Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health

High prevalence of low back pain (LBP) has been reported among farmers. A number of contributing factors have been associated with LBP. However, predictors for LBP in this population are unknown. This longitudinally designed study aimed to identify the predictors of LBP in a sample of rubber farmers whose work involves heavy manual labor. Three hundred and twenty-seven rubber farmers, aged 18 to 70 years who reported no LBP in the previous year, were face-to-face interviewed and examined physically. The incidence of LBP was assessed monthly. The 12-month incidence of LBP in the cohort was 35%. Having a history of LBP (hazard ratio = 1.55, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-2.30) and an active job (hazard ratio = 1.98, 95% confidence interval = 1.16-3.40) were the predictors for the new onset of LBP in this sample. These 2 factors could therefore potentially be targeted to prevent or reduce the incidence of LBP in rubber farmers.

This study aimed to examine the association of depression with metabolic syndrome and to investigate levels of awareness and treatment of depression in Korean adults. We analyzed data extracted from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014 and 2016) using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression screening instrument. Among the survey participants, 10 459 were selected for data analysis. Of them, 7.2% had depression, 24.4% had metabolic syndrome, and 10.0% had both depression and metabolic syndrome. Among those with depression, 33.1% were aware of their condition and 25.7% received treatment, with significant differences found between those with and without metabolic syndrome. The mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores significantly increased with the number of metabolic syndrome components (F = 6.06, P = <.001). In logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) for depression with metabolic syndrome was 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-1.76). For the number of metabolic syndrome components, having 2 (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.01-1.86), 3 (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.12-2.21), 4 (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.32-2.87), and 5 (OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.38-3.46) conditions significantly increased the OR for depression. Including depression in the management of metabolic syndrome could help make people with depression more aware of their condition.

Differences in sociodemographic variables, health beliefs, and a healthy lifestyle all contribute to the varied prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We investigated the associations among MetS-related risk factors and performed a cross-sectional study, recruiting 1741 Taiwanese residents aged ≥30 years, between August 2014 and August 2015. Data were obtained on sociodemographic factors, health beliefs, and health-promoting lifestyle profiles using questionnaires. Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥65 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17), low educational level (OR = 1.46), body mass index ≥24 kg/m² (OR = 9.00), more health responsibility (OR = 1.08), and less exercise (OR = 0.924) were independent risk factors for MetS development. A correlation existed between health beliefs and health-promoting lifestyle profiles, suggesting that the establishment of an effective health-promoting program should consider participants’ health beliefs.

Objective. Assault is a global public health issue that affects individuals of all ages. This study describes the epidemiological profile of assault-related hospitalization and health outcomes across different age groups in New South Wales, Australia. Methods. Population-based linked hospitalization and mortality data from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2014, were used to identify assault-related hospitalizations. Age-standardized rates were calculated and health outcomes were examined by age group. Results. There were 22 579 hospitalizations due to assault, with an age-standardized rate of 55.9 per 100 000 population (95% confidence interval = 55.2 to 56.70). Assault by bodily force (63.1%) and by sharp or blunt objects (21.6%) were the most common injury mechanisms. Individuals above 60 years had the highest mean hospital length of stay at 7.3 days, 30- and 90-day mortality, and average hospitalization costs at $9757. Conclusion. The findings have important implications in informing the development and strategies to reduce assault-related incidents in the community.

In Bangladesh, policy discourse has mostly focused on regional inequities in health, including child immunization coverage. Knowledge of local geographical and contextual factors within regions, however, becomes pertinent in efforts to address these inequities. We used the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 to examine factors that influence intraregional differences in vaccination coverage using a multilevel analysis. We found that in spite of the provision of health facilities at each level of administrative governance, only distance to the Upazilla Health Complex was a consistent predictor for each dose of vaccine, highlighting the remote locations of the communities that remain underserved. Our analysis demonstrates the value of subregional analyses that identify the characteristics of communities that are vulnerable to incomplete immunization coverage. Unless specific policy actions are taken to increase coverage in these remote areas, geographic inequities are likely to persist within regions, and desired targets will not be achieved.

This study aims to determine tuberculosis incidence, all-cause mortality, and its associated factors among health care workers (HCWs) registered in 2012 to 2014 with the Malaysian National Tuberculosis (MyTB) Surveillance Registry. Regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with all-cause mortality. Incidence rates ranged from 135.18 to 156.50/100 000 and were higher for HCWs compared with the general population (risk ratio = 1.70-1.96). The mean age at notification was 34.6 ± 10.55 years; 68.9% were female. Most were paramedics (44.3%) followed by other HCWs (41.9%) and doctors (13.8%). Nearly a quarter (23.8%) had extrapulmonary tuberculosis. There were 23 deaths giving a case fatality rate of 2.4%. Factors associated with death were older age (odds ratio [OR] =1.05; confidence interval [CI] =1.01-1.10), diabetes (OR = 3.83; CI = 1.32-11.08), HIV positivity (OR = 18.16; CI = 4.60-71.68), and not receiving directly observed therapy (DOTS) (OR = 10.97; CI = 3.61-33.38). It is important for HCWs to be aware of these increased risks and for authorities to implement protective measures.

The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and associated risk factors among adults in a rural community of Thailand. A prospective cohort study was conducted in a rural community of Thailand. Among 1358 nondiabetics ≥18 years, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was measured at baseline in 2008 to 2010 and at follow-up evaluation in 2015. After follow-up of 5213 person-years, 122 new cases of T2DM were ascertained corresponding to cumulative incidence of 23.40 per 1000 person-years. The independent factors associated with T2DM were age, male, prehypertension, hypertension, waist circumference, and impaired FPG. The incidence of T2DM in Thailand is high, and many risk factors are converging. The focus of public health efforts should be on abdominal obesity, hypertension, and impaired FPG. Special attention in terms of preventive strategies must be paid to individuals with impaired FPG, as this state is the most prominent predictor of developing T2DM.

The use of universal body mass index (BMI) cutoffs do not take into account variation in the association between BMI and health risk across diverse ethnic groups. We used the New Zealand Health Survey data collected between 2002/2003 and 2014/2015 to calculate the predictive marginal means of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after adjusting for demographic variables and health-related behaviors. Compared with European group, we found that Pacific had a lower prevalence of hypertension at a BMI of ≥35 kg/m², and Māori had a higher prevalence of hypertension, T2DM, and cardiovascular diseases at higher BMI intervals. Whereas Asian had a higher T2DM prevalence compared with Māori, Pacific, and European at some BMI intervals. Using universal BMI cutoffs on the ethnically diverse population to compare obesity rates does not address the risk of chronic diseases associated with high BMI and may stigmatize certain ethnic groups.