Weekdays' sleeping condition and its influence on occurrence of general malaise in Japanese children aged 10 to 12 years

The present study aimed to elucidate weekdays' sleeping condition and its influence on occurrence of general malaise in children. A total of 761 Japanese children aged 10 to 12 years were surveyed regarding their weekdays' waking time and bedtime and general malaise using a self-administered questionnaire. As the result of hierarchical cluster analysis on the sleep condition, the participants were classified into three clusters. Sleep duration was significantly longer in cluster 1 (9.35 ± 0.52 h) than in clusters 2 (7.83 ± 0.77 h) and 3 (9.02 ± 0.30 h) and significantly longer in cluster 3 than in cluster 2. Waking time was significantly later in cluster 3 (7:01 ± 0:12) than in clusters 1 (6:22 ± 0:31) and 2 (6:24 ± 0:33, p < 0.001). Bedtime was significantly later in cluster 2 (22:34 ± 0:47) than in clusters 3 (21:59 ± 0:19) and 1 (21:01 ± 0:22) and significantly later in cluster 3 than in cluster 1. There were significantly more subjects in cluster 2 than in clusters 1 and 3 who responded "nearly every day" or "occasionally" to the five of seven questionnaires related to general malaise. The current results indicate that in Japanese children aged 10 to 12 years, (1) sleeping condition of weekdays are classified into three clusters with different mean values for each of sleep duration, bedtime, and waking time, and (2) the occurrence of general malaise may be enhanced in individuals whose sleep duration is less than 8 h.

Patient and family financial burden associated with cancer treatment in Canada: a national study

GOAL

To determine patient-reported financial and family burden associated with treatment of cancer in the previous 28 days across Canada.

METHODS

A self-administered questionnaire (P-SAFE v7.2.4) was completed by 901 patients with cancer from twenty cancer centres nationally (344 breast, 183 colorectal, 158 lung, 216 prostate) measuring direct and indirect costs related to cancer treatment and foregone care. Monthly self-reported out-of-pocket-costs (OOPCs) included drugs, homecare, homemaking, complementary/ alternative medicines, vitamins/supplements, family care, accommodations, devices, and "other" costs. Travel and parking costs were captured separately. Patients indicated if OOPC, travel, parking, and lost income were a financial burden.

RESULTS

Mean 28-day OOPCs were CA$518 (US Purchase Price Parity [PPP] $416), plus CA$179 (US PPP $144) for travel and CA$84 (US PPP $67) for parking. Patients self-reporting high financial burden had total OOPCs (33%), of CA$961 (US PPP $772), while low-burden participants (66%) had OOPCs of CA$300 (US PPP $241). "Worst burden" respondents spent a mean of 50.7% of their monthly income on OOPCs (median 20.8%). Among the 29.4% who took time off work, patients averaged 18.0 days off. Among the 26.0% of patients whose caregivers took time off work, caregivers averaged 11.5 days off. Lastly, 41% of all patients had to reduce spending. Fifty-two per cent of those who reduced spending were families earning < CA$50,000/year.

CONCLUSIONS

In our Canadian sample, high levels of financial burden exist for 33% of patients, and the severity of burden is higher for those with lower household incomes.

Addressing future work ability of employees in GP consultations: results of a cross-sectional study

Objectives

In this study we examined to what extent members of a best-practice integrated healthcare model in Germany discussed their subjective future work ability with their general practitioner (GP); furthermore, we examined independent variables which explain whether future work ability is discussed.

Methods

In a cross-sectional survey, 1168 (out of 3218 invited) integrated healthcare members responded to a standardized questionnaire. This study includes n = 475 employed respondents who were at most 65 years old. We determined the (relative) frequency of employed members up to 65 years who had already discussed their subjective future work ability with their GP. By means of logistic regression analysis, explanatory variables were identified which statistically explained the discussion of future work ability with their GP.

Results

N = 80 (16.8%) respondents stated they had discussed their future work ability with their GP. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed the following results: The odds ratio for discussing future work ability is increased the more satisfied respondents are with their general practitioner, the worse they assess their current work ability in relation to the physical demands of the job, and when respondents suffer from one or more chronic diseases (Nagelkerke’s pseudo-R² = 0.13).

Conclusions

Even in this healthcare setting, employees up to the age of 65 rarely discussed their subjective future work ability with their GP. This suggests that the issue ‘future work ability’ is even less commonly discussed in other community-based care settings in Germany. It seems that health care providers involved in acute care only sporadically take this issue into consideration - despite the great importance of maintaining work ability.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12995-021-00299-y.

A dataset about anthropometric measurements of the Pakistani children and adolescents using a cross-sectional multi-ethnic anthropometric survey

Evaluation of nutritional status is necessary during childhood and the juvenile years when the level of hydration and the adipose tissues experience significant changes. Anthropometric measurements and their derived indices are valid proxies to predict body fat, obesity (general or central) and their associated cardiovascular risks. The dataset under consideration also provides the socio-demographic related information and anthropometric measurement values related to height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HpC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), neck circumference (NC), and wrist circumference (WrC). Standard procedure was adopted for quantifying the body measurements. The data were consisting of 10,782 children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, belonging four major cities of Pakistan viz. Multan, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. This dataset is beneficial to develop anthropometric growth charts which will provide the essential knowledge of growth and nutritional disorders (e.g., stunted, overweight and obesity) of Pakistani children and adolescents. The dataset can also be used by researchers to calculate body surface area (BSA), body frame size (BFS), body shape index (BSI), and tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) of children and adolescents that are also some other reliable indicators of obesity and insulin resistance as well as cardiometabolic risk in children and adults.

Exploring perceptions toward home-care robots for older people in Finland, Ireland, and Japan: A comparative questionnaire study

PURPOSE

To clarify potential users' perceptions toward the development and social implementation of home-care robots in Japan, Ireland, and Finland.

METHODS

Unsigned, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to adults aged 65 or older, family caregivers, and home-care/health and social care professionals (HSCPs). A total of 1004 responses were collected.

RESULTS

In Japan, many people were already familiar with robots in their daily lives. The most notable finding about their perspectives on home-care robots was related to safety. Moreover, 93.7 % of the Japanese respondents said, "If the user cannot decide whether to use a home-care robot, family members who know the user well should decide," followed by 76.4 % in Ireland and 83.1 % in Finland (p < .001). In Ireland, 81.8 % of the respondents said, "I want to help other people and society by participating in the research and development of home-care robots" (Japan: 69.9 %; Finland: 67.5 %) (p = .006). In Finland, many people had a negative impression of robots compared to the other two countries. Finland had the highest percentage (75.4 %) of respondents who said, "Health care professionals should be allowed to use secondary information collected by a home-care robot" (Japan and Ireland: 64 %) (p = .024). Moreover, Ireland and Finland emphasized the need to guarantee the entitlement to receive human care.

CONCLUSIONS

Devising optimal strategies for the development and social implementation of home-care robots by incorporating various perspectives while valuing human dignity will require examination of each country's characteristics with respect to history, culture, policies, and values related to robots.

Mixing mixed-mode designs in a national health interview survey: a pilot study to assess the impact on the self-administered questionnaire non-response

BACKGROUND

Many population health surveys consist of a mixed-mode design that includes a face-to-face (F2F) interview followed by a paper-and-pencil (P&P) self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) for the sensitive topics. In order to alleviate the burden of a supplementary P&P questioning after the interview, a mixed-mode SAQ design including a web and P&P option was tested for the Belgian health interview survey.

METHODS

A pilot study (n = 266, age 15+) was organized using a mixed-mode SAQ design following the F2F interview. Respondents were invited to complete a web SAQ either immediately after the interview or at a later time. The P&P option was offered in case respondents refused or had previously declared having no computer access, no internet connection or no recent usage of computers. The unit response rate for the web SAQ and the overall unit response rate for the SAQ independent of the mode were evaluated. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association of socio-demographic characteristics and interviewer effects with the completed SAQ mode. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis assessed the differential user-friendliness of the SAQ modes. Finally, a logistic multilevel model was used to evaluate the item non-response in the two SAQ modes while controlling for respondents' characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the eligible F2F respondents in this study, 76% (107/140) agreed to complete the web SAQ. Yet among those, only 78.5% (84/107) actually did. At the end, the overall (web and P&P) SAQ unit response rate reached 73.5%. In this study older people were less likely to complete the web SAQ. Indications for an interviewer effect were observed as regard the number of web respondents, P&P respondents and respondents who refused to complete the SAQ. The web SAQ scored better in terms of user-friendliness and presented higher item response than the P&P SAQ.

CONCLUSIONS

The web SAQ performed better regarding user-friendliness and item response than the P&P SAQ but the overall SAQ unit response rate was low. Therefore, future research is recommended to further assess which type of SAQ design implemented after a F2F interview is the most beneficial to obtain high unit and item response rates.

Translation and validation of a Hebrew version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index

BACKGROUND

The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability index (WOSI) is a questionnaire designed to measure health-related quality of life in patients with shoulder instability. The aim of the current study was to translate the WOSI into Hebrew and assess its psychometric properties.

METHODS

The WOSI was translated into Hebrew according to World Health Organization guidelines. Twenty-five patients completed the WOSI and the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire 2 weeks and 2 months after surgical shoulder stabilization. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α), criterion validity (Pearson's correlation coefficient with DASH), responsiveness, and floor and ceiling effects were assessed.

RESULTS

Cronbach's α was 0.88-0.95 for total WOSI (range 0.68-0.95 for different sections). Strong correlation with DASH score (r = 0.76-0.84) indicated good criterion validity. Changes between baseline and follow-up for WOSI and DASH scores were moderately correlated (r = 0.68), suggesting moderate responsiveness. Some items demonstrated floor and ceiling effects, especially at baseline, but no floor or ceiling effects were observed for total WOSI or for the WOSI sections.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study demonstrate that the Hebrew version of the WOSI is a valid instrument that can be used to assess disability in patients with shoulder instability. Additional studies are warranted to assess its psychometric properties among various subpopulations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was pre-registered at the ClinicalTrials.gov website, registration number NCT02978365 .

Translation and validation of the French version of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI): WOSI-Fr

INTRODUCTION

The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI) is a specific self-administered questionnaire measuring the functional impact on patients with chronic glenohumeral instability. In its English version, it is valid, reliable, and sensitive to change. The objective of the present study was to provide a linguistic and cross-cultural adaptation of the original version of the WOSI to French and to assess the metrologic properties of this version in patients with chronic shoulder instability.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The WOSI was translated and adapted both linguistically and culturally to French (WOSI-Fr) according to current guidelines. The metrologic properties of the WOSI-Fr were analyzed in the following groups - unoperated patients with chronic shoulder instability (UOG), operated patients with chronic shoulder instability (OG), patients with instability (TotG=UOG+OG), and control patients (ContG) - through analysis of the construct validity by comparing the WOSI-Fr with the Rowe, Walch-Duplay, QuickDASH, and VAS pain scores, and through analysis of reliability through the reproducibility of internal consistency.

RESULTS

The WOSI-Fr version was established and then accepted by an expert group (n=7). There was a statistically significant correlation between the WOSI and the different pain and function scores for TotG, OG, and UOG (except with the VAS pain score and the QuickDASH for UOG). Reproducibility (n=27) was good: the ICC value for the total score was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.47-0.98), varying from 0.80 to 0.94 according to the four domains of the WOSI-Fr, and from 0.70 to 0.94 for the different items separately. For TotG, Cronbach's alpha was 0.953, the SEM and the MDC were 120.2 (5.7%) and 333 (15.9%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The French version of the WOSI (WOSI-Fr) is available, adapted linguistically and culturally, valid, and reliable. We recommend using it in following up patients with shoulder instability.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prospective, level 2.

The development of the SGI-16: a shortened sensory gating deficit and distractibility questionnaire for adults with ADHD

The Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI) is a questionnaire composed of 36 items designed to investigate abnormal perception related to the inability to control sensitivity to sensory stimuli frequently reported in adult with ADHD. This questionnaire can be considered too lengthy to be taken by people with ADHD, and a shortened version is needed. One hundred and sixty-three adults with ADHD responded to the SGI-36. An item reduction process took into account both the results of statistical analyses and the expertise of a steering committee. Construct validity, reliability, and external validity were tested for a short version (16 items). The structure of the SGI-16 was confirmed by principal components factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.78 to 0.89. The SGI-16 dimension scores were highly correlated with their respective SGI-36 dimension scores. The SGI-16 seems to be both appropriate and useful for use in clinical practice to investigate perceptual abnormalities in adults with ADHD.

Design and validation of a self-administered questionnaire as an aid to detection of occupational exposure to lung carcinogens

OBJECTIVE

Ten to thirty percent of lung cancer is thought to be of occupational origin. Lung cancer is under-declared as an occupational disease in Europe, and most declarations of occupational disease concern asbestos. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a short, sensitive self-administered questionnaire, as an aid for physicians in detecting occupational exposure to asbestos and other lung carcinogens in order to remedy occupational lung cancer under-declaration.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A short (30-question) self-administered questionnaire was drawn up by oncologist-pneumologists and occupational physicians, covering situations of exposure to proven and probable lung carcinogens. Understanding and acceptability were assessed on 15 lung cancer patients. Validity and reliability were assessed on 70 lung cancer patients by comparison against a semi-directive questionnaire considered as gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed by comparing responses to items on the two questionnaires. Reliability was assessed by analysing the kappa concordance coefficient for items on the two questionnaires.

RESULTS

Sensitivity was 0.85 and specificity 0.875. Concordance between responses on the two questionnaires was 85.7%, with a kappa coefficient of 0.695 [0.52-0.87]. Mean self-administration time was 3.1 min (versus 8.12 min to administer the gold-standard questionnaire). In 16 patients, the self-administered questionnaire detected lung carcinogen exposure meeting the criteria for occupational disease.

CONCLUSION

The present short, easy-to-use self-administered questionnaire should facilitate detection of occupational exposure to lung carcinogens. It could be used in occupational lung cancer screening and increase the presently low rate of application for recognition of lung cancer as an occupational disease.

Translation and validation of the Danish Foot Function Index (FFI-DK)

The objective of this study was to translate the Foot Function Index (FFI) for use in Danish-speaking patients with foot complaints. The FFI consists of 23 items scored on a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10. The 23 items are grouped into three subscales: pain (nine items), activity limitation (five items), and disability (nine items). The Danish FFI was developed according to the recommended forward/backward translation protocol. The data analysis included reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 2.1] and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Excellent internal consistency was shown for the three subscales: pain (0.99), disability (0.98), and activity limitation (0.98), as for the total score (0.97). The test-retest reliability was excellent: pain subscale: ICC 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97-0.99]; activity limitation subscale: ICC: 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91-0.98); disability subscale: ICC 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.98); total score: ICC: 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91 to 0.98). The mean difference between test and retest was below 1 point and P > 0.08. Bland-Altman plots showed no significant or clinically relevant differences from test to retest in any of the subscales or in the total score. The Danish version of the FFI was found to be valid and reliable and therefore acceptable for use in the Danish population.