Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and agreement of echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease using the World Heart Federation evidence-based criteria.

Objective: Different definitions have been used for screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This led to the development of the 2012 evidence-based World Heart Federation (WHF) echocardiographic criteria. The objective of this study is to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability and agreement in differentiating no RHD from mild RHD using the WHF echocardiographic criteria.

Pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation in Pacific Island athletes.

Background: Pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation (PPE) aims to detect cardiac disease with sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk. No study has focused on Pacific Island athletes.

Methods: A total of 2281 Pacific Island athletes were studied with (i) a questionnaire on family, personal history and symptoms, (ii) a physical examination and (iii) a 12-lead ECG.

Salt intake and iodine status of women in Samoa.

The objective of this study was to determine iodine nutrition status and whether iodine status differs across salt intake levels among a sample of women aged 18-45 years living in Samoa. A cross-sectional survey was completed and 24-hr urine samples were collected and assessed for iodine (n=152) and salt excretion (n=119). The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) among the women was 88 μg/L (Interquartile range (IQR)=54-121 μg/L).

Salt Intakes, Knowledge, and Behavior in Samoa: Monitoring Salt-Consumption Patterns Through the World Health Organization's Surveillance of Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors (STEPS).

This project measured population salt intake in Samoa by integrating urinary sodium analysis into the World Health Organization's (WHO's) STEPwise approach to surveillance of noncommunicable disease risk factors (STEPS). A subsample of the Samoan Ministry of Health's 2013 STEPS Survey collected 24-hour and spot urine samples and completed questions on salt-related behaviors. Complete urine samples were available for 293 participants.

Cost-effectiveness of reducing salt intake in the Pacific Islands: protocol for a before and after intervention study.

Background: There is broad consensus that diets high in salt are bad for health and that reducing salt intake is a cost-effective strategy for preventing chronic diseases. The World Health Organization has been supporting the development of salt reduction strategies in the Pacific Islands where salt intakes are thought to be high. However, there are no accurate measures of salt intake in these countries.

The metabolic syndrome identifies a heterogeneous group of metabolic component combinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aim: To compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by combinations of MetS components derived from the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions.

Methods: Four studies with ethnically distinct populations from the Asia-Pacific region were selected from the DETECT-2 study database. The prevalences of combinations of MetS components using the modified ATPIII (modATPIII) and IDF MetS definitions were compared between sexes and across populations.

Comparisons of metabolic syndrome definitions in four populations of the Asia-Pacific region.

Background: To compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by four MetS definitions in four Asia-Pacific populations, and to compare the prevalence of individual metabolic components.

Methods: Population-based cross-sectional studies from Australia, Japan, Korea, and Samoa were used to assess the World Health Organization (WHO), European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR), modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (modATPIII), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) MetS definitions. Age-adjusted MetS prevalences were compared within and between countries and kappa statistics were used to determine the agreement between IDF and the other three definitions.