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e-Newsletter Issue 2 August 2007 |
Welcome to the second ScotPHO e-NewsletterIn this e-Newsletter we feature some of the projects we've been working on over the past 6 months, highlight other developments in public health intelligence in Scotland and list forthcoming events and conferences that may be of interest to you. If you have any comments or questions about the e-Newsletter or the ScotPHO collaboration, please email us at scotpho@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk. If you have difficulty reading this e-Newsletter as an email, then please view it as a web page. New on the ScotPHO websiteClick on the headlines below for more details An atlas of tobacco smoking in ScotlandThe atlas presents smoking prevalence estimates for NHS boards, councils, community health partnerships (CHPs) and Scottish parliamentary constituencies, and also for intermediate zones and postcode sectors. It also includes estimates of smoking-attributable deaths for individual NHS boards and CHPs. The atlas will be a valuable resource when used in conjunction with local knowledge, to support smoking cessation and prevention activities within NHS boards, CHPs and councils across Scotland. Scotland and European Health for All (HfA) Database updateThis database, first published last November and highlighted in our first e-Newsletter, was updated in June. It comprises Scottish data added to the WHO's European Health for All Database (January 2007 release). Briefing notes offer interpretation of the key findings for Scotland. As a taster, the graph below shows time trends for the age-standardised death rate (SDR) for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, in Scotland (shown in blue), the UK as a whole (red) and the European Union average (green).
Using the linked Scottish Health Survey to predict hospitalisation and deathThis report presents an analysis of the link between behavioural, biological and social risk factors and subsequent hospital admission and death in Scotland. The analysis is based on a record linkage exercise undertaken by ISD Scotland to link both the 1995 and 1998 Scottish Health Survey data to the linked Scottish hospital admission and mortality database. Cancer in ScotlandWe've added three new sections to the website on colorectal, lung and prostate cancer that pull together available information on these three cancers in Scotland. These new sections supplement the existing section on breast cancer. They include information on risk factors, national policy and clinical standards, key data sources, key references and useful links, as well as providing access to detailed statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, prevalence and lifetime risk. ScotPHO website topic focusEnvironmental justiceEnvironmental justice in Scotland is principally concerned with the link between deprivation and the environment in which people live. It is related to public health through the role of the environment in the widening health inequalities observed in the Scottish population. The graph below shows one example of the disproportionate environmental burden borne by those living in the most deprived areas of Scotland. It shows a clear deprivation gradient, with those living in the most deprived areas almost three times as likely to live within 1 km of derelict land than those living in the least deprived areas. For further information on this topic, see our Environmental justice web pages.
Coming soon on the ScotPHO websiteWe hope to add the following resources to the ScotPHO website by the end of this year, so please check our home page regularly to see what's new on the ScotPHO website. Website sections:
Reports:
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Other developments in public health intelligence in ScotlandClick on the headlines below for more details CHP health and wellbeing profiles - consultationWe are currently developing health and wellbeing profiles for community health partnerships across Scotland, building upon the 2004 Community health and wellbeing profiles. The project will include general profiles and also a focus on children and young people. To find out more and take part in our consultation, click on the headline above. *** This consultation is now closed ***. Mental health and wellbeing indicators for ScotlandNHS Health Scotland is developing a core set of national mental health indicators covering both positive mental health and mental health problems. These indicators will provide a summary mental health profile for Scotland. The list of indicators for adults will be published by the end of October (with corresponding analyses of the data currently available for these indicators published by the end of 2007). Work on indicators for children will commence towards the end of the year. Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics updateThe Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics website was updated on 2nd August to include estimated smoking prevalence by sex (taken from An atlas of tobacco smoking in Scotland) and information on the proportion of mothers aged under 20 and those aged 35 and over. The latest information on smoking during pregnancy, cancer registrations and breastfeeding was also included in the update, as were datazone population estimates back to 1996, and 2006 dwellings data. Scottish Health Survey re-designThe Scottish Health Survey provides a detailed picture of the health of the Scottish population in private households, and from 2008 will become a continuous survey. The Scottish Executive has recently consulted on the content of a new questionnaire, which is to be piloted this autumn. If you have any queries about the survey re-design please email ScottishHealthSurvey@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. Health Education Population SurveyNHS Health Scotland will decommission the Health Education Population Survey (HEPS) at the end of this year. The survey will be replaced by a module within the re-developed Scottish Health Survey. This module will continue to monitor health-related knowledge, attitudes and motivations / behavioural intention, with actual behaviours assessed within the core Scottish Health Survey. NHS Health Scotland has consulted on the content of the new module and revisions have been made from the original HEPS to better meet current public health information needs. Scottish Public Health Network(No web link available) The Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN) was launched in November 2006. Current projects include the Scottish Obesity Action Resource (mapping local and national initiatives in the prevention and treatment of obesity) and a needs assessment of neurosurgery. For further details about ScotPHN, please contact Ann Conacher, Co-ordinator (0141 300 1025 / ann.conacher@health.scot.nhs.uk). Forthcoming eventsClick on the headlines below for further information on each event Public Health Information Network for Scotland (PHINS) annual seminarGlasgow Royal Concert Hall, 7th September 2007A range of current public health information projects will be presented and discussed, with a particular focus on international comparisons and inequalities. Towards a smokefree societyEdinburgh International Conference Centre, 10th-11th September 2007This conference will present new research on the health, behavioural, social and economic impacts of smokefree legislations from Scotland, Europe and elsewhere. Association of Community Health Partnerships annual conferenceMacdonald Aviemore Highland Conference Centre, 13th-14th September 2007The conference will provide delegates with the opportunity to share experiences, information and knowledge with colleagues from other CHPs / CHCPs, other organisations and from other parts of the country. Exploiting existing data for health researchUniversity of St Andrews, 18th-20th September 2007This conference will gather together an international group of researchers who have expertise in the linkage of administrative or routine data for health research or health care improvement. Suicide Information, Research and Evidence Network (SIREN) annual conferenceGlasgow Science Centre, 25th September 2007The conference will bring together practitioners, policy makers and researchers in order to share what they know about suicide and suicidal behaviours and explore the implications for research and practice. Faculty of Public Health annual Scottish conferenceAirth Castle Hotel, 15th-16th November 2007This year's conference is being hosted by the West of Scotland NHS boards and has the theme "21st century trends - threats and opportunities for public health". |
