[Is there also a gynecologist for men? : A randomised controlled trial of ÄGGF information sessions in schools as a bridge to the urologist's consultations with boys]. / Gibt's auch 'nen Frauenarzt für Männer? : Eine randomisiert kontrollierte Studie der ÄGGF-Präventionsveranstaltungen in Schulen als Brücke zur Jungensprechstunde beim Urologen.

BACKGROUND: There are hardly any prevention programmes for health education and communication for boys in Germany. Boys seldom know when, how and to whom to turn to for questions or problems in the field of sexual and reproductive health. METHODS: From 2014-2016 the Medical Society for Health Promotion carried out a unique project for gender-sensitive medical health promotion for boys of all school types at 130 Bavarian schools. In 2015, 15 Bavarian schools took part in the evaluation (6th, 8th, 9th and 11th grade). At school level, similar schools have been randomised to trial and control groups. In the experimental group, three waves were conducted in panel design and two interviews were conducted in the control group using paper questionnaires. The number of cases in the panel is 599 (358 intervention group, 241 waiting control group). RESULTS: In all school types and grade levels, a highly significant increase in knowledge can be demonstrated. There is an average of 28% of the intervention group's overall knowledge improvement compared to the control group. More than 50% of the participants consider themselves to be very well informed before the intervention, although the objectively available knowledge does not justify this (e. g. average proportion of correctly answered questions on male anatomy and physiology 0.7 out of 6). The participants rate the medical information sessions and the fact that they are conducted by doctors with 1.7 or 1.6 (1: very good, to 5: poor). DISCUSSION: Boys urgently need proper knowledge transfer in the field of sexual health. They benefit regardless of the types of school from these health information sessions. The gender-sensitive and socially compensatory medical information sessions are highly accepted, effective and serve as a bridge to the general practitioners. A nationwide establishment of the intervention seems thus absolutely necessary.

Similarity of parents and physicians in the decision to vaccinate children against measles, mumps and rubella.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates parental decisions to vaccinate their children against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Parent and provider survey data allow the analysis of interactions between these major players in decision making. METHODS: Three datasets are used for analysis: (a) the basic population of the school entry-level health checkup in Munich, Germany; (b) a face-to-face survey with parents of children taking the school entry-level health checkup; (c) a face-to-face survey of the physicians treating these children. Logistic, OLS and multilevel regressions were applied. RESULTS: Homophily due to similar ages of parents and physicians boosts the decision to vaccinate children against MMR. Also in relation to parent-physician interaction, the fact that a physician may be homeopathic has no effect on a parents' decision to immunize, although vaccination-skeptical parents choose physicians who are trained in homeopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to improve the number of parental decisions for vaccination should focus on the educational level of the parents as well as homophily of parents and physicians. Notably, homogeneity of parents and providers concerning age changes decisions in favor of vaccinating.

[Fairness judgements on the allocation of organ donations. Results of a factorial survey]. / Einstellungen zu einer gerechten Organallokation. Ergebnisse einer Vignettenanalyse

OBJECTIVE: Organ donation is widely discussed due to the lack of willingness among the public to be an organ donor and the resulting lack of organs destined for organ procurement. Criteria for the allocation of organs are analysed here from the view of laypersons. METHODOLOGY: In a factorial survey, graduate students have been challenged to waitlist a fictive population of organ recipients. RESULTS: The results of the multi-level analysis show that recipients with a high chance of survival and a high level of acuteness are favoured together with young recipients and people with children living in the same household. The attributes gender, marital status and children living outside the household of the organ recipients have no effect. In addition to factorial attributes, characteristics of the respondents have been analysed as well. Older respondents distribute more favourable places on the waiting list. Fictive recipients similar to the respondents (due to relative same age, gender and health status) were not preferred by the interviewees. CONCLUSIONS: Even if official criteria for the allocation of organs account for medical or predominantly medical aspects, the results of the survey show that laypersons have further considerations in mind. In general, laypersons adjudicate organ procurement in a completely rational way. They maximise successful interventions and the survival time of the fictive patients.

[Preferences of patients looking for a general practitioner or hospital]. / Präferenzen von Patienten bei der Hausarzt- oder Krankenhaussuche.

This paper deals with preferences of the search process of patients looking for new health providers. The analyses are based on the data from a survey in the southern province of Germany (Bavaria) conducted in 2006 and including 970 participants. It showed that private networks are mainly used in the search for general practitioners whereas crucial advice for finding a suitable hospital is usually taken from diagnosing specialists. Modern equipment is more important for hospitals than for general practitioners. Basic aspects of service quality (e.g., friendliness) are more important for patients insured in public health funds and looking for general practitioners than for patients insured in private health schemes. The possibilities provided by the internet should not be overrated. Only young patients use the world-wide web to look for hospitals, but even that portion is not remarkably high.

[Persons insured with the German statutory sickness funds or privately insured: differences in health and health behaviour]. / Versicherte der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung (GKV) und der privaten Krankenversicherung (PKV): Unterschiede in Morbidität und Gesundheitsverhalten.

This paper deals with differences in health and health behaviour between those who are insured in the German Statutory Sickness Funds (GKV) and those who are privately insured (PKV). This topic has been largely ignored in German Public Health research. The analyses are based on data from a large survey in Germany conducted in 1998 and including 6822 adults. The multivariate analyses have been performed with OLS and logistic regression, separately for men and women and controlling for age, educational level, income and region. The most important result is that PKV-insured men have fewer diseases and feel more healthy than GKV-insured men. For women, though, no significant association could be found between health and type of health insurance. The interpretation of these results is mainly based on the "selection hypothesis", stating that healthier persons are more likely to be insured in the PKV than in the GKV. This would imply that the "causation hypothesis" (stating that being privately insured has a positive effect on health) is less important. Taking into account the current discussion on the balance between GKV and PKV, it is believed that future research should focus more on these topics.

[Influence exercised by physicians on the vaccination rate]. / Der Arzteinfluss auf die Durchimpfungsrate.

This paper deals with the question whether physicians promote vaccinations among their patients. Besides this, we analyse which determinants influence the acceptance of vaccination among physicians. The investigations are based on data of a project granted by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; "Munich Vaccination Study 2001"). Within this study physicians as well as parents have been interviewed. The vaccination rate of the physicians' patients are influenced by attitudes of the physician and the attitudes he/she believes his/her patients have, but not so much by aspects of his/her behaviour. How many pamphlets and posters about vaccination are available in the doctors' practice or how long consultations about vaccination last on average has only marginal effects on the rate of vaccination among the doctors' patients. If it is a political aim to enlarge vaccination rates steps should concentrate on changing relevant attitudes.

Social status and adult heights in the two Germanies.

BACKGROUND: Lack of evidence prevented hitherto the systematic comparison of physical stature across East and West Germany. AIM: The aim of this study is to compare heights by social status in the two Germanies with very different socio-economic and political systems prior to unification. DATA: The German Federal Health Survey of 1998 (Public Use File BGS98), a cross-sectional random sample of 7124 adult males and females between ages 18 and 79 (birth cohorts of 1919-1980) is used in the analysis. RESULTS: There are considerable and persistent differences by social status in both East and West Germany over time. The West German height advantage among men increases with social status, whereas among women the opposite is the case. East German men born after the Berlin Wall was built became significantly shorter, but East Germans regained equality with West Germans after unification. In contrast, East German females were markedly shorter than their West German counterparts throughout the period considered. CONCLUSIONS: The West German capitalistic welfare state provided a more propitious environment for the physical growth of the human organism than did the socialist East German government. There were substantial social differences in height in the officially classless German Democratic Republic.