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BACKGROUND: Noise annoyance is associated with adverse health-related conditions and reduced wellbeing. Thereby, subjective noise annoyance depends on the objective noise exposure and is modified by personal and regional factors. OBJECTIVE: How many participants of the German National Cohort Study (GNC; NAKO Gesundheitsstudie) were annoyed by transportation noise during nighttime and what factors were associated with noise annoyance? MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis included 86,080 participants from 18 study centers, examined from 2014 to 2017. We used multinomial logistic regression to investigate associations of personal and regional factors to noise annoyance (slightly/moderately or strongly/extremely annoyed vs. not annoyed) mutually adjusting for all factors in the model. RESULTS: Two thirds of participants were not annoyed by transportation noise during nighttime and one in ten reported strong/extreme annoyance with highest percentages for the study centers Berlin-Mitte and Leipzig. The strongest associations were seen for factors related to the individual housing situation like the bedroom being positioned towards a major road (OR of being slightly/moderately annoyed: 4.26 [95% CI: 4.01;4.52]; OR of being strongly/extremely annoyed: 13.36 [95% CI: 12.47;14.32]) compared to a garden/inner courtyard. Participants aged 40-60 years and those in low- and medium-income groups reported greater noise annoyance compared to younger or older ones and those in the high-income group. CONCLUSION: In this study from Germany, transportation noise annoyance during nighttime varied by personal and regional factors.

Though sex/gender is an important social determinant of health, sex/gender inequalities have not been considered comprehensively in environmental health research thus far. The aim of this systematic review was to clarify whether sex/gender theoretical concepts were addressed in studies on the impact of residential green space on self-rated health and whether effect modification by sex/gender was observed. Three electronic databases were searched to identify epidemiological studies on perceived or objective residential green/blue space and self-rated health. Necessary for study inclusion was mentioning at least one keyword for sex/gender in title or abstract, adult study participants and data on self-rated health and on availability and/or use of green/blue spaces. Decisive for study inclusion was consideration of sex/gender differences in the impact of perceived or objective residential green/blue spaces on self-rated health in the analysis and presentation of results. Seven studies were included. They presented an overall positive impact of green space on self-rated health. No consistent sex/gender differences in the impact of green space on self-rated health were found in these studies. However, all studies used a binary operationalization male/female without further theoretical foundation. Research quality could be enhanced by integrating sex/gender-theoretical concepts into study design and interpretation of results.

The comprehensive consideration of sex/gender in health research is essential to increase relevance and validity of research results. Contrary to other areas of health research, there is no systematic summary of the current state of research on the significance of sex/gender in environmental health. Within the interdisciplinary research network Sex/Gender—Environment—Health (GeUmGe-NET) the current state of integration of sex/gender aspects or, respectively, gender theoretical concepts into research was systematically assessed within selected topics of the research areas environmental toxicology, environmental medicine, environmental epidemiology and public health research on environment and health. Knowledge gaps and research needs were identified in all research areas. Furthermore, the potential for methodological advancements by using gender theoretical concepts was depicted. Adialogue between biomedical research, public health research, and gender studies was started with the research network GeUmGe-NET. This dialogue has to be continued particularly regarding acommon testing of methodological innovations in data collection and data analysis. Insights of this interdisciplinary research are relevant for practice areas such as environmental health protection, health promotion, environmental justice, and environmental health monitoring.

© 2018 Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article). All rights reserved. Objectives To investigate the association between area deprivation at municipality level with low perceived social support, independent of individual socioeconomic position and demographic characteristics. To assess whether there are gender inequalities in this association. Design Cross-sectional multilevel analysis of survey data. Setting Germany. Participants 3350 men and 3665 women living in 167 municipalities throughout Germany participating in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults' (DEGS1 2008-2011) as part of the national health monitoring. Outcome Perceived social support as measured by Oslo-3 Social Support Scale. Results Prevalence of low perceived social support was 11.4% in men and 11.1% in women. Low social support was associated in men and women with sociodemographic characteristics that indicate more disadvantaged living situations. Taking these individual-level characteristics into account, municipal-level deprivation was independently associated with low perceived social support in men (OR for the most deprived quintile: 1.80 (95% CI 1.14 to 2.84)), but not in women (OR 1.22 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.90)). Conclusion The results of our multilevel analysis suggest that there are gender inequalities in the association of municipal-level deprivation with the prevalence of low perceived social support in Germany independent of individual socioeconomic position. Community health interventions aiming at promotion of social support among residents might profit from a further understanding of the observed gender differences.

In der biomedizinischen Forschung und Praxis zu Umwelt und Gesundheit wird Ge­schlecht mit den vielfältigen biologischen und sozialen Dimensionen noch nicht ange­messen berücksichtigt. Das Verbundprojekt INGER hat zum Ziel, innovative Methoden für eine geschlechtersensible quantitative Forschung zu umweltbezogener Gesundheit interdisziplinär zu entwickeln und zu erproben. Neue Fragebogenmodule werden getestet, um die Datenerhebung in populationsbasierten Studien zu umweltbezogener Gesundheit durch umfassende Erhebung von Sex/Gender­Dimensionen entsprechend gendertheoretischer Konzepte zu verbessern. Zur Quantifizierung der Bedeutung von Sex/Gender für Umweltexpositionen und umweltbezogene Gesundheit werden neue statistische Analysestrategien identifiziert und erprobt. INGER wird eine fundierte Wissensbasis schaffen als Grundlage für eine bessere Berücksichtigung von Sex/Gen­der­Aspekten im umweltbezogenen Gesundheitsschutz und in der Gesundheitsförde­rung im Bereich Umwelt und Gesundheit.

ObjectiveTo describe regional differences between eastern and western Germany with regard to food, nutrient and supplement intake in 9–12-year-old children, and analyse its association with parental education and equivalent income.DesignData were obtained from the 10-year follow-up of the two prospective birth cohort studies – GINIplus and LISAplus. Data on food consumption and supplement intake were collected using an FFQ, which had been designed for the specific study population. Information on parental educational level and equivalent income was derived from questionnaires. Logistic regression modelling was used to analyse the effect of parental education, equivalent income and region on food intake, after adjusting for potential confounders.SettingGermany.SubjectsA total of 3435 children aged 9–12 years.ResultsSubstantial regional differences in food intake were observed between eastern and western Germany. Intakes of bread, butter, eggs, pasta, vegetables/salad and fruit showed a significant direct relationship with the level of parental education after adjusting for potential confounders, whereas intakes of margarine, meat products, pizza, desserts and soft drinks were inversely associated with parental education. Equivalent income had a weaker influence on the child's food intake.ConclusionsNutritional education programmes for school-age children should therefore account for regional differences and parental education.