Project description:BackgroundThe positive effect of education on reducing all-cause adult mortality is known; however, the relative magnitude of this effect has not been systematically quantified. The aim of our study was to estimate the reduction in all-cause adult mortality associated with each year of schooling at a global level.MethodsIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, we assessed the effect of education on all-cause adult mortality. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Global Health (CAB), EconLit, and Sociology Source Ultimate databases from Jan 1, 1980, to May 31, 2023. Reviewers (LD, TM, HDV, CW, IG, AG, CD, DS, KB, KE, and AA) assessed each record for individual-level data on educational attainment and mortality. Data were extracted by a single reviewer into a standard template from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. We excluded studies that relied on case-crossover or ecological study designs to reduce the risk of bias from unlinked data and studies that did not report key measures of interest (all-cause adult mortality). Mixed-effects meta-regression models were implemented to address heterogeneity in referent and exposure measures among studies and to adjust for study-level covariates. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020183923).Findings17 094 unique records were identified, 603 of which were eligible for analysis and included data from 70 locations in 59 countries, producing a final dataset of 10 355 observations. Education showed a dose-response relationship with all-cause adult mortality, with an average reduction in mortality risk of 1·9% (95% uncertainty interval 1·8-2·0) per additional year of education. The effect was greater in younger age groups than in older age groups, with an average reduction in mortality risk of 2·9% (2·8-3·0) associated with each additional year of education for adults aged 18-49 years, compared with a 0·8% (0·6-1·0) reduction for adults older than 70 years. We found no differential effect of education on all-cause mortality by sex or Socio-demographic Index level. We identified publication bias (p<0·0001) and identified and reported estimates of between-study heterogeneity.InterpretationTo our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the importance of years of schooling in reducing adult mortality, the benefits of which extend into older age and are substantial across sexes and economic contexts. This work provides compelling evidence of the importance of education in improving life expectancy and supports calls for increased investment in education as a crucial pathway for reducing global inequities in mortality.FundingResearch Council of Norway and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Project description:AimsLower parental education has been linked to adverse youth mental health outcomes. However, the relationship between parental education and youth suicidal behaviours remains unclear. We explored the association between parental education and youth suicidal ideation and attempts, and examined whether sociocultural contexts moderate such associations.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline and Embase from 1900 to December 2020 for studies with participants aged 0-18, and provided quantitative data on the association between parental education and youth suicidal ideation and attempts (death included). Only articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals were considered. Two authors independently assessed eligibility of the articles. One author extracted data [e.g. number of cases and non-cases in each parental education level, effect sizes in forms of odds ratios (ORs) or beta coefficients]. We then calculated pooled ORs using a random-effects model and used moderator analysis to investigate heterogeneity.ResultsWe included a total of 59 articles (63 study samples, totalling 2 738 374 subjects) in the meta-analysis. Lower parental education was associated with youth suicidal attempts [OR = 1.12, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.04-1.21] but not with suicidal ideation (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.98-1.12). Geographical region and country income level moderated the associations. Lower parental education was associated with an increased risk of youth suicidal attempts in Northern America (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10-1.45), but with a decreased risk in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54-0.96). An association of lower parental education and increased risk of youth suicidal ideation was present in high- income countries (HICs) (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05-1.25), and absent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.77-1.08).ConclusionsThe association between youth suicidal behaviours and parental education seems to differ across geographical and economical contexts, suggesting that cultural, psychosocial or biological factors may play a role in explaining this association. Although there was high heterogeneity in the studies reviewed, this evidence suggests that the role of familial sociodemographic characteristics in youth suicidality may not be universal. This highlights the need to consider cultural, as well as familial factors in the clinical assessment and management of youth's suicidal behaviours in our increasingly multicultural societies, as well as in developing prevention and intervention strategies for youth suicide.
Project description:BackgroundThe growing prevalence of overweight and/or obese children is an important public health problem in both developed and developing countries. Although the association of obesity between parents and their children is well known, its underlying mechanisms are not well established.PurposeThis meta-analysis examined parent-child (PC) relationships in obesity and identified factors such as world region and country income level that may influence this relationship.MethodsWe identified all related studies published between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2020 by conducting a literature search using the MeSH terms "obesity," "overweight," "body mass index," "parent," "child," "associate," and "relate" in the PubMed database in English.ResultsThe meta-analysis of 23 studies that reported an odds ratio (OR) for parent and child obesity associations found a significant association between parents and children who were overweight or obese (pooled OR, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.85-2.10). A meta-regression analysis was used to examine the sources of interstudy heterogeneity. The association between parent and child obesity was higher in Asia than in Europe and the Middle East and higher in high-income countries than in middle-or low-income countries. In addition, a higher association between parent and child obesity was found when both parents were obese than when only the father or mother was obese. This study from multiple countries indicates a significant PC relationship in weight status that varies according to PC pair type, parent and child weight statuses, world region, and country income level.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that the risk of childhood obesity is greatly influenced by parental weight status and indicate that parents could play an important role in preventing child obesity.
Project description:Child-staff ratios are a key quality indicator in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs. Better ratios are believed to improve child outcomes by increasing opportunities for individual interactions and educational instruction from staff. The purpose of this systematic review, and where possible, meta-analysis, was to evaluate the association between child-staff ratios in preschool ECEC programs and children's outcomes. Searches of Medline, PsycINFO, ERIC, websites of large datasets and reference sections of all retrieved articles were conducted up to July 3, 2015. Cross-sectional or longitudinal studies that evaluated the relationship between child-staff ratios in ECEC classrooms serving preschool aged children and child outcomes were independently identified by two reviewers. Data were independently extracted from included studies by two raters and differences between raters were resolved by consensus. Searches revealed 29 eligible studies (31 samples). Child-staff ratios ranged from 5 to 14.5 preschool-aged children per adult with a mean of 8.65. All 29 studies were included in the systematic review. However, the only meta-analysis that could be conducted was based on three studies that explored associations between ratios and children's receptive language. Results of this meta-analysis were not significant. Results of the qualitative systematic review revealed few significant relationships between child-staff ratios and child outcomes construed broadly. Thus, the available literature reveal few, if any, relationships between child-staff ratios in preschool ECEC programs and children's developmental outcomes. Substantial heterogeneity in the assessment of ratios, outcomes measured, and statistics used to capture associations limited quantitative synthesis. Other methodological limitations of the research integrated in this synthesis are discussed.
Project description:ObjectivesIn this study, we aim to analyse the relationship between educational attainment and all-cause mortality of adults in the high-income Asia Pacific region.DesignThis study is a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis with no language restrictions on searches. Included articles were assessed for study quality and risk of bias using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the overall effect of individual level educational attainment on all-cause mortality.SettingThe high-income Asia Pacific Region consisting of Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.ParticipantsArticles reporting adult all-cause mortality by individual-level education were obtained through searches conducted from 25 November 2019 to 6 December 2019 of the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, Global Health (CAB), EconLit and Sociology Source Ultimate.Primary and secondary outcome measuresAdult all-cause mortality was the primary outcome of interest.ResultsLiterature searches resulted in 15 345 sources screened for inclusion. A total of 30 articles meeting inclusion criteria with data from the region were included for this review. Individual-level data from 7 studies covering 222 241 individuals were included in the meta-analyses. Results from the meta-analyses showed an overall risk ratio of 2.40 (95% CI 1.74 to 3.31) for primary education and an estimate of 1.29 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.54) for secondary education compared with tertiary education.ConclusionThe results indicate that lower educational attainment is associated with an increase in the risk of all-cause mortality for adults in the high-income Asia Pacific region. This study offers empirical support for the development of policies to reduce health disparities across the educational gradient and universal access to all levels of education.Prospero registration numberCRD42020183923.
Project description:ObjectivesUpdated estimates of the prevalence of complications and case fatality ratio (CFR) among typhoid fever patients are needed to understand disease burden.MethodsArticles published in PubMed and Web of Science from 1 January 1980 through 29 January 2020 were systematically reviewed for hospital or community-based non-surgical studies that used cultures of normally sterile sites, and hospital surgical studies of typhoid intestinal perforation (TIP) with intra- or post-operative findings suggestive of typhoid. Prevalence of 21 pre-selected recognized complications of typhoid fever, crude and median (interquartile range) CFR, and pooled CFR estimates using a random effects meta-analysis were calculated.ResultsOf 113 study sites, 106 (93.8%) were located in Asia and Africa, and 84 (74.3%) were non-surgical. Among non-surgical studies, 70 (83.3%) were hospital-based. Of 10,355 confirmed typhoid patients, 2,719 (26.3%) had complications. The pooled CFR estimate among non-surgical patients was 0.9% for the Asia region and 5.4% for the Africa region. Delay in care was significantly correlated with increased CFR in Asia (r = 0.84; p<0.01). Among surgical studies, the median CFR of TIP was 15.5% (6.7-24.1%) per study.ConclusionsOur findings identify considerable typhoid-associated illness and death that could be averted with prevention measures, including typhoid conjugate vaccine introduction.
Project description:BackgroundSnakebite envenoming represents a significant and often neglected public health challenge, particularly in rural communities across tropical and subtropical regions. An estimated 1.2-5.5 million people are envenomed by snakebites annually. More than 125,000 of these bites are fatal, and 3-4 times as many results in disability/disfigurement. Despite its prevalence, collecting accurate epidemiological data on snakebite is challenging. This systematic review and meta-analysis collates global epidemiology data on snakebite morbidity and mortality.MethodsMedline, Embase, Cochrane and CINAHL Plus databases were searched for articles published between 2001-2022. Pooled incidence and mortality were obtained using random effects modelling, heterogeneity (I2) was tested, and sensitivity analyses performed. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale assessed study quality.ResultsOut of the four databases, 5,312 articles were found. After removing duplicates, 3,953 articles were screened by title and abstract and 65 articles containing information on snakebite epidemiology, encompassing 663,460 snakebites, were selected for analysis. The people most at risk for snakebite were men (59%), engaged in agricultural labour (27.5%), and residing in rural areas (66.7%). More than half (57%) of the reported bites resulted in envenoming. Incidents occurred frequently in the summer season (38.5%), during daytime (56.7%), and bites were most often to the lower limb (56.4%). Envenoming severity was frequently mild (46.7%), treated in hospital (68.3%), and was treated with anti-venom (64.7%). The pooled global incidence and mortality was 69.4 /100,000 population (95%CI: 36.8 to 101.9) and 0.33/100,000 population (95%CI, 0.14 to 0.52) per year, respectively. Stratified by continents, Asia had the highest incidence of 130.7/100,000 population (95%CI: 48.3 to 213.1) while Europe has the lowest with 0.7/100,000 population (95%CI: -0.2 to 1.5). The highest mortality was reported in Asia at 0.96/100,000 population (95% CI: 0.22 to 1.70), and Africa 0.44/100,000 population (95%CI: -0.03 to 0.84). Incidence was highest among inhabitants of lower-middle-income countries 132.7/100,000 population (95%CI: 55.4 to 209.9) while mortality was highest in low-income countries at 0.85/100,000 population (95% CI: -0.06 to 2.31).ConclusionIncidence and mortality rates noted here highlight the global impact of snakebite and underscore the critical need to address the burden of snakebite envenoming. It also reveals that while reported snakebite incidence was higher in lower-middle-income countries, the burden of mortality was greatest among inhabitants of low-income countries, again emphasising the need for greater efforts to tackle this neglected tropical disease.
Project description:Staff education is considered key to quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs. However, findings about associations between staff education and children's outcomes have been inconsistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of associations between ECEC staff education and child outcomes. Searches of Medline, PsycINFO, and ERIC, websites of large datasets and reference sections of all retrieved articles were conducted. Eligible studies provided a statistical link between staff education and child outcomes for preschool-aged children in ECEC programs. Titles, abstracts and paper reviews as well as all data extraction were conducted by two independent raters. Of the 823 studies reviewed for eligibility, 39 met our inclusion criteria. Research in this area is observational in nature and subject to the inherent biases of that research design. Results from our systematic review were hampered by heterogeneity in how staff education was defined, variability in whose education was measured and the child outcomes that were assessed. However, overall the qualitative summary indicates that associations between staff education and childhood outcomes are non-existent to very borderline positive. In our meta-analysis of more homogeneous studies we identified certain positive, albeit very weak, associations between staff education and children's language outcomes (specifically, vocabulary and letter word identification) and no significant association with a mathematics outcome (WJ Applied Problems). Thus, our findings suggest that within the range of education levels found in the existing literature, education is not a key driver of child outcomes. However, since we only explored levels of education that were reported in the literature, our findings cannot be used to argue for lowering education standards in ECEC settings.
Project description:BackgroundEducation is expected to bring about positive behavioral changes which could lead to improved health behaviors. Parental education is a primary determinant of child health and development. However, some evidence showed inverse associations between high parental education and recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in Bangladesh. How the association of parental education differs with specific IYCF components has not been reviewed. Therefore, the role of parental education on optimal IYCF practices in Bangladesh appears to be inconclusive. The objective of this review is to summarize how parental education is associated with IYCF practices in Bangladesh.MethodThis review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar. Record searching, study selection, and data extraction was performed using Endnote online and Covidence tool, respectively. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used for quality assessment of the included studies.ResultsOut of 414 initial hits, 34 studies were included for this review. Of the included studies, 32 were cross-sectional, one was a randomized controlled trial, and one was a retrospective cohort. Most of the studies (n = 24) were nationally representative whereas 10 studies had populations from district and sub-district level. Included studies considered different IYCF-related indicators, including breastfeeding (n = 22), complementary feeding (n = 8), both breastfeeding and complementary feeding (n = 2), both breastfeeding and bottle feeding (n = 1), and pre-lacteal feeding (n = 1). Parental education was found to be positively associated with complementary feeding practices. However, the role of parental education on breastfeeding, in general, was ambiguous. High parental education was associated with bottle-feeding practices and no initiation of colostrum.ConclusionPublic health interventions need to focus not only on non- and/or low-educated parents regarding complementary feeding but also on educated mothers for initiation of colostrum and proper breastfeeding practices.Trial registrationThis systematic review is registered to PROSPERO ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ) with registration ID: CRD42022355465.