Alicja Basiak-Rasała

Hearing loss is a prevalent sensory impairment associated with significant social, economic, and health burdens. Despite its importance, data on the predic

Introduction: Despite some improvement in awareness and treatment of hypertension, blood pressure control is still below expectations in Poland. The aim of the study was to analyze the secular trend of hypertension prevalence in the PURE Poland cohort study over 9 years of observation and to analyze factors associated with controlled HT.Methods: The study group consisted of 1,598 participants enrolled in a Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological Study (PURE), who participated both in baseline (2007–2010) and 9-year follow-up (2016–2019). Hypertension was ascertained on the basis of (1) self-reported hypertension previously diagnosed by the physician, (2) self-reported anti-hypertensive medication, and/or (3) an average of two blood pressure measurements ≥140 mmHg systolic BP and/or ≥90 mmHg diastolic BP.Results: The prevalence of hypertension increased from 69.4% at baseline to 85.9% at 9-year follow-up. The chance of HT was 8.6-fold higher in the oldest vs. the youngest age group [OR 8.55; CI 4.47–16.1]. Male sex increased the chance for hypertension over 3-fold [OR 3.23; CI 2.26–4.73]. Obesity, according to BMI, increased the chance of HT 8-fold [OR 8.01; CI 5.20–12.8] in comparison with normal body weight. Male sex decreased the chance of controlled HT after 9 years [OR 0.68; CI 0.50–0.92]. There was no statistically significant association between controlled HT and age or place of residence. Higher and secondary education increased the chance of controlled HT over 2-fold in comparison with primary education [OR 2.35; CI 1.27–4.34, OR 2.34; CI 1.33–4.11]. Obesity significantly decreased the chance of controlled HT after 9 years in comparison with normal body weight [OR 0.54; CI 0.35–0.83].Conclusion: Factors significantly increasing the chance for controlled hypertension after 9 years were female sex, secondary and tertiary education, normal body weight, and avoiding alcohol drinking. Changes in lifestyle, with special emphasis on maintaining normal body weight, should be the basis of prevention and control of HT.

Background: The purpose of this study, conducted within the framework of the project entitled ‘Let’s get the kids moving’, was to determine the associations between children’s longitudinal and transverse foot arch and their weight, gender and age. Method: The pro-health initiative ‘Let’s get the kids moving’ was created by researchers of the Medical University and the Run for Health Foundation. A total of 655 children (51.5% boys) aged 7 to 10 years from primary schools in south-western Poland participated in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 8.7 ± 0.8 years. In all the children, we assessed anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and the longitudinal and transverse arch of the foot under the load of their weight. A two-dimensional foot scanner (Sensor Medica, Italy) was used to examine the plantar part of the children’s feet. Results: The data collected from the 655 subjects revealed that excessive weight predisposed them to less longitudinal and transverse arching. The foot shape was not differentiated by gender or age. Conclusions: Screening school-aged children’s footprints can detect abnormalities in the shape of children’s feet early on, which allows for early diagnosis of functional or structural flatfoot in children.

(1) Background: The objective was to investigate the association between sleep duration, bedtime, and noncommunicable diseases in the PURE Poland cohort study. (2) Methods: The baseline study was conducted in 2007–2010. The study group comprised 2023 adult inhabitants of urban and rural areas in Lower Silesia, Poland. The study protocol included questionnaires, blood pressure measurements, blood draws, and anthropometric measurements. Sleep duration and bedtime were self-reported. (3) Results: The median sleep duration of women was 30 min longer than men (8 h vs. 7.5 h; p = 0.001). The average time of sleep increased along with the age of the participants. A sleep duration of >8 h was more common in rural than in urban participants (40.2% vs. 27.1%; respectively; p < 0.001). The relative risk of diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and obesity was significantly higher in participants who went to bed between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. in comparison to those who went to bed between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. (RR 2.23, 95% CI 1.06–4.67; RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.28 to 4.97; RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20; RR 1.36; 95% CI 1.1–1.68; RR 1.38; 95% CI 1.15–1.66, respectively). The relative risk of respiratory diseases was two-fold higher in those who went to bed after midnight in comparison to those who went to bed between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. (RR 2.24; 95% CI 1.19–4.22). (4) Conclusions: In our study, an earlier bedtime was associated with a higher risk of diabetes, stroke, obesity, hypertension, and CVD.