Hospital admissions and length of stay for coronary disease in an Aboriginal cohort

Drinking risk varies within and between Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander samples: a meta-analysis to identify sources of heterogeneity

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To reduce health and social inequities, it is important to understand how drinking patterns vary within and between Indigenous peoples. We aimed to assess variability in estimates of Indigenous Australian drinking patterns and to identify demographic and methodological factors associated with this.

DESIGN

A three-level meta-analysis of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ('Indigenous') drinking patterns [International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) no. CRD42018103209].

SETTING

Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Indigenous Australians.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcomes extracted were drinking status, single-occasion risk and life-time risk. Moderation analysis was performed to identify potential sources of heterogeneity. Moderators included gender, age, socio-economic status, local alcohol restrictions, sample population, remoteness, Australian state or territory, publication year, Indigenous involvement in survey design or delivery and cultural adaptations.

FINDINGS

A systematic review of the literature revealed 41 eligible studies. For all primary outcomes, considerable heterogeneity was identified within ( I22 = 51.39-68.80%) and between ( I32 = 29.27-47.36%) samples. The pooled proportions (P) of current drinkers [P = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.53-0.65], single-occasion (P = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.24-0.44) and life-time (P = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15-0.29) risk were all moderated by gender, age, remoteness and measurement tool. Reference period moderated proportions of participants at single-occasion risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Indigenous Australian drinking patterns vary within and between communities. Initiatives to reduce high-risk drinking should take account of this variability.

Two distinct training methods for a doctrine of life with healthy heart in a low socioeconomic society model

This study was conducted in three stages in a semi-rural region of Eskisehir, Turkey. In the first stage, individuals selected by random sampling were evaluated for cardiovascular disease risk factors. In the second stage, Group I and Group II training materials were randomly distributed. In the third stage, the subjects were screened one year later to assess and determine if there had been any changes in their attitudes towards the dangers of cardiovascular diseases. The number of active smokers significantly decreased after the training in the both groups. The percentage of people with regulated blood pressure exhibited an increase in Group II more than Group I.