Background Although several studies have investigated temperature-related mortality and morbidity, only a little is known about the short-term effects of temperature on ambulance dispatches. We aimed to conduct the first nationwide analysis of the association between temperatures and ambulance dispatches in Europe, including, for the first time, a detailed description of age-specific risks for 10-year

Background The COVID-19 pandemic induced an unprecedented response from the scientific research community. Previous studies have described disruption of the norms of academic publishing during this time. This study uses an epidemiological statistical toolkit alongside machine-learning methods to investigate the functioning of the scientific information-generation and -consumption ecosystem throughout

Background Maternal pre-pregnancy diabetes is associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Few large, cohort studies have assessed associations with a wide large range of causes of infant death. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all singleton live births to women aged 18–49 years in the US National Vital Statistics System from 2011 to 2020. Multivariable Poisson regression

Hybrid effectiveness–implementation studies have emerged to address design challenges that researchers face when assessing evidence-based intervention implementation in real-world settings. Hybrid studies maximize the usefulness of effectiveness studies by allowing both effectiveness and implementation research questions to be included in the same study, regardless of the research design (observational

Background Features of neighbourhoods affect body mass index (BMI) but this has been poorly acknowledged within the highly heterogeneous and unequal contexts of Latin American cities. We evaluated associations between social, built, and natural environment characteristics of neighbourhoods with BMI, and investigated whether these associations were modified by individual socioeconomic position (SEP)

BACKGROUND Early alcohol use is hazardous to health and restrictions to age at first drink (AFD) is a cornerstone of public health policy in many nations. We explored the long-term impact of AFD on mortality after early adulthood in community-dwelling Koreans. METHODS A cohort of 36 159 adults aged 35-64 years from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, linked to cause-of-death

BACKGROUND To explore the syndemic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic by identifying which subpopulations in the United States (US) suffered the greatest losses in life expectancy (LE) in 2020 and 2021, and to which extent these losses can be attributed to COVID-19 and 'other' causes of death. METHODS We analysed individual death records for 2018-2021 from the National Vital Statistics System and population

BACKGROUND Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) are increasingly recognized and utilized in epidemiology studies and drug development. A critical step in designing DCTs is determining the sample size-a topic that is insufficiently covered in the literature. This paper aims to propose a sample-size-calculation method for designing DCTs. METHODS A key challenge in analysing DCTs is that data collected

A lively debate exists on how best to incorporate repeated measurements of an outcome in a statistical analysis. Two popular approaches are change-score analyses (the difference in baseline and follow-up outcome measurements are regressed on the exposure) and baseline adjustment (in which baseline outcomes are included as a covariate in a regression model). In this article, we compare both through

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is the age-related involuntary loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. Many factors, such as ageing and behaviour, may affect the risk of sarcopenia. However, no study had confirmed the association between cumulative exposure to smoking and the risk of developing sarcopenia. Therefore, in this study we investigated the association between cumulative smoking exposure and the

BACKGROUND We investigated the relationship between loneliness and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older adults from the USA and South Korea. We conducted counterfactual mediation analyses to explore the potential mediation of this relationship by health behaviors. METHODS We used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 13 073) from the USA and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA; n = 8311)

BACKGROUND In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed a planetary, healthy, and reference diet, designed to reduce the global health-environmental double burden of current dietary patterns. We aim to investigate the association between the EAT-Lancet reference diet and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. METHODS This observational and prospective web-based study was conducted using data from 88 964 adults

BACKGROUND Early onset of menarche is associated with hormonal alterations that may predispose women to diabetes. We investigated the association between age at menarche and incident diabetes in India, a setting with declining menarche age and increasing burden of diabetes. METHODS Data were from the Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia study. Women free of diabetes at baseline (2010-12) were

BACKGROUND Before the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in Mexico stagnated from the early 2000s, mainly due to increased homicides. During the pandemic, Mexico experienced sizable excess mortality. We aimed to assess the contribution of violence, COVID-19, and causes of death that were amenable to healthcare to life-expectancy changes between 2015 and 2022 in Mexico. METHODS We used administrative

Background The findings regarding mortality risk attributable to psychosocial and physical work demands are inconsistent. Pooled estimates using participant-level data from multiple cohort studies may provide more conclusive evidence. Methods Four prospective cohort studies conducted in England, Finland, France, and the USA were used (age 36–62 years; n = 41 760). We studied 34 903 and 36 076 individuals

Background According to textbook guidance, satisfying the well-defined intervention assumption is key for estimating causal effects. However, no studies have systematically evaluated how the assumption is addressed in research. Thus, we reviewed how researchers using g-methods or targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) interpreted and addressed the well-defined intervention assumption in epidemiological

Background Large biomedical datasets, including electronic health records (EHRs), are a significant source of epidemiologic data. To prepare an EHR for analysis, there are several data-cleaning approaches; here, we focus on data filtering. Common data-filtering methods employ rules that rely on data from socially constructed dominant populations but are inappropriate for marginalized populations, leading

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) clinical case definitions for pneumonia were designed to prioritize sensitivity over specificity. In sub-Saharan Africa, the disease that is most likely to be misclassified as pneumonia is Plasmodium falciparum malaria. METHODS By using chest X-ray positivity as an indicator for pneumonia, we estimated the extent of pneumonia misclassification due to malaria

OBJECTIVE To explore time trends in abortion based on method used and characteristics associated with method type by uniquely linking social and behavioral data reported by a population-based cohort of young Australian women. METHODS We analysed self-reported data from 16 993 women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health 1989-95 cohort, aged 18-24 years at recruitment in 2013, linked

BACKGROUND Australia is one of several countries aiming to achieve a commercial tobacco endgame, with a current target of ≤5% daily smoking prevalence by 2030. Like other jurisdictions, the Australian target ignores large variations in smoking across sociodemographic groups and risks perpetuating current smoking-related inequities. To help mitigate this risk, we calculated future smoking rates under

BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported simple differences in extreme temperature-related health risks by low socioeconomic status; however, few have examined in depth the double disparities in the socially marginalized people by age groups, sexes, disabilities, and causes of hospitalization. This study examined (i) the differences between heat- and cold-related risks on hospitalization between people

BACKGROUND This is the first large-scale longitudinal study of children that describes the temporal trajectories of an extensive collection of metabolic measures that are relevant for lifelong cardiometabolic risk. We also provide a comprehensive picture on how metabolism develops into mature adult sex-specific phenotypes. METHODS Children born in 1962-92 were recruited by three European studies (n = 20 377

BACKGROUND We evaluated the effectiveness of text message reminders on the timely administration of birth dose vaccines among newborns in Viwandani urban informal settlement in Nairobi County, Kenya. METHODS In a pilot stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial, we sequentially randomized pregnant women to receive text message reminders or routine care. Three standardized text messages were sent notifying

BACKGROUND High levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the effects of Lp(a)-lowering therapy in combination with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering treatment or lifestyle improvements on CVD risk remain unexplored. METHODS We conducted a factorial Mendelian randomization study among 385 917 participants

BACKGROUND Published studies rarely assess associations between trajectories of drinking and mortality. METHODS We aimed to assess associations between long-term sex-specific drinking trajectories and all-cause and disease-specific mortality for 39 588 participants (23 527 women; 16 061 men) enrolled in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study in 1990-94 aged 40-69 years. Cox regression was used to

MOTIVATION The case-cohort design only requires covariate measurements for individuals experiencing the outcome of interest (cases) and individuals in a subcohort randomly selected from the cohort. Stratified subcohort sampling and calibration of the design weights increase efficiency of relative hazard and pure risk estimates, but require specifically adapted variance estimators. Yet, the 'robust'

BACKGROUND Although smoking is considered the primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), there is a growing realization that there may be important secondary risk factors. Tuberculosis may lead to lung impairment; however, whether residual lung damage results in clinically significant, long-term outcomes, independent of smoking, has not been well studied. We aimed to investigate

BACKGROUND In countries with limited civil registration and vital statistics systems, assessing the impact of health crises requires precise retrospective mortality data. We tested whether calendar methods improve survey or census data on dates of recent household deaths registered in a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). METHODS Between April and June 2023, we randomized 578 households

BACKGROUND Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. For many patients, treatment involves long-term medication in order to reduce symptoms, regulate behaviour, and, hopefully, improve school performance and achievement. However, there is little to no evidence to support a long-term effect on the latter complex outcomes. METHODS

Background This study assesses the national distribution of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure across socioeconomic status (SES) and its confounding on long-term PM2.5 mortality in Korea, aiming to minimize SES influence. Methods A nationwide cohort of 5% of Koreans, aged 30 or older, from 2007 to 2019, from the National Health Information Database, was analysed. PM2.5 exposure levels

Observational studies play an increasingly important role in estimating causal effects of a treatment or an exposure, especially with the growing availability of routinely collected real-world data. To facilitate drawing causal inference from observational data, we introduce a conceptual framework centered around “four targets”—target estimand, target population, target trial, and target validity.

Background Immortal time is a period of follow-up during which death or the study outcome cannot occur by design. Bias from immortal time has been increasingly recognized in epidemiological studies. However, the fundamental causes and structures of bias from immortal time have not been explained systematically. Methods We use an example ‘Does winning a Nobel Prize prolong lifespan?’ for illustration

Background Billions of dollars have been spent implementing regulations to reduce traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from exhaust pipe emissions. However, few health studies have evaluated the change in TRAP emissions and associations with infant health outcomes. We hypothesize that the magnitude of association between vehicle exposure measures and adverse birth outcomes has decreased over time,

Background Mammographic breast density has been suggested to play a role as a mediator between the risk factors for breast cancer (BC) and BC risk. We investigated the extent to which never breastfeeding is a risk factor for BC and how this risk is further mediated by increased mammographic breast density. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 4 136 723 women aged ≥40 years who underwent

BACKGROUND Using longitudinal ultrasounds as an improved fetal growth marker, we aimed to investigate if increased postnatal growth following fetal abdominal circumference (AC) growth deceleration is associated with improved child cognition. METHODS Among 797 term-born singletons in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort, we derived 2nd-3rd trimester fetal AC growth z-score

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality from some chronic diseases increased. In this study, we evaluated monthly excess mortality from all causes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes during the months of 2020 and 2021, examining its relationship with COVID-19 cases. METHODS Monthly cause-specific mortality data were downloaded from public repositories of national statistics

BACKGROUND Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately burdened by the HIV epidemic in the USA. The effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing HIV infection has been demonstrated through randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials in several populations. Importantly, no such trial has been conducted exclusively among Black MSM in the USA, and it would be unethical

BACKGROUND Air pollution is one of the leading risk factors for hypertension globally. However, limited epidemiological evidence exists in developing countries, specifically with indigenous health data and for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) composition. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap in India. METHODS Using a logistic regression model, we estimated the association between hypertension (systolic