Factors influencing language performance in boys and girls at age 2 in the French ELFE birth cohort.

Different environmental and biological variables affect the rhythm of language acquisition in children. A substantial amount of literature has shown that girls overtake boys, at least in the early stages of language acquisition. The goal of this study is to investigate how different factors affect language scores in girls and boys.

Health insurance coverage is the single most prominent socioeconomic factor associated with cardiovascular drug delivery in the French population.

Objective: Although the French population benefits from universal health coverage, prescribed drugs are in most cases only partially reimbursed by the national insurance plan (65% of the cost), raising the possibility of reduced drug access for patients with low socioeconomic status.

Methods: To explore this question, the delivery of cardiovascular drugs in relation to socioeconomic position was analysed in a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of patients with cardiovascular condition (n = 4646).

Results: Among eight socioeconomic indicators and after adjustment for healthcare needs, only health coverage is independently associated with cardiovascular drug delivery, which is reduced by half [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.

Low back pain around retirement age and physical occupational exposure during working life.

Background: Physical occupational exposure is a risk factor for low back pain in workers but the long term effects of exposure remain unclear. As several countries consider increasing the retirement age, further information on this topic is relevant. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of low back pain among middle aged and aging individuals in the general French population according to physical occupational exposure and retirement status.

Subtle health impairment and socioeducational attainment in young adult patients with congenital hypothyroidism diagnosed by neonatal screening: a longitudinal population-based cohort study.

Context: Screening programs resulting in the early treatment of patients with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) have successfully improved neurodevelopmental outcome, but little is known about long-term health.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess health status, and socioeconomic attainment, for a population-based registry of young adult patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: All 1748 eligible patients diagnosed during the first decade after the introduction of neonatal screening in France were invited to participate in this study at a median age of 23.

Level of education and back pain in France: the role of demographic, lifestyle and physical work factors.

Purpose: To investigate the pathways from level of education to low back pain (LBP) in the adult population, especially concerning the role of physical working constraints, and personal factors (overweight, tobacco consumption, and tallness).

Methods: The study population consisted of 15,534 subjects from the National Health Survey, with data on LBP, level of education, personal factors, and physical working constraints. Logistic models for LBP (pain more than 30 days during the previous 12 months) were compared in order to check the consistency of the data with specific causal pathways.

Lack of multiplicative transitivity in person trade-off responses.

Background: The person trade-off (PTO) is a technique for eliciting preferences for resource allocation across patient groups. In principle PTO responses should satisfy a requirement of multiplicative transitivity, i.e.

Costs of stroke care according to handicap levels and stroke subtypes.

Background: If new advances in stroke management are to be put into practice, crucial information about their costs needs to be considered in relation to clinically pertinent variables (e.g. handicap level and stroke subtypes).

Socioeconomic aspects of postacute care for patients with brain infarction in France.

Background: In France, the socioeconomic aspects of stroke have never been addressed. Such analyses are essential for health authorities to justify the establishment of new stroke units when resources are low, provided it can be shown that stroke units are effective in reducing both the morbidity and mortality of stroke. Only 6 dedicated stroke services exist for 60 million inhabitants in France.