Equity impacts of interventions to increase physical activity among older adults: a quantitative health impact assessment.

Background: Behavioural interventions may increase social inequalities in health. This study aimed to project the equity impact of physical activity interventions that have differential effectiveness across education groups on the long-term health inequalities by education and gender among older adults in Germany.

Methods: We created six intervention scenarios targeting the elderly population: Scenarios #1-#4 applied realistic intervention effects that varied by education (low, medium high).

Health literacy in Europe: comparative results of the European health literacy survey (HLS-EU).

Background: Health literacy concerns the capacities of people to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. In spite of the growing attention for the concept among European health policymakers, researchers and practitioners, information about the status of health literacy in Europe remains scarce. This article presents selected findings from the first European comparative survey on health literacy in populations.

Sociodemographic and health-(care-)related characteristics of online health information seekers: a cross-sectional German study.

Background: Although the increasing dissemination and use of health-related information on the Internet has the potential to empower citizens and patients, several studies have detected disparities in the use of online health information. This is due to several factors. So far, only a few studies have examined the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on health information seeking on the Internet.

Specific health status has an impact on the willingness to use telemonitoring: data from a 2009 health survey in north rhine-westphalia, Germany.

Objective: Demographic changes in Germany are expected to cause a rising need for medical care and therapy while capacities are declining. Telemedicine offers the option of minimizing some aspects of these problems, but so far, many telemedicine projects in Germany (including telemonitoring projects) are not applied to the clinical routine. This study was done to assess the influence of health factors on potential willingness to use telemonitoring devices at home.

Is telemonitoring an option against shortage of physicians in rural regions? Attitude towards telemedical devices in the North Rhine-Westphalian health survey, Germany.

Background: General practitioners (GP) in rural areas of Germany are struggling to find successors for their private practices. Telemonitoring at home offers an option to support remaining GPs and specialists in ambulatory care.

Methods: We assessed the knowledge and attitude towards telemedicine in the population of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, in a population-based telephone survey.

[Evaluation of the public-health intervention "Healthy Lower Rhine ... against Stroke" by phone surveys. A comparison of community knowledge of stroke by two surveys in the Lower Rhine Region, district of Wesel, Germany, 2002 and 2008].

Background And Purpose: From 2003 to 2008, the program "Healthy Lower Rhine ...

["Medical Emergency Services as Seen by Consumers". Health services research by CATI survey of the community].

Background: In the Wesel district (North Rhine-Westphalia), emergency ambulances have been called out with increasing frequency and hospitals report that their emergency departments (ED) are more and more being used outside consultation hours of panel doctors. Therefore, the district health conference put this issue on its agenda.

Purpose: The aim was to obtain data on the following questions: * What do people do when they need medical help outside consultation hours of panel doctors? * Do people know that there is an on-call duty by panel doctors? Do they know how to contact this service? Do people know the Emergency Medical Service and phone number 112 and the new phone number 19222 for Patient Transport Ambulances?

Material And Methods: The study population was defined as comprising all residents in the district of Wesel between 18 and 87 years of age (approximately 385,000 people).