Early Detection of Diabetes and Hypertension Using Community Caregivers
The HealthRise SA community-based demonstration project ran between February 2017 and 2018 in uMgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal province, to expand the capacity of community management of hypertension and diabetes. It recruited and trained 25 community caregivers who conducted 10 658 household visits, 24 community campaigns, and 16 workplace outreach. Among the 10 832 people screened for hypertension, 30% had blood pressure that was 140/90 mmHg or greater, of which 20% were true new diagnoses. Among 6481 participants who had their blood glucose measured, 4.4% had high glucose levels. Overall, community campaigns resulted in a higher proportion of participants with high blood pressure and blood glucose than household or workplace participants.
Citation. Madela S, James S, Sewpaul R, Madela S, Reddy P. Early detection, care and control of hypertension and diabetes in South Africa: a community-based approach. Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2020;12(1):e1–e9.
Illegal Promotion of Infant Formula and Related Products
Breastfeeding is an essential factor of healthy growth and development during the first 6 months of life. Since 1981, the World Health Organization has urged countries to ban the promotion of products that compete directly with breastfeeding. Based on cross-sectional data from 2017, da Silva et al. examined the compliance of a policy enacted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health that prohibits any form of commercial promotion of infant formula, bottle nipples, pacifiers, baby bottles, and nipple protectors. Illegal commercial promotions occurred in 20.3% of surveyed establishments. Half of the interviewed commercial managers reported “unfamiliarity” with the law. Commercial threats to breastfeeding are prevalent and warrant further actions.
Citation. da Silva KB, de Oliveira MIC, Boccolini CS, Sally EdOF. Illegal commercial promotion of products competing with breastfeeding. Rev Saude Publica. 2020;54(10).
Parental Perceptions Shape Screen Time Practices for Young Children
Screen time has increased significantly across all ages, and there is a need to understand how much exposure young children have. Miguel-Berges et al. measured parental perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge about screen media use and its association with actual screen time in a sample of 4836 preschool-aged children (aged 3.5–5.5 years). Children were more likely to exceed the recommended 1 hour per day if their parents reported negative perceptions of limiting screen time, were not aware of the recommended guidelines, or had no established rules for limiting screen time for their children. There is an opportunity to educate parents about risks involved with excessive screen time.
Citation. Miguel-Berges ML, Santaliestra-Pasias AM, Mouratidou T, et al. Parental perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge on European preschool children’s total screen time: the ToyBox-study. Eur J Public Health. 2020;30(1):105–111.
Electronic Cigarette Use and Systemic Inflammation
Public health researchers have grown concerned about the unknown health implications of electronic cigarette use. Moon et al. assessed the association between electronic cigarette use and biomarkers of systematic inflammation. Data from 1208 Korean men, who participated in the seventh wave of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, revealed that electronic cigarette use was associated with elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (β = 1.326; SE = 0.429), uric acid levels (β = 0.400; SE = 0.071), and hyperuricemia (odds ratio = 2.67; 95% confidence interval = 1.27, 5.58). Electronic cigarette use was associated with increased levels of systemic inflammation markers among Korean men.
Citation. Moon J, Lee H, Kong M, Kim H, Oh Y. Association between electronic cigarette use and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and uric acid. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2020;32(1):35–41.