Suchergebnisse

Funding Information: INSEF was developed as part of the predefined project of the Public Health Initiatives Program "Improvement of epidemiological health information to support public health decision and management in Portugal: Towards reduced inequalities, improved health, and bilateral cooperation", which benefited from a EUR 1,500,000 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the European Economic Area Grants and from the Government of Portugal. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel on behalf of NOVA National School of Public Health. ; Introduction: The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing worldwide. However, the screening uptake is generally low. We analyzed the association between sociodemographic, economic, and access-to-healthcare factors and the use of exams that are the basis for colorectal cancer screening in Portugal. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on data from the 1st National Health Examination Survey. We used Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios and study factors associated with the use of fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) and colonoscopy in a Portuguese population aged 50-74 years (n = 2,489). Results: 45.7% of the individuals reported using FIT in the previous 2 years; 37.3% reported using colonoscopy in the previous 5 years. The use of FIT was associated with age group, health region, and having a family doctor. It was higher in older individuals (47.6% in the age group 70-74 years vs. 38.1% in the age group 50-54 years; adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.32; 95% CI 1.05-1.65), and in individuals assigned to a family doctor (47.6 vs. 30.3%; aPR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.14-1.98). Colonoscopy was associated with age group, health region, higher education, economic capacity, and having a family doctor. It was higher in older individuals (45.3% in the age group 70-74 years vs. 25.6% in the age group 50-54 years; aPR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.42-2.40), individuals with a higher economic capacity (40.5 vs. 32.4%; aPR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.01-1.40), and individuals assigned to a family doctor (38.7 vs. 25.6%; aPR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.08-1.91). Discussion/Conclusion: In our analysis, the use of FIT and colonoscopy was influenced by sociodemographic, economic, and access-to-healthcare factors. This is relevant to guide interventions in this area. It is essential to ensure an equitable and uniform implementation of the screening program, with family doctors as an important part of the process. ; publishersversion ; published

Bisphenols are among the chemicals with the highest production volume worldwide and are used to make polycarbonate plastic containers for food use, such as beverage containers and plastic dinnerware, and in the internal coatings of food and beverage cans among other products. According to the scientific literature, small amounts of these compounds migrate from packaging into food resulting in human exposure. Although numerous studies have been carried out in order to assess its effects on human health, there are still uncertainties concerning the possible toxic effects of these compounds. Nevertheless, the most commonly used bisphenol, bisphenol A (BPA), is considered an endocrine disrupting compound. As a consequence, current European legislation prohibits the use of BPA in baby bottles, infant sipping cups and in the coating of food containers for children up to 3 years old and significantly tightens the restrictions on the use of BPA in other food contact materials. This has led to the replacement of BPA by other bisphenols, such as BPS and BPF, whose health effects are still largely unknown. Considering the above and that there is no data on the exposure of the Portuguese population to these compounds, a new project named INSEF-ExpoQuim is currently being developed by the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, in cooperation with the five Regional Health Administrations and the Regional Health Secretariats of the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, as part of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative HBM4EU with the aim to assess exposure to bisphenols in the Portuguese population and contribute to the food risk assessment of bisphenols in Portugal. It is expect that project results will contribute to the reduction of the impact on the health of the Portuguese population that could result from the exposure to these chemicals, by producing high quality data on the actual exposure of the population, in order to support the development and implementation of policy measures aimed at minimizing exposure. ; HBM4EU has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032. ; N/A

Introduction: Exposure to hazardous chemicals may endanger human health and pollute the environment. To assess and minimize the risks associated with the use of chemicals it is essential to know whether and to what extent these substances are present in the human body. We report preliminary results of the recruitment phase in the study of Exposure of the Portuguese Population to Environmental Chemicals: a study nested in INSEF 2015 (INSEF-ExpoQuim). Methods: INSEF-ExpoQuim is an epidemiologic study nested in INSEF 2015 targeting 300 non-institutionalized individuals aged 28-39 years, living in Portugal for more than 12 months, able to follow an interview in Portuguese. Fieldwork started in June 2019 and is ongoing. Procedures are according to the guidelines of the HBM4EU project. Selected individuals receive an invitation letter and are later contacted by phone to schedule sample collection and the telephone interview. Urine samples for determination of heavy metals, bisphenols and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are collected, as well as data on socio-demographic characteristics, living conditions and residential history, habits/lifestyle, nutrition, health, occupation and substance specific information covering nearly all exposure pathways. Results: Up to date 384 of the 848 eligible individuals were successfully contacted (45,3%), of which 172 accepted to participate in INSEF-ExpoQuim corresponding to a participation rate of 20%. Conclusions: Results from INSEF-ExpoQuim will contribute to reduce the health impact that could result from the exposure of the population residing in Portugal to environmental chemicals, by producing high quality data on the actual exposure of the Portuguese population to hazardous chemicals, in order to support the development and implementation of policy measures aimed at minimizing exposure to those chemicals. ; HBM4EU has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032. ; N/A