total sample of 6,316 patients. The aggregate overall results showed significantly fewer patients suffering postoperative complications in the clinical pathways group when compared with the standard care group. A shorter length of stay in the clinical pathway group was also observed and lower costs during hospital stay were associated with the use of the clinical pathways. No significant differences were found in the rates of discharge to home.ConclusionThe results of this meta-analysis show that clinical pathways can significantly improve the quality of care even if it is not possible to conclude that the implementation of clinical pathways is a cost-effective process, because none of the included studies analysed the cost of the development and implementation of the pathways. Based on the results we assume that pathways have impact on the organisation of care if the care process is structured in a standardised way, teams critically analyse the actual organisation of the process and the multidisciplinary team is highly involved in the re-organisation. Further studies should focus on the evaluation of pathways as complex interventions to help to understand which mechanisms within the clinical pathways can really improve the quality of care. With the need for knee and hip joint replacement on the rise, the use of clinical pathways might contribute to better quality of care and cost-effectiveness.

School-based prevention for illicit drugs use: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based interventions in preventing or reducing drug use. METHODS The search strategy was conducted according to the Cochrane Collaboration method, and applied to MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, PSYCHINFO, Cochrane Library, ACP Journal Club, Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group Register. RCTs and CCTs evaluating school-based interventions designed to prevent substance use were reviewed. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. Quality was assessed. Interventions were classified as skills, affective, and knowledge focused. RESULTS 29 RCTs were included; 28 were conducted in the USA; most were focused on 6th-7th grade students. Compared with usual curricula, skills-based interventions significantly reduce marijuana use (RR=0.82; 95% CI: 0.73, 0.92) and hard drug use (RR=0.45; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.85), and improve decision-making skills, self-esteem, peer pressure resistance (RR=2.05; 95% CI: 1.24, 3.42) and drug knowledge. Compared with usual curricula, affective interventions improve decision-making skills and drug knowledge, and knowledge-focused programs improve drug knowledge. Skills-based interventions are better than affective ones in improved self-efficacy. No differences are evident for skills vs. knowledge-focused programs on drug knowledge. Affective interventions improve decision-making skills and drug knowledge to a higher degree than knowledge-focused programs. CONCLUSION Skills-based programs help to deter drug use. Well designed, long-term randomised trials, and evaluation of intervention components are required.

The effectiveness of a school-based substance abuse prevention program: 18-month follow-up of the EU-Dap cluster randomized controlled trial

AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based substance abuse prevention program developed in the EU-Dap study (EUropean Drug Addiction Prevention trial). MATERIALS AND METHODS Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Seven European countries participated in the study; 170 schools (7079 pupils 12-14 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions or to a control condition during the school year 2004/2005. The program consisted of a 12-h curriculum based on a comprehensive social influence approach. A pre-test survey assessing past and current substance use was conducted before the implementation of the program, while a post-test survey was carried out about 18 months after the pre-test. The association between program condition and change in substance use at post-test was expressed as adjusted prevalence odds ratio (POR), estimated by multilevel regression models. RESULTS Persisting beneficial program effects were found for episodes of drunkenness (any, POR=0.80; 0.67-0.97; frequent, POR=0.62; 0.47-0.81) and for frequent cannabis use in the past 30 days (POR=0.74; 0.53-1.00), whereas daily cigarette smoking was not affected by the program as it was at the short-term follow-up. Baseline non-smokers that participated in the program progressed in tobacco consumption to a lower extent than those in the control condition, but no difference was detected in the proportion of quitters or reducers among baseline daily smokers. CONCLUSION The experimental evaluation of an innovative school curriculum based on a comprehensive social influence approach, indicated persistent positive effects over 18 months for alcohol abuse and for cannabis use, but not for cigarette smoking.

Occupational class and ischemic heart disease mortality in the United States and 11 European countries.

OBJECTIVES Twelve countries were compared with respect to occupational class differences in ischemic heart disease mortality in order to identify factors that are associated with smaller or larger mortality differences. METHODS Data on mortality by occupational class among men aged 30 to 64 years were obtained from national longitudinal or cross-sectional studies for the 1980s. A common occupational class scheme was applied to most countries. Potential effects of the main data problems were evaluated quantitatively. RESULTS A north-south contrast existed within Europe. In England and Wales, Ireland, and Nordic countries, manual classes had higher mortality rates than nonmanual classes. In France, Switzerland, and Mediterranean countries, manual classes had mortality rates as low as, or lower than, those among nonmanual classes. Compared with Northern Europe, mortality differences in the United States were smaller (among men aged 30-44 years) or about as large (among men aged 45-64 years). CONCLUSIONS The results underline the highly variable nature of socioeconomic inequalities in ischemic heart disease mortality. These inequalities appear to be highly sensitive to social gradients in behavioral risk factors. These risk factor gradients are determined by cultural as well as socioeconomic developments.

Morbidity and Quality of Life in Elderly Patients Receiving Ileal Conduit or Orthotopic Neobladder After Radical Cystectomy for Invasive Bladder Cancer

OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to evaluate morbidity, survival, and quality of life (QoL) in elderly patients with invasive bladder cancer who received an orthotopic neobladder or an ileal conduit. METHODS The charts of 85 patients, aged 75 or older (median age 78), who had received an ileal conduit (n = 53) or an orthotopic neobladder (n = 32) after radical cystectomy at 3 Italian institutions in the period January 2000 to September 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Perioperative and postoperative complications were recorded, as well as survival data at last follow-up. QoL was evaluated in 34 of 37 patients who were alive at the time of analysis by using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) instruments quality of life questionnaire C30 (QLQ-C30) and QLQ-muscle-invasive bladder cancer module (QLQ-BLM). RESULTS Multiple regression analysis showed that stage significantly affected survival whereas the type of urinary diversion did not. Global Health Status (GHS) scores in the neobladder group were higher than in the ileal conduit group but the difference was not statistically significant. The scores of all the QLQ multi-item scales and single-item measures were comparable in the 2 groups. Overall, 56% and 25% daytime and nighttime complete continence rates were observed in patients with an orthotopic neobladder. CONCLUSIONS The results of our retrospective analysis suggest that an orthotopic neobladder can be suitable for elderly patients with no additional morbidity compared with an ileal conduit. Both types of diversion seem to result in acceptable scores for most aspects of QoL, including urinary symptoms and continence rate. These figures may be helpful in the preoperative counselling of elderly patients with bladder cancer.

Accuracy of routine ultrasonography in screening heart disease prenatally

The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of the four‐chamber view as a screening test for detection of congenital heart disease (CHD) prenatally in a low‐risk population. A prospective observational study was conducted in 17 ultrasound units of the Piemonte Region, Italy, in pregnancies with no risk factors for CHD. At each routine scan, from 18 weeks of gestational age, the four‐chamber view of the heart was looked for. When an anomaly was suspected, the patients were referred to a specialized unit. Follow‐up of the babies until discharge from the hospital was obtained. 11 232 sonograms were performed on 8299 pregnancies. Cardiac malformations were diagnosed in 40 newborns (4·8/1000). Six of them (15 per cent) had been recognized in utero. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 15, 99·9, 50, and 99·6 per cent, respectively. When malformations that are not associated with an abnormal four‐chamber view were excluded from the analysis, the sensitivity increased to 35·3 per cent. The sensitivity found in this study is low, but it is probably realistic since it is comparable to that reported in other multicentric studies. This type of study should reflect the state of the art of the method applied in the field. Although the sensitivity is low, it would be nil if the test were not performed. Moreover, it will probably increase with better training of the operators and by extending the examination to the ventriculo‐arterial connections.

Prenatal screening for congenital heart disease with four-chamber and outflow-tract views: a multicenter study

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are the most common congenital anomalies, and most cases occur in the low‐risk population. Prenatal ultrasound screening based on visualization of the four‐chamber view has had disappointing results in detecting these anomalies thus far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound screening based on the combination of the four‐chamber and outflow‐tract views.

The effectiveness of a school-based substance abuse prevention program: EU-Dap cluster randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of the school-based drug abuse prevention program developed in the EU-Dap study (EUropean Drug Abuse Prevention trial) in preventing the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs at the post-test. METHODS Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial. Seven European countries participated in the study; 170 schools (7079 pupils 12-14 years of age) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions or to a control condition during the school year 2004/2005. A pre-test survey assessing past and current substance use was conducted before the implementation of the program. The program consisted in 12-hour class-based curriculum based on a comprehensive social-influence approach. A post-test survey was carried out in all participating schools, 3 months after the end of the program. The association between program condition and change in substance use at post-test was expressed as adjusted Prevalence Odds Ratio (POR), estimated by multilevel regression model. RESULTS Program effects were found for daily cigarette smoking (POR=0.70; 0.52-0.94) and episodes of drunkenness in the past 30 days (POR=0.72; 0.58-0.90 for at least one episode, POR=0.69; 0.48-0.99 for three or more episodes), while effects on Cannabis use in the past 30 days were of marginal statistical significance (POR=0.77; 0.60-1.00). The curriculum was successful in preventing baseline non-smokers or sporadic smokers from moving onto daily smoking, but it was not effective in helping baseline daily smokers to reduce or stop smoking. CONCLUSION School curricula based on a comprehensive social-influence model may delay progression to daily smoking and episodes of drunkenness.

Alcohol Consumption in Movies and Adolescent Binge Drinking in 6 European Countries

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate whether the association between exposure to images of alcohol use in movies and binge drinking among adolescents is independent of cultural context. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study in 6 European countries (Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and Scotland) was conducted. A total of 16 551 pupils from 114 public schools with a mean (± SD) age of 13.4 (± 1.18) years participated. By using previously validated methods, exposure to alcohol use in movies was estimated from the 250 top-grossing movies of each country (years 2004−2009). Lifetime binge drinking was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Overall, 27% of the sample had consumed >5 drinks on at least 1 occasion in their life. After controlling for age, gender, family affluence, school performance, television screen time, sensation seeking and rebelliousness, and frequency of drinking of peers, parents, and siblings, the adjusted β-coefficient for lifetime binge drinking in the entire sample was 0.12 (95% confidence interval: 0.10−0.14; P < .001). The crude relationship between movie alcohol use exposure and lifetime binge drinking was significant in all countries; after covariate adjustment, the relationship was still significant in 5 of 6 countries. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the association is content specific, as there was no significant association between lifetime binge drinking and exposure to smoking in movies. CONCLUSIONS: The link between alcohol use in movies and adolescent binge drinking was robust and seems relatively unaffected by cultural contexts.