Longitudinal studies, mixed models, spatial statistics, categorical data analysis, Epidemiology and public health. Mathematics & Statistics Education

Progression of language decline and cortical atrophy in subtypes of primary progressive aphasia

by Derin Cobia

Categorical and coordinate spatial relations: fMRI evidence for hemispheric specialization

by Nathalie Bedoin

The reference is:
Baciu, M., Koenig, O., Vernier, M.-P., Bedoin N., Rubin, C., & Segebarth, C. (1999). Categorical and coordinate spatial relations: fMRI evidence for hemispheric specialization. Neuroreport, 10(6), 1373-1378.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was
applied to determine the involvement of the angular
gyri in... more Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was
applied to determine the involvement of the angular
gyri in the processing of categorical and coordinate
spatial relations. In a categorical task, subjects were
asked to judge whether a dot was presented above or
below a horizontal line. In a coordinate task, they were
asked to judge whether or not the distance between the
dot and the bar was within a reference distance. Results
showed stronger activation of the left than of the right
angular gyrus in the categorical task, and stronger
activation, initially, of the right than of the left angular
gyrus in the coordinate task. In addition, in the latter
task, the involvement of the right angular gyrus decreased
with practice while that of the left angular
gyrus increased. These results are interpreted in terms
of the development of new categorical representations
with practice in the coordinate task. NeuroReport
10:1373±1378 # 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Latent variable modeling of disability in people aged 65 or more

by Paolo Eusebi

Montanari GE, Ranalli MG and Eusebi P
Statistical Methods & Applications 20 (1), 49-63, DOI:10.1007/s10260-010-0148-6

Some Notes on Categorical Data Analysis, using Simulation in Stata and R

by Brendan Halpin

Draft, for discussion

Simple modelling of categorical data is not as simple as it seems. Standard formulas taught to generations of... more Simple modelling of categorical data is not as simple as it seems. Standard formulas taught to generations of undergraduates are shown to be sub-optimal, simple models are widely misunderstood, and high levels of controversy surround the suitability and interpretation of relatively standard models such as logistic regression. In this research note I discuss a number of these issues, using simple simulations in Stata and R to illuminate them.

Predictors of self-reported burnout in nurses: work-related vs. individual factors in the European longitudinal Nurses' Early Exit-Study (NEXT). Comparing national differences and multivariate models.

by Juliane Hardt

Hardt J, Galatsch M, Schmidt SG, Müller BH. Predictors of self-reported burnout in nurses: work-related vs. individual factors in the European longitudinal Nurses' Early Exit-Study (NEXT). Comparing national differences and multivariate models. Mainz//2011. 56. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (gmds), 6. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi). Mainz, 26.-29.09.2011. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2011. Doc11gmds268 (11gmds268). DOI: 10.3205/11gmds268, URN: urn:nbn:de:0183-11gmds2681

Background: The demographic changes in Europe cause an increasing need of qualified nursing staff. Therefore, it is... more Background: The demographic changes in Europe cause an increasing need of qualified nursing staff. Therefore, it is important to develop concepts for maintaining a high work ability and motivation of the nursing workforce based on risk factor models. Previous results from the NEXT study have indicated that the individual risk of burnout is an important prognostic factor of the intention to leave nursing [1], [2]. The aim of this analysis was to investigate the associations of sociodemographic, individual and work-related factors with burnout measures one year later among nurses in Europe using questionnaire data of a longitudinal study.

Method: Longitudinal data of 8877 qualified nurses and nursing aids in Germany (n=1639), Finland (n=2335), Italy (n=2314), the Netherlands (n=952), Poland (n=1223) and Slovakia (n=414) from the NEXT study were available for analyses [3]. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic and institutional factors, nine work-related factors as well as individual factors (overcommitment [4], positive and negative affectivity [5]) that may be associated with burnout. The subjective extent of burnout symptoms was assessed with the scale "personal burnout" (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory [6], [7] at baseline and at one-year follow-up. Uni- and multivariate linear regression analyses were applied to analyze four models of factor groups with increasing model complexity in comparison of the 6 countries.

Results: Differences in the reported extent of individual and work-related indicators and differences between the prediction models of the six countries were remarkable. Mean levels of burnout measures were lowest in Dutch nurses who also reported better social support, and lower levels of work-family conflict, individual overcommitment and negative affectivity. A model optimizing strategy (stepwise method) with four consecutive linear regression models was applied. Sociodemographic and institutional factors had no effects (R²corr:.004-.051). Individual factors showed substantial effects for five of the six countries (∆R²corr:.115-.251;MD=.172); in contrast to work-related factors (∆R²corr:-.008-.029;MD=.034). When the models were adjusted for burnout level in the first year, model-fit indices again slightly increased (∆R²corr:.075-.202;MD=.180). Models were best predictive for the German and least predictive for the Polish sample.

Discussion: Our results show individual factors to be important predictors for burnout scores of nurses one year later. These findings were supported by the literature of burnout research [8], [9], [10], [11]. However, problems of type III error also need to be considered [cf. [12], [13], [14], [15]. Further analyses should be extended to model specific interaction effects of individual and work-related factors. Such models will provide further evidence for predictor models as well as preventional and interventional concepts.


References

1. Hasselhorn HM, Tackenberg P, Müller BH. Intent to leave nursing in the European nursing profession. In: Hasselhorn HM, Tackenberg P, Müller BH, eds. Working conditions and intent to leave the profession among nursing staff in Europe. Stockholm: National Institute for Working Life and authors; 2003. p. 115-24.

2. Estryn-Behar M, Van der Heijden BI, Oginska H, et al. The impact of social work environment, teamwork characteristics, burnout, and personal factors upon intent to leave among European nurses. Med Care. 2007;45(10):939-50.

3. Hasselhorn HM, Müller BH, Tackenberg P, Kümmerling A, NEXT-Study-Group. NEXT Scientific Report. Wuppertal, Germany: 2005.

4. Siegrist J, Starke D, Chandola T, Godin I, Marmot M, Niedhammer I, et al. The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med. 2004;58(8):1483-99.

5. Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988;54(6):1063-70.

6. Kristensen TS, Borritz M, Villadsen E, Christensen KB. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: A new tool for the assessment of burnout. Work & Stress. 2005;19(3):192-207.

7. Borritz M, Kristensen T. Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: Normative data from a presentative Danish population on Personal Burnout and Results from the PUMA Study on Personal Burnout, Work Burnout, and Client Burnout. Copenhagen: National Institute of Occupational Health; 2001.

8. Halbesleben JRB, Buckley MR. Burnout in organizational life. Journal of Management. 2004;30(6):859-79.

9. Jansen PGM, Kerkstra A, bu-Saad HH, Van Der Zee J. The effects of job characteristics and individual characteristics on job satisfaction and burnout in community nursing. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 1996;33(4):407-21.

10. Burisch M. A longitudinal study of burnout: The relative importance of dispositions and experiences. Work & Stress. 2002;16(1):1-17.

11. Bakker AB, Schaufeli WB, Sixma HJ, Bosveld W, van Dierendonck D. Patient demands, lack of reciprocity, and burnout: A five-year longitudinal study among general practitioners. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 2000;21(4):425.

12. Kimball AW. Errors of the Third Kind in Statistical Consulting. Journal of the American Statistical Association. 1957;52(278):133-42.

13
Lu TH. International comparisons: they do help and are essential for avoiding type III error. Injury Prevention. 2001;7(4):270-1.
14.
Schwartz S, Carpenter KM. The right answer for the wrong question: consequences of type III error for public health research. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(8):1175-80.
15.
Rose G. Sick Individuals and Sick Populations. International Journal of Epidemiology. 1985;14(1):32-8.

Misure ripetute e dati in cluster: metodi di analisi statistica con R

by Massimo Borelli

Zinc Violet, case studies in the use of advanced teaching tools in widely different settings

by Giovanni Leonardi

This conference paper was originally published as Kreis, I, Leonardi, GS, Zielhuis, G, Heijke, L & Stace, RJ, Zinc Violet, case studies in the use of advanced teaching tools in widely different settings, in Paget, DZ, Sakelarides, C & Keskimäki, I (eds), European Journal of Public Health, 18(S1), 2008, 63. Proceedings of the 16th EUPHA conference. [Powerpoint presentation]

Sviluppo di un'indagine epidemiologica in un sito inquinato: il contributo imprevisto della sociologia e della medicina legale

by Pietro Saitta

Roberto Pasetto, Pietro Saitta, Carlo Bracci (2008) Sviluppo Di Un'Indagine Epidemiologica In Un Sito Inquinato: Il Contributo Imprevisto Della Sociologia E Della Medicina Legale, "Epidemiologia e Prevenzione", 32(6), pp. 325-328

DEVELOPMENT OF AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY IN A POLLUTED SITE: THE UNEXPECTED CONTRIBUTION OF SOCIOLOGICAL AND... more DEVELOPMENT OF AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY IN A POLLUTED SITE: THE UNEXPECTED CONTRIBUTION OF SOCIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL-LEGAL APPROACHES

The article discusses the evolution of an occupational cohort study carried out in a polluted site. The authors highlight the need to define goals for the epidemiological characterization of polluted sites: a) retrospective health impact assessment, b) contribution to the definition of priorities for remediation activities, c) definition of epidemiological surveillance programs. They also advocate for an interdisciplinary approach to relate epidemiology to other branches of knowledge, especially qualitative sociology. Qualitative studies can be carried out both ex ante, prior to the epidemiological investigation, and ex post, to verify limits of the analysis itself. Useful and unintended elements for the epidemiological investigation are likely to emerge in the course of a study. During the process of epidemiological characterization, the outputs of each investigation should be considered as indices (or pointers). Indications for further research, operative decisions, public communication, should result from the collected indices as a whole.