HBM4EU feasibility studies: Lessons learned in combining health and human biomonitoring studies

Abstract Background The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) is a program protecting humans from the health effects of chemicals. The goal of HBM4EU is to make use of human biomonitoring (HBM) to assess human exposure to chemicals in Europe to better understand the associated health effects for citizens and to improve chemical risk assessment. Harmonisation and sustainable implementation of the HBM programme across Europe are important aims. In parallel to HBM studies, health examination surveys (HESs), dietary surveys, and disease specific health surveys are conducted in many European countries. In HESs, information collected by questionnaire(s) is supplemented with physical examinations and analysis of biomarkers from biological samples. HBM and HES use similar sample and data collection methods and infrastructures hence combining the two is being explored. Methods Within HBM4EU, three feasibility studies (Finland, Germany, and UK/England) were conducted to evaluate opportunities and obstacles in combining HBM and health studies. We describe the contents and differences of these feasibility studies, and discuss the matters of shared benefits, obstacles, and lessons learned. Results Benefits of combining HBM and HESs include the use of shared infrastructures, participants receiving additional health information from HES, and higher participation rates. Obstacles can be encountered when obtaining ethical approval and during time-consuming and complicated preparatory phases. Recruitment of participants and low participation rates are common concerns and designing participant-friendly questionnaires is important. Unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic can cause challenges to studies. Furthermore, experiences from several countries demonstrated that long-term funding for combined studies can be difficult to obtain. Conclusions In the future, incorporating HBM modules into HESs can provide a feasible and cost-effective method to conduct HBM studies. Key messages • The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) protects humans from the health effects of chemicals in Europe. HBM4EU uses human biomonitoring (HBM) to evaluate human exposure to chemicals. • In addition to HBM studies, health examination surveys (HESs) are conducted. In the future, incorporating HBM modules into HESs can provide a feasible and cost-effective method to conduct HBM studies.


Background:
Cancer survivors (CS) often experience physical, psychological and socioeconomic problems, which may have a negative effect on their quality of life (QoL). Additionally, cancer may also have a significant impact on patientś families, particularly their partners (PCS), who are typically the main informal caregiver. Objective: To estimate the association between a cancer diagnosis and a poor QoL among both members of the couples, according to sociodemographic, health-related and cancer characteristics.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was based on data from the Sixth Wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe -SHARE, conducted in 2015, in 18 countries. All cancer survivors (n = 2,040) who lived with a partner in the same household, as well as PCS (n = 2,040) were selected, and were country-, sex-, age-and education-matched (1:1) to noncancer individuals (NC) and their partners (PNC), respectively. QoL was assessed using the Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization and Pleasure scale . The association between a cancer diagnosis and a poor QoL among both members of the couple was estimated through odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs).

Conclusions:
A poor QoL among both couples' members was more frequent among couples dealing with cancer than those without cancer, which highlights the importance of closely monitoring CS and their partners, throughout the cancer survivorship course. Key messages: Couples dealing with cancer more frequently reported a worse quality of life among both members, when compared with couples without cancer. The findings of this study highlights the importance of family-focused care from an early phase after the cancer diagnosis and throughout the cancer survivorship trajectory.

Background:
The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) is a program protecting humans from the health effects of chemicals. The goal of HBM4EU is to make use of human biomonitoring (HBM) to assess human exposure to chemicals in Europe to better understand the associated health effects for citizens and to improve chemical risk assessment.

Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among SHVs across state schools in Cyprus via an anonymous questionnaire, which rated the importance of asthma management measures (10-point scale), current implementation of these practices (1 = never -5 = always), and regulatory authorities' preparedness to respond to DDS events (1-5 Likert scale).

Results:
Responses from 78 of the 93 SHVs (84%), with an average work experience of 13.5 years (SD 7.3), revealed discordance between high perception of the importance of asthma management measures and their actual implementation, with poor scoring especially in assessment of asthma control (M = 2.4, SD = 1.5), tracking school absenteeism (M = 2.1, SD = 1.0) and monitoring of asthma triggers (M = 1.9, SD = 1.4). Any DDS-related measures (e.g. air quality realtime monitoring, warnings, recommendations, awareness campaigns, etc) were implemented very infrequently. Ratings 15th European Public Health Conference 2022