Biomedical subjects

C Mulvihill

Publications and source records attributed to C Mulvihill.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Comparison of overweight and obesity prevalence in school-aged youth from 34 countries and their relationships with physical activity and dietary patterns.

The purposes of this systematic review were to present and compare recent estimates of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged youth from 34 countries and to examine associations between overweight and selected dietary and physical activity patterns. Data consisted of a cross-sectional survey of 137 593 youth (10-16 years) from the 34 (primarily European) participating countries of the 2001-2002 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined based on self-reported height and weight and the international child body mass index standards. Logistic regression was employed to examine associations between overweight status with selected dietary and physical activity patterns. The two countries with the highest prevalence of overweight (pre-obese + obese) and obese youth were Malta (25.4% and 7.9%) and the United States (25.1% and 6.8%) while the two countries with the lowest prevalence were Lithuania (5.1% and 0.4%) and Latvia (5.9% and 0.5%). Overweight and obesity prevalence was particularly high in countries located in North America, Great Britain, and south-western Europe. Within most countries physical activity levels were lower and television viewing times were higher in overweight compared to normal weight youth. In 91% of the countries examined, the frequency of sweets intake was lower in overweight than normal weight youth. Overweight status was not associated with the intake of fruits, vegetables, and soft drinks or time spent on the computer. In conclusion, the adolescent obesity epidemic is a global issue. Increasing physical activity participation and decreasing television viewing should be the focus of strategies aimed at preventing and treating overweight and obesity in youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Intelligent agent for collaborative diagnosis.

An agent-based approach to facilitating cooperative medical diagnosis is presented in this paper. Background work in computer supported cooperative work and medical informatics is first discussed. Relevant theory for interaction management is then considered. An agent-based interaction is then shown via a case study to facilitate cooperative diagnosis. This is achieved through monitoring patient record construction and by highlighting relevant diagnostic information.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1990

Diagnostic value of the Manning criteria in irritable bowel syndrome.

Because unexplained 'functional symptoms' are a major cause of referral to gastroenterologists, the efficiency of the medical history to lead to a positive diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, without resorting to the use of expensive tests, remains a key question. Whilst the six criteria of Manning et al are widely used, data on their validity in discriminating irritable bowel syndrome from healthy controls, irritable bowel syndrome from non-ulcer dyspepsia and especially among irritable bowel syndrome subgroups, are not available. To evaluate this, we studied 361 outpatients who completed a bowel disease questionnaire, which objectively measured Manning's (and other) criteria. The group included 82 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, 33 with non-ulcer dyspepsia, 101 with organic gastrointestinal disease, and 145 healthy controls. Diagnoses were based on a full and independent clinical evaluation, not on responses to the bowel disease questionnaire. Reliability was assessed by a test-retest procedure. All six of the individual Manning criteria were found to be reliable (median kappa = 0.79). Based on a logistic regression analysis of the discriminatory value of Manning's criteria, as the number of positive criteria increased, so did the predicted probability of irritable bowel syndrome. This predictive value was highest in younger patients and in females. The Manning criteria discriminated irritable bowel syndrome from organic gastrointestinal disease and from all non-irritable bowel syndrome gastrointestinal disease with a sensitivity of 58% and 42%, and a specificity of 74% and 85%, respectively. Stools that were often loose and watery provided an additional independent criterion for distinguishing irritable bowel syndrome from non-irritable bowel syndrome. Thus, symptoms can be used to diagnose irritable bowel syndrome positively, but Manning's criteria are not highly sensitive.

Colonic Diseases, Functional↗