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    Nawi Ng

    Abstract Background: Obesity has become a global health challenge as its prevalence has increased globally in recent decades. Studies in high-income countries have shown that obesity is more prevalent among the poor. In contrast, obesity... more
    Abstract
    Background: Obesity has become a global health challenge as its prevalence has increased globally in recent decades. Studies in high-income countries have shown that obesity is more prevalent among the poor. In contrast, obesity is more prevalent among the rich in low- and middle-income countries, hence requiring different focal points to design public health policies in the latter contexts. We examined socioeconomic inequalities in abdominal obesity in Purworejo District, Central Java, Indonesia and identified factors contributing to the inequalities.
    Methods: We utilised data from the WHO-INDEPTH Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-INDEPTH SAGE) conducted in the Purworejo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in Purworejo District, Indonesia in 2010. The study included 14,235 individuals aged 50 years and older. Inequalities in abdominal obesity across wealth groups were assessed separately for men and women using concentration indexes. Decomposition analysis was conducted to assess the determinants of socioeconomic inequalities in abdominal obesity.
    Results: Abdominal obesity was five-fold more prevalent among women than in men (30% vs. 6.1%; p < 0.001). The concentration index (CI) analysis showed that socioeconomic inequalities in abdominal obesity were less prominent among women (CI = 0.26, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001) compared to men (CI = 0.49, SE = 0.04, p < 0.001). Decomposition analysis showed that physical labour was the major determinant of socioeconomic inequalities in abdominal obesity among men, explaining 47% of the inequalities, followed by poor socioeconomic status (31%), ≤ 6 years of education (15%) and current smoking (11%). The three major determinants of socioeconomic inequalities in abdominal obesity among women were poor socio-economic status (48%), physical labour (17%) and no formal education (16%).
    Conclusion: Abdominal obesity was more prevalent among older women in a rural Indonesian setting. Socioeconomic inequality in abdominal obesity exists and concentrates more among the rich population in both sexes. The inequality gap is less prominent among women, indicating a trend towards obesity being more common in poor women. Policies to address social determinants of health need to be developed to address the socioeconomic inequality gaps in obesity, with particular focus on addressing the existing burden of obesity among the better-off population group, while preventing the imminent burden of obesity among the worst-off group, particularly among women.
    Keywords: Socio-economic inequality, Abdominal obesity, Decomposition analysis, Low- and middle-income countries, Older people
    Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 calls for reducing mortality of children under-five years by two-thirds by 2015. Indonesia is on track to officially meet the MDG 4 targets by 2015 but progress has been far from universal. It has been... more
    Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 calls for reducing mortality of children under-five years by two-thirds by 2015. Indonesia is on track to officially meet the MDG 4 targets by 2015 but progress has been far from universal. It has been argued that national level statistics, on which MDG 4 relies, obscure persistent health inequities within the country. Particularly inequities in child health are a major global public health challenge both for achieving MDG 4 in 2015 and beyond. This review aims to map out the situation of MDG 4 with respect to disadvantaged populations in Indonesia applying the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework. The specific objectives are to answer: Who are the disadvantaged populations? Where do they live? And why and how is the inequitable distribution of health explained in terms of the SDH framework? We retrieved studies through a systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literature published in 1995-2014. The PRISMA-Equity 2012 statement was adapted to guide the methods of this review. The dependent variables were MDG 4-related indicators; the independent variable &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;disadvantaged populations&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; was defined by different categories of social differentiation using PROGRESS. Included texts were analyzed following the guidelines for deductive content analysis operationalized on the basis of the SDH framework. We identified 83 studies establishing evidence on more than 40 different determinants hindering an equitable distribution of child health in Indonesia. The most prominent determinants arise from the shortcomings within the rural health care system, the repercussions of food poverty coupled with low health literacy among parents, the impact of low household decision-making power of mothers, and the consequences of high persistent use of traditional birth attendants among ethnic minorities. This review calls for enhanced understanding of the determinants and pathways that create, detain, and overcome inequities in child health in resource constraint settings like Indonesia and the promotion of actionable health policy recommendations and tailored investments.
    Leukocytosis is a powerful predictor of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related outcomes. However, the association between periodontitis measures and increased leukocytosis in the context of CKD has not been well described. We... more
    Leukocytosis is a powerful predictor of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related outcomes. However, the association between periodontitis measures and increased leukocytosis in the context of CKD has not been well described. We sought to identify which individual measures of periodontal disease may best associate with reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria, and to test if these measures were associated with increased leukocytosis in subjects with established CKD. We estimated, among 13,270 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III study, the associations between case-based definition of periodontitis, clinical attachment loss (CAL) and pocket depth (PD) as individual measures of periodontal disease, with renal function measures and leukocytosis. In adjusted multivariate analyses, case-based definition of severe periodontitis was associated with albuminuria (β = 0.003, p = 0.01) but not with eGFR. However, CAL and PD were all individually associated with both albuminuria (β = 0.08, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001 and β = 0.06, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001, respectively) and eGFR (β = -0.05, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001 and β = -0.03, p &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001, respectively). We found significant associations between elevated CAL and PD with leukocytosis. Lastly, we found a marked association between the joint presence of CKD and elevated CAL or PD with leukocytosis (odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-7.5 and OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.1-9.7, respectively). Individual measures of periodontal disease are associated with renal function and heightened leukocytosis in CKD subjects. The significantly added inflammatory burden noted in CKD subjects with periodontal disease argue for targeting periodontitis treatment as part of our multifaceted approach to CKD patients.
    Research Interests:
    Until recently, most studies on social capital and health have been cross-sectional making it difficult to draw causal conclusions. This longitudinal study used data from 33,621 individuals (15,822 men and 17,799 women) from the... more
    Until recently, most studies on social capital and health have been cross-sectional making it difficult to draw causal conclusions. This longitudinal study used data from 33,621 individuals (15,822 men and 17,799 women) from the Västerbotten Intervention Program, to analyse how changes in access to individual social capital influence self-rated health (SRH) over time. Two forms of structural social capital, i.e. informal socializing and social participation, were measured. Age, sex, education, marital status, smoking, snuff, physical activity, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, and body mass index were analysed as potential confounders. The association between changes in access to structural social capital and SRH in the follow-up was adjusted for SRH at baseline, as well as for changes in the socio-demographic and health-risk variables over time. The results support that changes in access to structural social capital over time impact on SRH. Remaining with no/low level of informal socializing over time increased the odds ratio for poor SRH for both men and women (OR of 1.45; 95%CI = 1.22-1.73 among men and OR of 1.56; 95%CI = 1.33-1.84 among women). Remaining with no/low levels of social participation was also detrimental to SRH in men and women (OR 1.14; 95%CI = 1.03-1.26 among men and OR 1.18; 95%CI = 1.08-1.29 among women). A decrease in informal socializing over time was associated with poor SRH for women and men (OR of 1.35; 95%CI = 1.16-1.58 among men and OR of 1.57; 95%CI = 1.36-1.82 among women). A loss of social participation had a negative effect on SRH among men and women (OR of 1.16; 95%CI = 1.03-1.30 among men and OR of 1.15; 95%CI = 1.04-1.27 among women). Gaining access to social participation was harmful for SRH for women (OR 1.17; 95%CI = 1.05-1.31). Structural social capital has complex and gendered effects on SRH and interventions aiming to use social capital for health promotion purposes require an awareness of its gendered nature.
    To use anchoring vignettes to evaluate reporting heterogeneity (RH) in self-rated mobility and cognition in older adults. We analyzed vignettes and self-rated mobility and cognition in 2,558 individuals aged 50 years and above. We tested... more
    To use anchoring vignettes to evaluate reporting heterogeneity (RH) in self-rated mobility and cognition in older adults. We analyzed vignettes and self-rated mobility and cognition in 2,558 individuals aged 50 years and above. We tested for assumptions of vignette equivalence (VE) and response consistency (RC). We used a joint hierarchical ordered probit (HOPIT) model to evaluate self-rating responses for RH. The assumption of VE was met except for &quot;learning&quot; vignettes. Higher socioeconomic status (SES) and education significantly lowered thresholds for cognition ratings. After correction for RH, women, lower SES, and older respondents were significantly more likely to report greater difficulty in mobility. The influence of age, SES, and education on thresholds was less apparent for cognition. Our study provides strong evidence of RH in self-rated mobility and cognition. We highlight the need to formally test basic assumptions before using vignettes to adjust self-rating ...
    Behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity and the harmful use of alcohol are known and modifiable contributors to a number of NCDs and health mediators. The purpose of this paper is to... more
    Behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity and the harmful use of alcohol are known and modifiable contributors to a number of NCDs and health mediators. The purpose of this paper is to describe the distribution of main risk factors for NCDs by socioeconomic status (SES) among adults aged 50 years and older within a country and compare these risk factors across six lower- and upper-middle income countries. The study population in this paper draw from SAGE Wave 1 and consisted of adults aged 50-plus from China (N=13,157), Ghana (N=4,305), India (N=6,560), Mexico (N=2,318), the Russian Federation (N=3,938) and South Africa (N=3,836). Seven main common risk factors for NCDs were identified: daily tobacco use, frequent heavy drinking, low level physical activity, insufficient vegetable and fruit intake, high risk waist-hip ratio, obesity and hypertension. Multiple risk factors were also calculated by summing all these risk factors. The prevalence of daily tobacco use ranged from 7.7% (Ghana) to 46.9% (India), frequent heavy drinker was the highest in China (6.3%) and lowest in India (0.2%), and the highest prevalence of low physical activity was in South Africa (59.7%). The highest prevalence of respondents with high waist-to-hip ratio risk was 84.5% in Mexico, and the prevalence of self-reported hypertension ranging from 33% (India) to 78% (South Africa). Obesity was more common in South Africa, the Russia Federation and Mexico (45.2%, 36% and 28.6%, respectively) compared with China, India and Ghana (15.3%, 9.7% and 6.4%, respectively). China, Ghana and India had a higher prevalence of respondents with multiple risk factors than Mexico, the Russia Federation and South Africa. The occurrence of three and four risk factors was more prevalent in Mexico, the Russia Federation and South Africa. There were substantial variations across countries and settings, even between upper-middle income countries and lower-middle income countries. The baseline information on the magnitude of the problem of risk factors provided by this study can help countries and health policymakers to set up interventions addressing the global non-communicable disease epidemic.
    The deadline for achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 is approaching, but inequalities between disadvantaged and other populations is a significant barrier for progress towards achieving these goals. This systematic review aims... more
    The deadline for achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 is approaching, but inequalities between disadvantaged and other populations is a significant barrier for progress towards achieving these goals. This systematic review aims to collect evidence about the differential effects of interventions on different sociodemographic groups in order to identify interventions that were effective in reducing maternal or child health inequalities. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and other relevant databases. The reference lists of included reviews were also screened to find more eligible studies. We included experimental or observational studies that assessed the effects of interventions on maternal and child health, but only studies that report quantitative inequality outcomes were finally included for analysis. 22 articles about the effectiveness of interventions on equity in maternal and child health were finally included. These studies covered five kinds of interventions: immunizati...
    The paradoxical phenomenon of the coexistence of overweight and underweight individuals in the same household, referred to as the &quot;dual burden of malnutrition&quot;, is a growing nutrition dilemma in low- and middle-income countries... more
    The paradoxical phenomenon of the coexistence of overweight and underweight individuals in the same household, referred to as the &quot;dual burden of malnutrition&quot;, is a growing nutrition dilemma in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The objectives of this study were (i) to examine the extent of the dual burden of malnutrition across different provinces in Indonesia and (ii) to determine how gender, community social capital, place of residency and other socio-economic factors affect the prevalence of the dual burden of malnutrition. The current study utilized data from the fourth wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) conducted between November 2007 and April 2008. The dataset contains information from 12,048 households and 45,306 individuals of all ages. This study focused on households with individuals over two years old. To account for the multilevel nature of the data, a multilevel multiple logistic regression was conducted. Approximately one-fifth of all ...
    To test the hypothesis that a gender differential exists in the effect on child mortality of BCG, DTP, measles vaccine as administered under programme conditions in Ballabgarh HDSS area. All live births in 28 villages of Ballabgarh block... more
    To test the hypothesis that a gender differential exists in the effect on child mortality of BCG, DTP, measles vaccine as administered under programme conditions in Ballabgarh HDSS area. All live births in 28 villages of Ballabgarh block in North India from 2006 to 2011 were followed until 31 December 2011 or 36 months of age whichever was earlier. The period of analysis was divided into four time periods based on eligibility for vaccines under the national immunisation schedule (BCG for tuberculosis, primary and booster doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and measles). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the association between sex and risk of mortality by vaccination status using age as the timescale in survival analysis and adjusting for wealth index, access to health care, the presence of a health facility in the village, parental education, type of family, birth order of the child and year of birth. 702 deaths (332 boys and 370 girls) occurred among 12,142 children in the cohort in the 3 years of follow-up giving a cumulative mortality rate of 57.5 per 1000 live births with 35% excess girl child mortality. Age at vaccination for the four vaccines did not differ by sex. There was significant excess mortality among girls after immunisation with DTP, for both primary (HR 1.65; 95% CI:1.17-2.32) and DTPb (2.21; 1.24-3.93) vaccinations. No significant excess morality among girls was noted after exposure to BCG 1.06 (0.67-1.67) or measles 1.34 (0.85-2.12) vaccine. This study supports the contention that DTP vaccination is partially responsible for higher mortality among girls in this study population.
    Growing research on social capital and health has fuelled the debate on whether there is a place effect on health. A central question is whether health inequality between places is due to differences in the composition of people living in... more
    Growing research on social capital and health has fuelled the debate on whether there is a place effect on health. A central question is whether health inequality between places is due to differences in the composition of people living in these places (compositional effect) or differences in the local social and physical environments (contextual effects). Despite extensive use of multilevel approaches that allows controlling for whether the effects of collective social capital are confounded by access to social capital at the individual level, the picture remains unclear. Recent studies indicate that contextual effects on health may vary for different population subgroups and measuring &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;average&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; contextual effects on health for a whole population might therefore be inappropriate. In this study from northern Sweden, we investigated the associations between collective social capital and self-rated health for men and women separately, to understand if health effects of collective social capital are gendered. Two measures of collective social capital were used: one conventional measure (aggregated measures of trust, participation and voting) and one specific place-related (neighbourhood) measure. The results show a positive association between collective social capital and self-rated health for women but not for men. Regardless of the measure used, women who live in very high social capital neighbourhoods are more likely to rate their health as good-fair, compared to women who live in very low social capital neighbourhoods. The health effects of collective social capital might thus be gendered in favour for women. However, a more equal involvement of men and women in the domestic sphere would potentially benefit men in this matter. When controlling for socioeconomic, sociodemographic and social capital attributes at the individual level, the relationship between women&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s health and collective social capital remained statistically significant when using the neighbourhood-related measure but not when using the conventional measure. Our results support the view that a neighbourhood-related measure provides a clearer picture of the health effects of collective social capital, at least for women.
    ABSTRACT The Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) aims at improving empirical understanding of the health and well-being of older adults in low- and middle-income countries. A total of 321 adults aged 50 years and older were... more
    ABSTRACT The Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) aims at improving empirical understanding of the health and well-being of older adults in low- and middle-income countries. A total of 321 adults aged 50 years and older were interviewed in rural Pune district, India, in 2007. We used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine the pathways through which social factors, functional disability, risk behaviours, and chronic disease experience influence self-rated health (SRH) and quality of life (QOL) amongst older adults in India. Both SRH and QOL worsened with increased age (indirect effect) and limitations in functional ability (direct effect). QOL, socio-economic status (SES), and social networking had no significant effect on SRH. Smoking was associated with the presence of at least one chronic illness, but this did not have a statistically significant effect on SRH. Higher social networking was seen amongst the better educated and those with regular income, which in turn positively affected the QOL rating. QOL had a direct, but statistically not significant, effect on SRH. In conclusion, the indirect effects of age on SRH mediated through functional ability, and the effects of SES on QOL mediated through social networking, provide new understanding of how age and socio-economic status affect SRH and QOL. By allowing for measurement errors, solving for collinearity in predictor variables by integrating them into measurement models, and specifying causal dependencies between the underlying latent constructs, SEM provides a strong link between theory and empirics.
    Socioeconomic development has been considered as a solution to the problem of sex differentials at birth and under-five mortality. This paper analyses longitudinal data from the Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS)... more
    Socioeconomic development has been considered as a solution to the problem of sex differentials at birth and under-five mortality. This paper analyses longitudinal data from the Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in north India to check its veracity. A cohort of children born between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011 at Ballabgarh HDSS were followed till death, emigration, 3 years of age or end of the study. Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by caste, parental combined years of schooling and wealth index and divided into low, mid and high strata for each of them. Sex ratio at birth (SRB) was reported as the number of girls per 1000 boys. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were drawn and a Cox Proportional HR of girls over boys was estimated. A total of 12 517 native born children (25 797 child years) were enrolled of which 710 died (death rate of 56.7/1000-live births and 27.5/1000 child-years. Socioeconomically advantaged children had significantly lower death rates. The SRB (10-16% lower) and neonatal death rate were consistently adverse for girls in the advantaged groups by all the three indicators of SES. The first month survival rates were better for girls in the lower SES categories (significant only in caste (HR 0.58; 0.37 to 0.91). High SES categories consistently showed adverse survival rates for girls (HR of 1.22 to 1.59). Better socioeconomic situation worsened the sex differentials, especially at birth. Therefore, specific interventions targeting gender issues are required, at least as a short-term measure.
    The Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) aims to improve empirical understanding of health and well-being of adults in developing countries. We examine the role of self-rated health (SRH) in predicting mortality and assess how... more
    The Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) aims to improve empirical understanding of health and well-being of adults in developing countries. We examine the role of self-rated health (SRH) in predicting mortality and assess how socio-demographic and other disability measures influence this association. In 2007, a shortened SAGE questionnaire was administered to 5087 adults aged ≥50 years under the Health Demographic Surveillance System in rural Pune district, India. Respondents rated their own health with a single global question on SRH. Disability and well-being were assessed using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule Index, Health State Score and quality-of-life score. Respondents were followed up every 6 months till June 2011. Any change in spousal support, migration or death during follow-up was updated in the SAGE dataset. In all, 410 respondents (8%) died in the 3-year follow-up period. Mortality risk was higher with bad/very bad SRH [hazard ratio (HR) in men: 3.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.93-4.87; HR in women: 1.64, 95% CI: 0.94-2.86], independent of age, disability and other covariates. Disability measure (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule Index) and absence of spousal support were also associated with increased mortality risk. Our findings confirm an association between bad/very bad SRH and mortality for men, independent of age, socio-demographic factors and other disability measures, in a rural Indian population. This association loses significance in women when adjusted for disability. Our study highlights the strength of nesting cross-sectional surveys within the context of the Health Demographic Surveillance System in studying the role of SRH and mortality.
    To assess sex-specific differentials in child survival from 1992-2011. We analyzed data from the electronic database of Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in Ballabgarh in North India. Sex ratio at birth was adverse... more
    To assess sex-specific differentials in child survival from 1992-2011. We analyzed data from the electronic database of Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in Ballabgarh in North India. Sex ratio at birth was adverse for girls throughout the study period (821 to 866 girls per 1,000 boys) and was lowest in the period 2004-2006 at 821 girls per 1,000 boys. Overall, under-five mortality rates during the period 1992-2011 remained stagnant due to increasing neonatal mortality rate (9.2 to 27.7 P&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). Mortality rates among girls were consistently and significantly higher than boys during the post-neonatal period (160% to 200% higher) as well as in childhood(160% to 230% higher). Strategies to address the neonatal mortality and gender differences are required for further reductions in child mortality in India.
    This paper aims to assess the subjective quality of life (SQOL) and its correlates among older adults in rural communities of Vietnam and Indonesia. The paper uses the data from the INDEPTH/WHO Study on global aging and adult health... more
    This paper aims to assess the subjective quality of life (SQOL) and its correlates among older adults in rural communities of Vietnam and Indonesia. The paper uses the data from the INDEPTH/WHO Study on global aging and adult health (SAGE). The study was carried out in the FilaBavi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in Vietnam and in Purworejo HDSS in Indonesia. All people aged 50 years and over who lived in these two HDSS areas were surveyed. Face-to-face household interviews were carried out by trained surveyors using the standardized summary version of the INDEPTH/WHO SAGE questionnaire. The SQOL was assessed by asking the respondents &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;How would you rate your overall quality of life?&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; The response set was a five-point scale where 1 = Very good, 2 = Good, 3 = Moderate, 4 = Bad, 5 = Very bad. In both countries, the SQOL was reported to be higher among (i) men; (ii) people with higher education; (iii) people who were in a marital partnership; (iv) people who lived with other family members; and (v) those with higher economic status, compared with that in those of other category(ies) of the same characteristic. In Vietnam, people who belonged to the second to fifth economic quintiles and had more than 6 years of education were sevenfold more likely to report very good/good quality of life compared with those who belonged to the first economic quintile (poorest) and had no formal education. The corresponding figure was 2.7 for Indonesia. The patterns of sociodemographic determinants of SQOL show that inequality in quality of life exists among older adults in the two study settings.
    INTISARI: Latar Belakang: Asap tembakau lingkungan (ETS) mengandung bahan karsinogenik dan iritan yang menyebabkan penyakit pada saluran pernapasan dan penurunan fungsi paru. Prevalensi perokok dalam rumah tangga di Kabupaten Gunungkidul... more
    INTISARI: Latar Belakang: Asap tembakau lingkungan (ETS) mengandung bahan karsinogenik dan iritan yang menyebabkan penyakit pada saluran pernapasan dan penurunan fungsi paru. Prevalensi perokok dalam rumah tangga di Kabupaten Gunungkidul 18,35% ...
    We compared prevalence estimates of self-rated health (SRH) derived indirectly using four different small area estimation methods for the Vadu (small) area from the national Study on Global AGEing (SAGE) survey with estimates derived... more
    We compared prevalence estimates of self-rated health (SRH) derived indirectly using four different small area estimation methods for the Vadu (small) area from the national Study on Global AGEing (SAGE) survey with estimates derived directly from the Vadu SAGE survey. The indirect synthetic estimate for Vadu was 24% whereas the model based estimates were 45.6% and 45.7% with smaller prediction errors and comparable to the direct survey estimate of 50%. The model based techniques were better suited to estimate the prevalence of SRH than the indirect synthetic method. We conclude that a simplified mixed effects regression model can produce valid small area estimates of SRH.
    Background: The expected increase in longevity of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in many countries of the world is a direct result of medical and social advances, which have also extended the longevity of the general... more
    Background: The expected increase in longevity of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in many countries of the world is a direct result of medical and social advances, which have also extended the longevity of the general population. It is important to assess the need for social services for people with ID across different administrative levels to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to where they are most needed. This study estimates the annual prevalence of older people with ID from 2004 to 2012 and in different counties and municipalities in Sweden, by sex and age group; identifies proxy indicators related to the care of older people with ID in different counties in 2012 in Sweden and analyses the spatial distribution and clustering of municipalities with a high prevalence of older people with ID. Methods: Individuals with ID were identified through the national register based on the Swedish Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (the LSS act) and the national death register. This study focuses on older individuals aged 55+ during the period of 2004– 2012. The estimated prevalence was calculated at the county and municipality level and plotted on a municipality-level map. Moran’s I statistics was used to identify any spatial clustering of municipalities with a large number of individuals with ID.
    Results: The prevalence of ID among older individuals aged 55+ in Sweden increased from 2004 to 2012. The prevalence was consistently higher among men, and the gender gap increased slightly in recent years. Age-specific prevalence estimates showed ID to be higher in younger age groups, and the gender gap decreased in older age groups. The prevalence was higher in northern counties in Sweden (over 500 individuals per 100 000 population aged 55+). Higher prevalence areas were clustered in northern municipalities, whereas municipalities with high prevalence of older individuals with ID in the middle and southern regions of Sweden demon- strated a more widespread distribution.
    Conclusions: The existence of clusters of counties with a high prevalence of older individuals with ID necessitates further assessment of how resources have been allocated to different counties and municipalities in Sweden. Investigations of the quality of social services provided to individuals with ID across different counties in Sweden are warranted. It is important to ensure that high quality supports are being provided to older individuals with ID in order to grant them the same right to healthy ageing as their counterparts living without ID throughout their life course.

    Keywords clustering, developmental disorder, healthy ageing, intellectual disability, learning disability, Sweden
    Research Interests:
    An accurate early warning system to predict impending epidemics enhances the effectiveness of preventive measures against dengue fever. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a forecasting model that could predict dengue cases... more
    An accurate early warning system to predict impending epidemics enhances the effectiveness of preventive measures against dengue fever. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a forecasting model that could predict dengue cases and provide timely early warning in Singapore.
    Abstract A population-based surveys were carried out in two demographic surveillance sites (DSSs) in Vietnam and Indonesia using the WHO STEPS approach to surveillance of non-communicable disease risk factors in order to characterize... more
    Abstract A population-based surveys were carried out in two demographic surveillance sites (DSSs) in Vietnam and Indonesia using the WHO STEPS approach to surveillance of non-communicable disease risk factors in order to characterize smoking epidemics in rural communities of Vietnam and Indonesia by identifying associations between socio-economic status and changes in smoking status among adult populations.
    Background A dengue early warning system aims to prevent a dengue outbreak by providing an accurate prediction of a rise in dengue cases and sufficient time to allow timely decisions and preventive measures to be taken by local... more
    Background A dengue early warning system aims to prevent a dengue outbreak by providing an accurate prediction of a rise in dengue cases and sufficient time to allow timely decisions and preventive measures to be taken by local authorities. This study seeks to identify the optimal lead time for warning of dengue cases in Singapore given the duration required by a local authority to curb an outbreak.
    Background Relating Information on causes of deaths to implementation of health interventions provides vital information for program planning and evaluation. This paper from Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS)... more
    Background Relating Information on causes of deaths to implementation of health interventions provides vital information for program planning and evaluation. This paper from Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in north India looks at temporal trends and gender differentials in the causes of death among under-five children. Methods Data on causes of death for 1972-74, 1982-84, 1992-94, 2002-04 were taken from existing HDSS publications and database.
    Background The prevalence of smoking in Sweden has decreased in recent decades, and is now among the lowest in the world. During the same period, the use of Swedish moist oral snuff, a smokeless tobacco called snus, has increased. Few... more
    Background The prevalence of smoking in Sweden has decreased in recent decades, and is now among the lowest in the world. During the same period, the use of Swedish moist oral snuff, a smokeless tobacco called snus, has increased. Few studies have evaluated time trends of the socioeconomic and geographic characteristics of snus users in Sweden. This paper contributes to filling that gap.
    Abstract Climate change is one of today's most pressing global issues. Policies to guide mitigation and adaptation are needed to avoid the devastating impacts of climate change. The health sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse... more
    Abstract Climate change is one of today's most pressing global issues. Policies to guide mitigation and adaptation are needed to avoid the devastating impacts of climate change. The health sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries, and its climate impact in low-income countries is growing steadily.
    OBJECTIVE: To document smoking patterns among tuberculosis (TB) patients before diagnosis and following treatment, to identify smoking-related messages given by health professionals and DOTS providers and to identify predictors of smoking... more
    OBJECTIVE: To document smoking patterns among tuberculosis (TB) patients before diagnosis and following treatment, to identify smoking-related messages given by health professionals and DOTS providers and to identify predictors of smoking relapse. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of 239 male TB patients completed DOTS-based treatment during 2005-2006. Subjects were interviewed at home using a semi-structured questionnaire. Female patients were excluded, as very few smoke.
    Background High cholesterol is identified as a major risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Monitoring trends of cholesterol levels and comparing trends across population... more
    Background High cholesterol is identified as a major risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Monitoring trends of cholesterol levels and comparing trends across population groups are important to assess population distribution and risks related to cholesterol change over time. Cholesterol surveillance data are lacking, even in high-income countries.
    Abstract Background: Improving maternal health is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals. It is widely accepted that the use of maternal health services helps in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. The utilization of... more
    Abstract Background: Improving maternal health is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals. It is widely accepted that the use of maternal health services helps in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. The utilization of maternal health services is a complex phenomenon and it is influenced by several factors. Therefore, the factors at different levels affecting the use of these services need to be clearly understood.
    Background Availability of longitudinal data on hypertension and blood pressure levels are important to assess changes over time at the population level. Moreover, detailed information in different population sub-groups is important to... more
    Background Availability of longitudinal data on hypertension and blood pressure levels are important to assess changes over time at the population level. Moreover, detailed information in different population sub-groups is important to understand inequity and social determinants of blood pressure distribution in the population.
    Background Empirical studies on the association between self-rated health (SRH) and subsequent mortality are generally lacking in low-and middle-income countries. The evidence on whether socio-economic status and education modify this... more
    Background Empirical studies on the association between self-rated health (SRH) and subsequent mortality are generally lacking in low-and middle-income countries. The evidence on whether socio-economic status and education modify this association is inconsistent. This study aims to fill these gaps using longitudinal data from a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site in Indonesia.

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