Publications - Year - 2009

Obesity Service Mapping Questionnaire: Summary Report 2009

This is the second year of obesity services audit for the North East [4]. Annual collection of this data is important to: 1) understand differences in service provision across the region; 2) disseminate emerging good practice; and 3) ensure capacity is meeting needs. As part of a broader regional strategy to tackle obesity, the obesity service mapping audit was developed to provide a baseline of existing obesity services, identify gaps/service needs and highlight emerging good practice. This year, the questionnaire was also tailored to capture use of the national Standard Evaluation Framework (SEF) (http://www.noo.org.uk/sef) which is being advocated across the region.

Occasional Paper No. 36 December 2009: Surveillance of infant mortality and its determinants: a feasibility study of the use of maternity unit data

Summary

Infant mortality is an important indicator of population health.

Reducing inequalities in infant mortality is a key national target to reduce inequalities in health outcomes. This study explored the potential value of electronic birth records held by maternity units for the surveillance of determinants of infant mortality.

The study population included all live births between 2003 and 2005 in five maternity units in the North of England.

Electronic maternity unit data could provide a valuable data source for monitoring progress towards reducing risk factors for infant mortality.

NEPHO Information Governance Policy

This NEPHO Information Govemance Policy replaces the NEPHO Security and Confidentiality Policy which was last fully revised in August 2004. There had been a series of updates and interim guidance and it was clear a more radical overhaul was necessary. The scope has been broadened to cover all aspects of Information Governance such as information sharing and freedom of information not just Security and Confidentiality. It takes account of recent changes in law and guidance although this is a rapidly changing field and will still require constant updating. The opportunity has been taken to restructure so that more background information can go into the appendices in order to focus on practical guidance.

Surveillance of infant mortality and its determinants: a feasibility study of the use of maternity unit data

1.1.1 Definitions

Infant death is defined as the death of a live born baby in the first year of life. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. The infant mortality rate consists of two components, neonatal deaths which occur during the first 28 days of life, and post-neonatal deaths which occur after 28 days and up to one year.

The National Child Measurement Programme: 2007/08 Findings from the North East of England

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) was established to annually weigh and measure all children from Reception and Year 6 in maintained schools across England. In 2007/08, National Child Measurement Programme data was collected by all 12 North East Primary Care Trusts, providing a total of 51,801 records and a participation rate of 93.3% for Reception and 90.3% for Year 6, an increase of 6% and 8% respectively from last year.

North East Public Health Observatory Annual Report 2009

This report aims to account to our stakeholders for the use of our resources in 2008 and to show the significant part the North East Public Health Observatory plays in contributing towards improving health and reducing health inequalities within the North East region. It provides an overview of our key activities and outputs.

I2SARE Newsletter October 2009

The October 2009 newsletter for I2SARE (Health Inequalities Indicators in Regions of Europe), containing content written by John Wilkinson and Gillian Bryant of NEPHO.

RMSO Newsletter - September 2009

A newsletter outlining events, publications and changes to staff at the RMSO.

North East Maternal Obesity Community Services: A Questionnaire Audit and Qualitative Study

The aim of this study was to identify current community based initiatives relating to maternal obesity in the North East of England. The specific objectives were to: 1) Develop a better understanding of community based initiatives relating to maternal obesity in the North East 2) Gain practitioner views on services directed towards obesity and pregnancy, and their perceived role in the management and prevention of maternal obesity.

NORTH EAST DANCE & HEALTH PROJECT: An evaluation of a creative dance programme in preschool children: findings from a 10 week pilot controlled trial examining physical activity and mental well being outcomes

A short report reviewing the findings from a 10 week trial dance programme to increase mental well being and activity levels in preschool children.

Reducing Early Mortality from Cancer across the North East of England

Summary

• Early mortality rates for all cancers have fallen across England, the North East SHA and every regional PCT since 1995-1997.
• There is a more varied picture across the North East for under 75 mortality rates for colorectal cancer and breast cancer.
• There have been reductions across all areas in the rate of early deaths from lung cancer. Under 75 mortality rates for prostate cancer have risen across the North East since the baseline; this is reflected in many of the PCTs.
• Many of the current early mortality rates are not significantly different than the 2010 target suggesting many of the PCTs will perform successfully against the 2010 target at the outturn.

Obesity Prescribing Trends in the North East - July 2009

Summary

• Obesity is a serious, growing public health problem in the North East.
• National and regional guidance support the use of pharmaceutical interventions where appropriate.
• The number of obesity prescriptions has grown over time.
• Whilst differences exist between weighted prescribing rates across the North East, these are not statistically significant.
• Orlistat is the most commonly prescribed obesity drug in the North East, and prescribing rates for this drug are the highest in England per head of population.

Final Report of the PHGEN Project

The Public Health Genomics European Network (PHGEN) was selected for funding by the European Commission in 2005 and started in 2006 as a networking exercise 1 to identify key experts on Public Health Genomics (PHG) in all EU member states, applicant countries, and EFTA-EEA countries 2 to provide an inventory of PHG issues and priorities in Europe 3 to contribute to the co-operation and exchange of information in order to enhance coherence and disseminate best practice 4. to identify legal diversities and barriers in a cross-border market 5. to promote and stimulate the countries’ efforts in this emerging field by developing PHGEN and by supporting effective net-working in order to reach sustainability. Thus, in the long run PHGEN aims to serve the European Commission as an “early detection unit” for horizon scanning, fact finding, and monitoring of the integration of genomebased knowledge and technologies into public health.

Health indicators in the European regions: Expanding regional comparisons to the new countries of the European Union - ISARE III

Most comparisons of health in Europe take place at the national level. However, there is increased interest in looking at health data at a sub-national level. This study aimed to establish the availability of health data at a regional level and to develop a methodology for the comparisons of health indicators at a sub-national level. In previous work on indicators at a regional level in the European Union, the authors recommended the development of such indicators. This paper takes into account the expansion of the European Union which took place in 2004.

About SHAPE

Provides a brief introduction to the SHAPE toolkit

2010 Health Profiles

Local health profiles describe the health of the local population and enable the comparison of indicators describing health and determinants of health at local, regional and national levels. The 2010 health profiles can be accessed via the Health Profiles website: http://www.healthprofiles.info/. Previous years profiles can also be accessed through this link, together with underlying indicator data.

Health statistics - Atlas on mortality in the European Union

Health statistics - Atlas on mortality in the European Union describes the situation regarding mortality in the Member States of the European Union. It is an update of an earlier publication published by Eurostat in 2002, based on data for the years 1994-1996. Since then the number of European countries included has increased considerably. The atlas includes 2002-2004 mortality data from National Statistical Authorities in the 27 Member States of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Croatia, broken down by age and gender, by main causes of death and by 272 European regions. In addition, the selection of causes of death and the selection of indicators for inclusion in this atlas have been revised, and differences in risk factors as a potential basis for differences of mortality profiles are described.

RMSO Annual Report

This is the twenty-sixth annual report produced by the RMSO. It presents data from 2007 (the most recent data available) and reports on activities for 2008.

Intellectual and Physical Disability, Social Mobility, Social Inclusion and Health

No Abstract

Indications of Public Health in the English Regions 10: Drug Use - May 2009

This tenth in a series of national reports produced for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) is on drug use. The report contains 46 different indicators of drug use relating to the individual, community and population across all nine English regions; with additional analysis of sub-regional inequalities where possible.

Health Needs Assessment for Long Term Neurological Conditions in North East England

A health needs assessment (HNA) for Long Term Neurological Conditions (LTNC) has been carried out by the North East Public Health Observatory (NEPHO) on behalf of the Regional Neuroscience Commissioning Network. The HNA has been developed in parallel with the North East Strategic Commissioning Plan for Neurosciences. The key policy document underpinning this HNA is the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-term Conditions.

APHO Technical Briefing 5 - Geodemographic Segmentation

In this briefing we take a summary overview of segmentation and then focus on one approach to segmentation using geodemographic methods. We then compare the most commonly available geodemographic segmentation tools, highlighting the possible applications within the health sector and discussing some of the factors that should be considered when looking to invest in a system.

North East Public Health Observatory: Pilot Peer Review: April 2009

All PHOs in England are undergoing a process of peer review. The North East Public Health Observatory had its peer review in April 2009. Following the peer review all PHOs have produced an action plan to implement the recommendations.

The Development of Maternal Obesity Maternity Services in the North East of England: A Qualitative Study

The results of this follow up study have identified that there has been some significant development in maternal obesity services since the previous study conducted in 2005/2006.

Childhood Obesity in the North East 2006/07 National Child Measurement Programme

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), formerly known as the National Childhood Obesity Dataset, was established in 2005 and aims to annually weigh and measure all children from Reception (ages 4-5 years) and Year 6 (ages 10-11 years) in maintained schools across England

Cancer Reform Strategy 2007

The Cancer Reform Strategy builds on the progress made since the publication of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000 and sets a clear direction for cancer services for the next five years. It shows how by 2012 our cancer services can and should become among the best in the world.

Progress in Revascularisations in the North East of England

This paper describes the progress made by NHS Trusts providing cardiovascular services and commissioning Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the North East of England in improving revascularisation since 2003/04.

Specialist Alcohol Treatment in the North East 2008

This paper describes the level of specialist alcohol treatment provision in the North East of England. Its purpose is to support Primary Care Trusts (the commissioners of services) and others in understanding patterns of care and to signal the availability of this information for future use. The data come from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) and is for the first two quarters of 2008/09 and updates an earlier report.¹