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Background: Allergic diseases pose a health problem worldwide. Pollen are widespread aeroallergens which can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, cough, itchy eyes, or rhinitis. Apart from preventive measures and pharmacological treatment, also non‐pharmacological interventions have been suggested to reduce symptoms. The objective of this work was to review studies investigating the effectiveness of non‐pharmacologic interventions to reduce allergic symptoms. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were systematically reviewed in July 2018 and April 2020. Several authors worked on the screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts. One author for each literature search performed the data extraction and the risk of bias assessment. Studies were included if they met the inclusion criteria defined by the PECOs. Studies which investigating the effect of non‐pharmacologic interventions on patients with allergic rhinitis were included. Results: Twenty‐nine studies investigating eleven types of non‐pharmacologic interventions to avoid and reduce allergic symptoms due to pollen exposure were included in this review. Out of all studies, seven studies addressed nasal rinsing and 22 included acupuncture, air filtering, artisanal tears, individual allergen avoidance advice, various nasal applications, self‐hypnosis, rhinophototherapy, and wraparound sunglasses. Conclusion: Most studies had a high risk of bias and small sample sizes. There were only a few high‐quality studies that give hints about the effectiveness of non‐pharmacological interventions. For future research, more high‐quality studies are required to confirm the effectiveness of simple, safe, and cost‐effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children are a vulnerable group affected by climate change. Paediatricians are important actors in protecting children from climate change-related health risks and in identifying and treating relevant health effects. The main objectives of this study were to determine how paediatricians assess the relevance of climate change-related health impacts, through which channels paediatricians can be reached most effectively, how often climate change-specific prevention measures are implemented and how they are assessed., Methods: Between February and July 2020, an online survey was conducted among paediatricians. The cross-sectional survey was designed to gather knowledge and attitudes about the relevance of climate change, sources of information and prevention measures. All participants who answered only one question or none at all were excluded. Differences between groups were determined using one-factorial analysis of variance. Correlations were determined using Pearson's bivariate correlation analysis and tested for two-sided significance., Results: A total of 408 questionnaires were analysed. Over 95% of the respondents were paediatricians, with just under half of them working in children's hospitals and a good third in paediatric practices. According to paediatricians, climate change has a relevant impact on children's health. The most significant effects on children's health were considered to be longer and stronger pollen seasons, neophytes and neozoa, Lyme disease and TBE (tick-borne encephalitis, summer meningoencephalitis), UV radiation and air pollutants. Certified training options in professional journals and participation in lectures or workshops at relevant congresses were identified as the two preferred types of training. Especially professional journals as the most frequently used source of information could function as a suitable tool to reach as many paediatricians as possible. 76% of the paediatricians have not yet carried out any corresponding prevention activities, although information activities for parents or children were seen as being effective by 80%. Whereas the possibilities of integrating climate change-oriented prevention activities into everyday practice, were perceived less positively. The most frequent reason given was lack of time., Discussion: To satisfy this future need for knowledge, but also for offerings from paediatricians for patients and their parents, concrete further continuous education and consultancy services must be prepared. In the future, further training offers, including the consultancy services, should be integrated into profession-specific training modules, presented at congresses, and then implemented into paediatricians' daily routine., Conclusion: The results of the study illustrate that the topic "climate change and health" has a high relevance for paediatricians and that information measures for parents are considered to be effective. Although paediatricians are concerned with the topic, there is an implementation deficit. Support is needed in the form of intensifying awareness-raising projects and educational modules for paediatricians to move from knowledge to action., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

The number of heatwaves is going to increase due to climate change and will pose a high health risk especially for elderly people. Additional risk factors like immobility, the need for care, chronic and acute diseases (worsening of symptoms), and the intake of medications lead to an increased sensitivity to heat in this particular age group. Nursing staff and medical assistants working in general practices are two important professions to reach the risk group during heatwaves and provide preventive and curative care.The "Klinikum der Universität München" has developed an interprofessional blended-learning program to sensitize for this topic and to enable those two professional groups to react adequately to heat events. It combines independent learning with the help of online videos and presentations and a face-to-face component for the practical application of knowledge through examples. The concept, the results, as well as the conclusion of the project, which completed in October 2018, are presented in this article.Educational programs are part of the adaption strategies to heat events. The "Recommendations for the creation of Heat Action Plans for the Protection of Human Health" state that advanced trainings and education of healthcare and social workers help to communicate relevant content to adequately act during heat periods. The developed educational program fulfills this demand.To enable the widest possible use, the training materials are available free of charge and can be downloaded from www.klimawandelundbildung.de .

Background: Environmental risk factors can have a substantial impact on population health. With the environmental burden of disease (EBD) approach, the health losses attributable to environmental risk factors can be quantified using disability-adjusted life years (DALY)., Objectives: The aim of this article is to present and discuss available EBD estimates with a focus on Germany., Materials: Using current EBD studies, the share of the burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors globally and DALYs for Germany are presented. Ambient particulate matter (PM), water-related risks and environmental noise are used as examples to emphasize the importance of availability and quality of input data for burden of disease assessments., Results: The share of the global burden of disease attributable to environmental risk factors varies according to the available studies and lies between 13 and 22%. For Germany, EBD estimates are available for 12 environmental risk factors. Most estimates are available for particulate matter in ambient air, however, the estimated burden differs greatly. Nonetheless, according to current knowledge, particulate matter pollution is the environmental risk factor with the highest burden of disease in Germany., Conclusions: Differences in the estimated burden of disease for the considered risk factors are due to varying underlying assumptions, e. g. for life expectancy or counterfactual value and the input data used.