Unravelling the role of the mandatory use of face covering masks for the control of SARS-CoV-2 in schools: a quasi-experimental study nested in a population-based cohort in Catalonia (Spain).

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of mandatory use of face covering masks (FCMs) in schools during the first term of the 2021-2022 academic year.

Design: A retrospective population-based study.

Setting: Schools in Catalonia (Spain).

Excess cases of influenza and the coronavirus epidemic in Catalonia: a time-series analysis of primary-care electronic medical records covering over 6 million people.

Objectives: There is uncertainty about when the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Spain. We aimed to determine whether influenza diagnoses masked early COVID-19 cases and estimate numbers of undetected COVID-19 cases.

Design: Time-series study of influenza and COVID-19 cases, 2010-2020.

Rheumatoid factor testing in Spanish primary care: A population-based cohort study including 4.8 million subjects and almost half a million measurements.

Objective: Rheumatoid factor (RF) testing is used in primary care in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however a positive RF may occur without RA. Incorrect use of RF testing may lead to increased costs and delayed diagnoses. The aim was to assess the performance of RF as a test for RA and to estimate the costs associated with its use in a primary care setting.

Socioeconomic status and its association with the risk of developing hip fractures: a region-wide ecological study.

Purpose: To determine the association between socioeconomic deprivation (SES) and hip fracture risk.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using a population-based database (primary care records) of over 5 million people. Eligibility: all living subjects registered during the period 2009-2012 and resident in an urban area.

Relationship between mortality and BMI after fracture: a population-based study of men and women aged ≥40 years.

Fractures in obese older individuals contribute significantly to the overall burden on primary health care, but data on their impact on mortality are lacking. We studied the association between obesity and mortality following hip and nonhip clinical fractures in a retrospective, population-based cohort study. The Sistema d'Informació pel Desenvolupament de la Investigació en Atenció Primària (SIDIAP(Q) ) database contains primary care computerized medical records of a representative sample of >2.

The association between fracture site and obesity in men: a population-based cohort study.

A site-dependent association between obesity and fracture has been reported in postmenopausal women. In this study we investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fracture at different skeletal sites in older men (≥65 years). We carried out a population-based cohort study using data from the Sistema d'Informació per al Desenvolupament de l'Investigació en Atenció Primària (SIDIAP(Q) ) database.

HIV infection is strongly associated with hip fracture risk, independently of age, gender, and comorbidities: a population-based cohort study.

HIV infection and antiretroviral therapies have detrimental effects on bone metabolism, but data on their impact on fracture risk are controversial. We conducted a population-based cohort study to explore the association between clinical diagnosis of HIV infection and hip and major osteoporotic fracture risk. Data were obtained from the SIDIAP(Q) database, which contains clinical information for >2 million patients in Catalonia, Spain (30% of the population).

"Burden of osteoporotic fractures in primary health care in Catalonia (Spain): a population-based study".

Background: Knowledge on the epidemiology of non-hip fractures in Spain is limited and somewhat outdated. Using computerized primary care records from the SIDIAP database, we derived age and sex-specific fracture incidence rates for the region of Catalonia during the year 2009.

Methods: The SIDIAP database contains quality-checked clinical information from computerized medical records of a representative sample of >5,800,000 patients (80% of the population of Catalonia).

The association between fracture and obesity is site-dependent: a population-based study in postmenopausal women.

The association between obesity and fracture is controversial. We investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fracture at different skeletal sites in women aged ≥50 years using data from the Sistema d' Informació per al Desenvolupament de la Investigació en Atenció Primària (SIDIAP) database. SIDIAP contains the computerized medical records of >3400 general practitioners in Catalonia (northeastern Spain), with information on a representative 80% of the population (>5 million people).