German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD): Revision, update and applications.

Background: Regional deprivation indices enable researchers to analyse associations between socioeconomic disadvantages and health outcomes even if the health data of interest does not include information on the individuals' socioeconomic position. This article introduces the recent revision of the German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD) and presents associations with life expectancy as well as age-standardised cardiovascular mortality rates and cancer incidences as applications.

Methods: The GISD measures the level of socioeconomic deprivation using administrative data of education, employment, and income situations at the district and municipality level from the INKAR database.

Causal graph analysis of COVID-19 observational data in German districts reveals effects of determining factors on reported case numbers.

Several determinants are suspected to be causal drivers for new cases of COVID-19 infection. Correcting for possible confounders, we estimated the effects of the most prominent determining factors on reported case numbers. To this end, we used a directed acyclic graph (DAG) as a graphical representation of the hypothesized causal effects of the determinants on new reported cases of COVID-19.

Domain-specific physical activity patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness among the working population: Findings from the cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate associations between occupational physical activity patterns (physical work demands linked to job title) and leisure time physical activity (assessed by questionnaire) with cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed by exercise test) among men and women in the German working population.

Design: Population-based cross-sectional study.

Setting: Two-stage cluster-randomised general population sample selected from population registries of 180 nationally distributed sample points.

Work-family conflict, self-reported general health and work-family reconciliation policies in Europe: Results from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015.

The increasing labor market participation of women in Europe leads to many women and men having to reconcile paid work with family work and thus reporting work-family conflict (WFC). WFC is related to different dimensions of health. In the present article, we analyzed the role different reconciliation policies among European countries may play regarding WFC and its association with self-reported health.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Rise of Adult Obesity: A Time-Trend Analysis of National Examination Data from Germany, 1990-2011.

Objective: Despite extensive study of the obesity epidemic, research on whether obesity has risen faster in lower or in higher socioeconomic groups is inconsistent. This study examined secular trends in obesity prevalence by socioeconomic position and the resulting obesity inequalities in the German adult population.

Methods: Data were drawn from three national examination surveys conducted in 1990-1992, 1997-1999 and 2008-2011 (n = 18,541; age range: 25-69 years).

Social differences in mortality and life expectancy in Germany. Current situation and trends.

Social differences in mortality and life expectancy are a clear demonstration of the social and health-related inequalities that exist within a particular population. According to data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for the period ranging from 1992 to 2016, 13% of women and 27% of men in the lowest income group died before the age of 65; the same can be said for just 8% of women and 14% of men in the highest income group. The difference between mean life expectancy at birth among the lowest and highest income groups is 4.

Corrigendum: The utilization of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services in Germany - individual determinants and regional differences.

[This corrects the article on p. 3-22 in vol. 2.

Corrigendum: Regional health differences - developing a socioeconomic deprivation index for Germany.

[This corrects the article on p. 98-114 in vol. 2.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Total and Site-Specific Cancer Incidence in Germany: A Population-Based Registry Study.

Most chronic diseases follow a socioeconomic gradient with higher rates in lower socioeconomic groups. A growing body of research, however, reveals cancer to be a disease group with very diverse socioeconomic patterning, even demonstrating reverse socioeconomic gradients for certain cancers. To investigate this matter at the German national level for the first time, this study examined socioeconomic inequalities in cancer incidence in Germany, both for all cancers combined as well as for common site-specific cancers.

[Time trends of occupational differences in smoking behaviour of employed men and women in Germany : Results of the 1999-2013 microcensus].

Background: Studies show that people with a low occupational status are more likely to smoke than those with a high occupational status. Against the background of a general decline in tobacco consumption, time trends of occupational differences in smoking behaviour of employed men and women in Germany were examined.

Methods: The analyses were based on the last five waves of the German microcensus that included questions about smoking (1999, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2013), taking only employed men and women aged 18-64 years into account (n = 688,746).

Carbapenem non-susceptibility of isolates in hospitals from 2011 to 2016, data from the German Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ARS).

Background: Carbapenem resistance in is of significant public health concern and recently spread across several countries. We investigated the extent of carbapenem non-susceptibility in isolates in Germany.

Methods: We analysed 2011-2016 data from the German Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ARS) System, which contains routine data of antimicrobial susceptibility testing from voluntarily participating German laboratories.

Gender inequalities in the association between area deprivation and perceived social support: a cross-sectional multilevel analysis at the municipality level in Germany.

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.

Post-millennial trends of socioeconomic inequalities in chronic illness among adults in Germany.

Objective: Time trends in health inequalities have scarcely been studied in Germany as only few national data have been available. In this paper, we explore trends in socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of chronic illness using Germany-wide data from four cross-sectional health surveys conducted between 2003 and 2012 (n = 54,197; ages 25-69 years). We thereby expand a prior analysis on post-millennial inequality trends in behavioural risk factors by turning the focus to chronic illness as the outcome measure.

Health inequalities in Germany and in international comparison: trends and developments over time.

Social epidemiological research has consistently demonstrated that people with a low socioeconomic status are particularly at risk of diseases, health complaints and functional limitations, and die at younger ages than those with a higher socioeconomic status. Greater stresses and strains in the workplace, family and living environment are under discussion as possible explanations. Health-related behaviours, psycho-social factors and personal resources, which are important in coping with everyday demands, certainly also play a role.

Socioeconomic status and subjective social status measurement in KiGGS Wave 2.

This article describes the method applied to measure socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective social status (SSS) in the current wave of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS Wave 2), which was conducted over three years between 2014 and 2017. The composite multidimensional SES index was calculated as a sum of point scores for the parents' education level, occupational status and equivalised disposable income. SSS was assessed in the 11 to 17 year age group using a German version of the MacArthur Scale for children and adolescents.

Perceived exposure to hazardous working conditions in Germany.

Data on the prevalence of perceived exposure to hazardous working conditions were gathered for the GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS study using a simple graduated question. Approximately one-fifth of people in employment state that they face serious or very serious occupational health hazards. However, women (18.

The utilization of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic services in Germany - individual determinants and regional differences.

In Germany, the provision of health services to people with mental disorders is an issue that is subject to controversial debate. On the one hand, regional differences exist in the distribution of psychotherapists in Germany. On the other hand, patients are often willing to accept the extra effort of having to travel further in order to access treatment even in case of a low supply.

[What potential do geographic information systems have for population-wide health monitoring in Germany? : Perspectives and challenges for the health monitoring of the Robert Koch Institute].

Geographic information systems (GISs) are computer-based systems with which geographical data can be recorded, stored, managed, analyzed, visualized and provided. In recent years, they have become an integral part of public health research. They offer a broad range of analysis tools, which enable innovative solutions for health-related research questions.

[Potentials in the regionalization of health indicators using small-area estimation methods : Exemplary results based on the 2009, 2010 and 2012 GEDA studies].

Nationwide health surveys can be used to estimate regional differences in health. Using traditional estimation techniques, the spatial depth for these estimates is limited due to the constrained sample size. So far - without special refreshment samples - results have only been available for larger populated federal states of Germany.

Regional health differences - developing a socioeconomic deprivation index for Germany.

For Germany, regional differences for various health indicators, which are also associated with socioeconomic factors, have been documented. This article aims to develop a regional socioeconomic deprivation index for Germany that (1) can be used to analyse regional socioeconomic inequalities in health and (2) provides a basis for explaining regional health differences in Germany. The core data stem from the INKAR (indicators and maps on spatial and urban development in Germany and Europe) database compiled by Germany's Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development.

Changing educational inequalities in sporting inactivity among adults in Germany: a trend study from 2003 to 2012.

Background: Social inequalities in health can be explained in part by the social patterning of leisure-time physical activity, such as non-participation in sports. This study is the first to explore whether absolute and relative educational inequalities in sporting inactivity among adults have changed in Germany since the early 2000s.

Methods: Data from four cross-sectional national health surveys conducted in 2003 (n = 6890), 2009 (n = 16,418), 2010 (n = 17,145) and 2012 (n = 13,744) were analysed.

Trends in Absolute and Relative Educational Inequalities in Adult Smoking Since the Early 2000s: The Case of Germany.

Introduction: Since the early 2000s, several tobacco control policies have been implemented in Germany. Current research is inconsistent about how strengthening tobacco control can affect social inequalities in smoking. This study examines whether educational inequalities in adult smoking have widened in Germany since 2003.

Individual and Regional Determinants for Physical Therapy Utilization in Germany: Multilevel Analysis of National Survey Data.

Background: Physical therapy is included in many clinical guidelines and is a commonly used health service. However, access to its benefits should not strongly depend on social or demographic factors.

Objective: The present study used the Andersen model to explain to what extent physical therapy utilization in Germany depends on factors beyond medical need.