Summary Objectives Summary evidence of influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against hospitalized influenza is lacking. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies reporting IVE against laboratory-confirmed hospitalized influenza among adults. Methods We searched Pubmed (January 2009 to November 2016) for studies that used test-negative design (TND) to enrol patients hospitalized with influenza-associated conditions. Two independent authors selected relevant articles. We calculated pooled IVE against any and (sub)type specific influenza among all adults, and stratified by age group (18–64 and 65 years and above) using random-effects models. Results We identified 3411 publications and 30 met our inclusion criteria. Between 2010–11 and 2014–15, the pooled seasonal IVE was 41% (95%CI:34;48) for any influenza (51% (95%CI:44;58) among people aged 18–64y and 37% (95%CI:30;44) among ≥65 years). IVE was 48% (95%CI:37;59), 37% (95%CI:24;50) and 38% (95%CI:23;53) against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B, respectively. Among persons aged ≥65 year, IVE against A(H3N2) was 43% (95%CI:33;53) in seasons when circulating and vaccine strains were antigenically similar and 14% (95%CI: −3;30) when A(H3N2) variant viruses predominated. Conclusions Influenza vaccines provided moderate protection against influenza-associated hospitalizations among adults. They seemed to provide low protection among elderly in seasons where vaccine and circulating A(H3N2) strains were antigenically variant.

ObjectivesThis article aims at describing, in a Belgian town, the frequency of the fear of falling and of subsequent activity restriction among non-institutionalised people aged 65 years and over, and at identifying persons affected by these two issues.MethodsCross-sectional survey conducted in Fontaine l'Evêque (Belgium) in 2006, using a self-administered questionnaire.ResultsThe participants could fill in the questionnaire on their own or with the help of a third party if needed. The latter were not taken into account in this article. Analyses covered 419 questionnaires. Fear of falling and activity restriction were reported by, respectively, 59.1% and 33.2% of participants. They were more frequent among fallers but also affected non-fallers. In logistic regression analyses: gender, the fact of living alone and the number of falls were significantly associated with fear of falling; gender, age and the number of falls were significantly associated with activity restriction.ConclusionsOur study, despite various limitations, shows the importance of fear of falling and of subsequent activity restriction among older people, among fallers as well as among non-fallers. It also provides information, though limited, concerning persons affected by these two issues in Belgium, and in other contexts as well. Given the ageing of our populations, it is important to take these problems into account when caring for older people.

Having a baby while on dialysis is rare but not impossible, though early mortality remains high. There is a 'scale of probability' estimating that women on dialysis have a 10-fold lower probability of delivering a live-born baby than those who have undergone renal transplantation, who in turn have a 10-fold lower probability of delivering a live-born baby as compared with the overall population.

Objective: To evaluate the gap between food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) and the usual food consumption in Belgium. Design and setting: Information on food intake was collected with two nonconsecutive 24 h recalls, using the validated software package EPIC-SOFT in combination with a self-administered FFQ. Habitual food intake was estimated by the Nusser method. Physical activity was evaluated according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Subjects: A representative sample of the Belgian population aged 15 years and older was randomly selected from the National Register using a multistage stratified procedure. Dietary information was obtained from 3245 individuals. Results: Food intakes deviated significantly from the recommendations. In particular, fruit (118 g/d) and vegetable (138 g/d) consumption and intake of dairy and Ca-enriched soya products (159 g/d) were inadequate. Consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (soft drinks, alcohol and snacks) was excessive (481 g/d). There were important age and gender differences. Fruit, vegetable and spreadable fat consumption was lowest, while consumption of dairy, starchy and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods was highest among the youngest age group. Men consumed more animal and starchy foods than women, who consumed more fruits. There were only slight differences by education level. Conclusion: Food intakes differed substantially from the FBDG. Improvement of the Belgian food pattern, in particular among the youngest age group, is necessary for a better prevention of diet-related diseases. In addition, continuous or regular monitoring is crucial to permit trend analyses and to plan effective education or intervention strategies.

Our analysis shows that childhood obesity and physical activity increase the occurrence of injuries. However, we did not observe an association between obesity and severe injuries. Obesity as a risk factor for the occurrence of injuries has to be confirmed by other studies, and the understanding of the mechanism for the observed association needs more investigation.

Health information systems in developing countries are often faulted for the poor quality of the data generated and for the insufficient means implemented to improve system performance. This study examined data quality in the Routine Health Information System in Benin in 2012 and carried out a cross-sectional evaluation of the quality of the data using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling method. The results confirm the insufficient quality of the data based on three criteria: completeness, reliability and accuracy. However, differences can be seen as the shortcomings are less significant for financial data and for immunization data. The method is simple, fast and can be proposed for current use at operational level as a data quality control tool during the production stage.

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and identify some predictors of misreporting in an elderly Belgian population and to assess the effect of underreporting on estimated intakes of macronutrients and foods. Design: A 1-day food record was completed by 2083 adult men and women aged 65 years or more. Individuals whose energy intake was lower than 0.90 £ BMR (basal metabolic rate) were defined as underreporters. Overreporting was defined as energy intake greater than 2 £ BMR. Results: Underreporting and overreporting occurred in 13.6% and 7.9% of food records, respectively. Results from logistic regression models indicated that gender and body mass index (BMI) were predictors of misreporting. Whereas women were more likely to underreport energy intake, the prevalence of overreporting was higher in men. Underreporting was more prevalent among obese people and overreporting more prevalent in normal-weight subjects. Smoking status and education level did not predict underreporting; however, overreporting was more likely to occur in more highly educated subjects. A cultural difference in reporting of nutrient intakes was also found, with the percentage of underreporters being higher among Walloons compared with Flemish. Conclusion: BMI seemed to be one of the most important factors in misreporting. This calls for special attention when dietary surveys are performed on obese or lean people. Keywords Dietary assessmentEnergy intake Misreporting Validity Basal metabolic rateThe measurement of nutrient intake in dietary surveys represents a methodological challenge. This measurement sometimes relies on self-reports of food intake over varying periods of time. The most widely used methods are dietary recalls, where subjects report on foods consumed over the previous 24 hours; diet diaries, in which subjects record all food consumed on a daily basis; and food-frequency questionnaires, which require subjects to report food consumption patterns over times ranging from one month to one year or more. Because all dietary methods have their limitations, none of these can be considered a 100% reliable reference measure for assessing dietary intake. Therefore, biological markers of food intake have been sought in order to validate selfreported energy intake by objective measures 1 -5 . The doubly labelled water technique is an example of a biomarker that can be used to validate self-reported energy intake 1 -4 . This technique is used to measure energy expenditure in free-living subjects and is currently considered the 'gold standard' for the measurement of total energy expenditure in humans. Comparing measured energy expenditure with reported energy intake gives an idea of the degree of misreporting in a dietary survey.All mentioned dietary methods are prone to under-or/and overreporting of energy intake 6 . This misreporting may result from difficulties in accurately reporting food consumption and portion size, changing eating patterns or overestimating consumption of more socially desirable foods, etc. 7 . Because the...

Tools improvement associated with adequate training seem to be the basis of accident prevention. Availability of suitable medical care should improve artisanal miners' recovery after accidents.