This week in the BMJ
Volume 331, Number 7510, Issue of 23 Jul 2005How to tackle cardiovascular diseases in Croatia?
How to tackle cardiovascular diseases in Croatia?
Although cardiovascular mortality in Croatia has been among the highest in Europe, little is known about risk factors and little has been done to tackle them. Kern and colleagues (p 208) report the results of the first representative population based survey of 9070 individuals. They found that the prevalence of different risk factors differs greatly between regions. Thus local governments need to adjust the national prevention and health promotion programmes to best fit their communities' needs.
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Change of economic policy improved health in Poland
A rapid decline in mortality due to coronary heart disease in Poland may be primarily due to changes in economic policy that led to improvements in the population's diet. These included reducing subsidies for animal fats. Zatonski and Willett (p 187) describe trends in coronary mortality and use cohort studies to estimate the contributions of smoking and diet to these changes. In the commentary, Lock and McKee (p 188) challenge these claims and discuss the likelihood of Europe's agricultural policy damaging the progress achieved between 1991 and 2002.
Spousal physical violence affects one in three Albanian wives
More than a third of married women in Albania experience at least one episode of violence from their husbands during a year. A questionnaire study by Burazeri and colleagues (p 197) included 1039 married women living in Tirana, the country's capital. The risk was greatest for more empowered women, defined as well educated, employed in white collar occupations, and particularly those who are better educated than their spouses. The prevalence is among the highest recorded in population studies.
Prevention policies for HIV/AIDS need improving
On p 220, Rhodes and Simic examine environmental risk factors that might play a part in the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in some post-communist transitional European countries. They discuss how the political, economic, and social changes have changed the HIV risk environment, primarily through growing injecting drug markets, uncontrolled sex workers' activities, and migrations of the population. The authors call for changes in prevention policies, including implementation of harm prevention programmes for injecting drug users, which are currently hampered by legal, economic, and policy obstacles.
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Lung cancer mortality is declining in men but not women
Mortality due to lung cancer is now declining in middle aged men in all new European Union states as well as most of the old ones, but it is still increasing among women, reflecting earlier trends in tobacco exposure. On page 189, Didkowska and colleagues show trends in age standardised mortality due to lung cancer in the 35-54 age group for all EU member states. The authors emphasise the continuing need for strong antismoking programmes for both sexes.
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EU scientific production fell after new states joined
Before 10 new member states joined the European Union in 2004, the EU's scientific production, adjusted for gross domestic product and population size, was about 76% of that of the United States; after their accession it fell to 66%. In a bibliometric analysis, Soteriades and Falagas (p 192) compare research productivity of the EU, the four candidate countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Turkey) and the United States in several fields of biomedical sciences. The 10 newest member states and four candidate countries need further help and resources to increase their productivity, say the authors.
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Student BMJ
Asylum seekers' care
UK medical students have published unreleased government plans to restrict failed asylum seekers' access to medical care
