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US Citizens (us + citizen)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Injury Deaths of US Citizens Abroad: New Data Source, Old Travel Problem

JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2009
Daniel J Tonellato BA Candidate
Background Global travel continues to increase, including among US citizens. The global burden of injuries and violence, accounting for approximately 5 million deaths worldwide in 2000, is also growing. Travelers often experience heightened risk for this biosocial disease burden. This study seeks to further describe and improve our understanding of the variable risk of travel-related injury and death. Methods Information on US civilian citizen deaths from injury while abroad was obtained from the US Department of State Web site. This information was categorized into regional and causal groupings. The groupings were compared to each other and to injury deaths among citizens in their native countries. Results From 2004 to 2006, there were 2,361 deaths of US citizens overseas due to injury. Of these US citizen injury deaths, 50.4% occurred in the Americas region. Almost 40% (37.8%) of US citizen injury deaths in the low- to middle-income Americas were due to vehicle crashes compared to about half that (18.9%) (proportional mortality ratio [PMR] = 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59,1.62) for low- to middle-income Americas citizen injury deaths. Similar differences between US citizen injury death abroad and the in-country distributions were also found for vehicle crashes in Europe (35.9% vs 16.5%, PMR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.78,2.64; p < 0.0005), for drowning deaths in the Americas (13.1% vs 4.6%, PMR = 2.67, 95% CI 2.29,3.11) and many island nations (63.5% vs 3.5%, PMR = 11.38, 95% CI 8.17,15.84), and for homicides in the low- to middle-income European countries (16.9% vs 10.5%, PMR = 1.52, 95% CI .90,2.57). Conclusions US citizens should be aware of regional variation of injury deaths in foreign countries, especially for motor vehicle crashes, drowning, and violence. Improved knowledge of regional variations of injury death and risk for travelers can further inform travelers and the development of evidence-based prevention programs and policies. The State Department Web site is a new data source that furthers our understanding of this challenging travel-related health issue. [source]

Fatal Injuries of US Citizens Abroad

JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2007
Clare E. Guse MS
Background US citizens are increasingly traveling, working, and studying abroad as well as retiring abroad. The objective of this study was to describe the type and scope of injury deaths among US citizens abroad and to compare injury death proportions by region to those in the United States. Methods A cross-sectional design using reports of US citizen deaths abroad for 1998, 2000, and 2002 on file at the US State Department was employed. The main outcome measures were the frequencies of injury deaths and proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) comparing deaths abroad to deaths in the United States. Results Two thousand eleven injury deaths were reported in the 3 years, comprising 13% of all deaths. The overall age-adjusted PMR for injury fatalities abroad compared to the United States was 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1.6,1.7). The highest age-adjusted PMRs for motor vehicle crashes were found in Africa (2.7) and Southeast Asia (1.6). The proportion of drowning deaths was elevated in all regions abroad. Conclusions Injuries occur at a higher proportion abroad than in the United States. Motor vehicle crash and drowning fatalities are of particular concern. Improved data quality and surveillance of deaths would help government agencies create more evidence-based country advisories. [source]

Physical Disability and Obesity

NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 10 2005
Tsan-Hon Liou MD
Nearly 20% of US citizens are disabled. Epidemiologic studies have shown that people with physical disabilities have a 1.2- to 3.9-fold increase in obesity prevalence. Obesity is becoming a serious problem in disabled individuals. The mechanisms by which obesity occurs in people with physical disabilities is not clear, but pathophysiological changes of body composition and energy metabolism, physical inactivity, and muscle atrophy all favor the development of obesity. Health professionals should identify disabled patients at risk and provide early prevention guidance. Research is needed to help generate detailed clinical guidelines to promote weight control among people with physical disabilities. [source]