Christian Apfelbacher

• Prof. Dr. PhD
• Professor at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

Background: When seeking advice on allergy prevention in early childhood (Early Childhood Allergy Prevention, ECAP), parents often turn to health and social care providers, such as paediatricians, midwives, and family centres. However, these actors fulfil various, often care-related, roles, and cannot be considered 'health information pro-viders' b...

Postpartum weight retention (PPWR) increases the risk of overweight and obesity. This study aims to identify risk factors for substantial weight retention (≥ 5 kg) at 1 year postpartum. Data were obtained from N = 747 mothers participating in the KUNO-Kids birth cohort study. The following variables were analyzed: sociodemographic variables, pre-pr...

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis appear to affect 2-3% (lifetime prevalence) people worldwide. However, there are little epidemiological data on the prevalence of those two chronic inflammatory skin diseases in the elderly. The aim of this study was to provide frequency estimates of AD and psoriasis obtained from an elderly popul...

Einleitung: Frühkindliche Allergieprävention (FKAP) umfasst verschiedene elterliche Verhaltensweisen im Zusammenhang mit der Ernährung von Mutter und Kind sowie der Wohnumgebung. Bisherige Studien zeigten Zusammenhänge zwischen Gesundheitskompetenz (GK) und positivem Gesundheitsverhalten. Ziel dieser Studie war es, den Effekt von mütterlicher GK au...

Hintergrund: Hebammen können eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Stärkung der Gesundheitskompetenz (GK) von Eltern spielen, um z.B. das Risiko allergischer Erkrankungen der Kinder zu verringern. Ziel der Studie war die Entwicklung eines Fragebogens, dessen inhaltliche Validierung und anschließende Pilotierung, um systematisch die Praktiken von Hebammen in...

Background: Parents can engage in several behaviours with regard to early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP). These can be related to diet of mother/child and the modification of the home environment; not all of them are justified by current evidence. Previous studies showed that parental health literacy (HL) is related to favourable health behavi...

The Eczema Area and Severity Index is an investigator‐assessed instrument reporting clinical signs of atopic dermatitis. The instrument is extensively validated in both adult and paediatric populations and recommended as a core outcome measure to assess clinical signs by the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema initiative in clinical trials and...

Background Several patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been developed for research to assess the multiple dimensions of chronic pruritus (CP). The acceptability and perceived benefits of their use in clinical practice remain unknown. Objectives To assess the acceptability and perceived benefits of validated PROMs from the perspective of...

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic presented a challenge for caregiving relatives in the home care setting. Caregivers can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to their relatives who are often at high risk for a severe course of COVID-19. Regular testing of asymptomatic caregivers for SARS-CoV-2 may reduce the risk of transmission. The optimal method and frequency...

Sports activities can lead to exercise-related skin complaints. These include different symptoms (e.g. infections, mechanical injuries, contact dermatitis). Previous studies mostly focused only on skin infections and injuries in competitive athletes. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of exercise-related sk...

Recap of atopic eczema (RECAP) is a self-reported 7-item questionnaire recommended by the Harmonising Outcome Measures in Eczema initiative to measure eczema control. As RECAP has not been validated in a real-world clinical population in Asia, RECAP was investigated as a measure of eczema control in Singapore. Patients with atopic eczema at the Nat...

Background: Although the number of teledermatology studies is increasing, not all variables have been researched in equal depth, so there remains a lack of robust evidence for some teledermatology initiatives. This review describes the landscape of teledermatology research and identifies knowledge gaps and research needs. Methods: Our evidence map...

Background: Allergic diseases are a major public health concern. Promising new avenues of prevention may reduce the risk of allergies, particularly when addressed at families with young children. As part of a multicenter research group on health literacy in early childhood allergy prevention (HELICAP FOR 2959; German Research Foundation –GZ: CU 438...

Hintergrund: Zur besseren Versorgung von an Post-COVID erkrankten Kindern und Jugendlichen wurde in Bayern ein Versorgungsnetzwerk (Post-COVID Kids Bavaria, „PoCo“) aufgebaut. Ziel dieser Studie ist die Beschreibung des Erkrankungserlebens bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Post-COVID, ihrer Erfahrungen und Zufriedenheit mit der Versorgung im PoCo-Ne...

Background ICU survivors often suffer from prolonged physical and mental impairments resulting in the so called “Post-Intensive Care Syndrome” (PICS). The aftercare of former ICU patients affected by PICS in particular has not been addressed sufficiently in Germany so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a pragmatic randomi...

The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with an already long-standing crisis in health systems around the world characterized by economic pressure and increasing staff shortage. “Crisis” became a global metaphor to convey collective experiences of the COVID-19 threat. Little is known on how crisis metaphors influence thought and speech on crisis management...

Correspondence to The Lancet Breastfeeding Series 2023: The Lancet Breastfeeding Series 2023 rightly centres the discussion on the role of the commercial milk formula industry. While this is crucial, the references to available scientific evidence and the need for accurate information for families deserve further attention. We provide three example...

The Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative established a core outcome set (COS) for atopic eczema (AE) clinical trials in 2019. This set encompasses four core outcome domains and corresponding measurement instruments: clinical signs (EASI), patient-reported symptoms (POEM and NRS 11 point for worst itch over the last 24 h), quali...

Background Early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) encompasses several recommended as well as not recommended parental behaviours related to nutrition of mother/child and the living environment. Previous studies showed that health literacy (HL) is related to positive health behaviours directed at the child. This study aimed to analyse the associa...

Background Early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) practices include parental behaviours related to exposure to or avoidance of potential allergens in the child. The S3 guideline in Germany specifies not only the behaviours recommended for allergy prevention, but also discourages most measures related to avoidance of allergens. This study aimed...

Background Chronic heart disease affects millions of people worldwide and the prevalence is increasing. By now, there is an extensive literature on outpatient care of people with chronic heart disease. We aimed to systematically identify and map models of outpatient care for people with chronic heart disease in terms of the interventions included a...

Background When parents want to make health-related decisions for their child, they need to be able to handle health information from a potentially endless range of sources. Early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) is a good example: recommendations have shifted from allergen avoidance to early introduction of allergenic foods. We investigated how...

Background: Pediatricians are important sources of information for parents regarding their children's health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatricians faced a variety of challenges regarding information uptake and transfer to patients, practice organization and consultations for families. This qualitative study aimed at shedding light on German...

Background: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a very common skin disease among the European population. It causes itch and pain and, in more severe cases, seriously impairs hand functioning at work and in private life. Objectives: To explore perspectives of people with lived experience on CHE-related problems, wishes and goals. Methods: Following a...

Objective: We aimed to further validate the German version of the Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging (DIVA) questionnaire. Methods: Data were collected in the context of two intervention studies. Forty-two women participated in clinical trial VMP-03/2018 (NCT04222647) and 79 women in clinical trial VFCrC-01/2021 (NCT05211505). Internal consisten...

Background: Hand eczema (HE) is a common skin disease characterised by itch, pain, and visible skin changes such as fissures, erythema, and vesicles. It is not yet clear which outcome domains are most important for patients. The Hand Eczema Core Outcome Set (HECOS) initiative is developing a consented set of core domains and suitable measurement i...

Background: The first COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 had detrimental effects on both the residents and staff of long-term care facilities in Germany. Regulations to prevent the spread of the virus closed off facilities to visitors, creating social and physical distancing of residents and changing the daily routines of residents and nursing staff...

Education for planetary health could be one of the key levers of the much-needed civilizational turn toward a sustainable and healthy future. Education goes beyond information provision and passing on of knowledge and includes competencies to transfer knowledge from one decision situation to another. There are a range of different literacy concepts...

This is an invited commentary on the article titled “Validation of the main diagnostic criteria of atopic dermatitis and proposing a novel diagnostic criteria in adult and elderly Chinese populations: a multicenter, prospective, clinical setting-based study.”

The Covid-19 pandemic, officially declared in March 2020 by the WHO, poses major challenges to public, private, and occupational life. CoronaCare is an ethnographic research project that investigates the everyday life of people during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany with a particular focus on social health. The aim of the project was to develop re...

With this study it can be concluded that a substantial number of severe axillary HH patients suffers from a tremendous impairment in their QoL. In comparison to other dermatological conditions, the burden of disease in hyperhidrosis is quite high.

Public Health Ethik befasst sich mit Entscheidungen und Abwägungsprozessen, die in Bezug auf bevölkerungsbezogene Maßnahmen der Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung getroffen werden. Zentrale Kriterien für die Abwägung sind der Nutzen einer Maßnahme, Fragen der Gerechtigkeit und der Respekt vor der Selbstbestimmung der Bürger*innen. Public Health Ma...

Einleitung: Frühkindliche Allergieprävention (FKAP) umfasst elterliche Verhaltensweisen hinsichtlich Exposition bzw. Vermeidung von potenziellen Allergenen beim Kind. In der aktuell gültigen S3-Leitlinie werden empfohlene Verhaltensweisen aufgeführt, als auch solche, deren empirische Grundlage unsicher ist, die jedoch in der Praxis womöglich ausgef...

Background: Health literacy (HL) describes the capacity an individual has to access and effectively use health-related information, in order to promote and maintain good health. This study aimed to analyse the longitudinal development of HL in a large cohort of new mothers in Germany and to investigate which determinants are associated with the ini...

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is related to poor physical and mental health outcomes in adults. Knowledge on the impact of CM on skin diseases is limited, and no study has previously addressed the association of CM with atopic dermatitis (AD) in adult age. Objectives: To analyze the prevalence of CM in individuals with physician-diagno...

Die COVID-19 Pandemie traf auf Bedingungen einer digitalen, spätmodernen Gesellschaft. In einem vielbeachteten Beitrag zur Gesellschaftstheorie beschreibt der Kultursoziologe und Gesellschaftstheoretiker Andreas Reckwitz die Spätmoderne als eine „Gesellschaft der Singularitäten“. Während in der von der Aufklärung ausgehenden Moderne der Fokus auf d...

Objectives: Parents may take on a crucial role in making prevention-and care-related decisions for their (infant) child, but various factors, such as the ability to distinguish good from bad health information, may impact on this task. Our objective was to empirically assess parents' knowledge and awareness about early childhood allergy prevention...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition which impacts psychological wellbeing and social relationships. There have been studies of AD’s impact on quality of life (QoL) in Western countries, but these findings cannot be directly extrapolated to Asian populations with genetic, environmental and cultural differences. The...

Background: Recap of atopic eczema (RECAP) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) assessing eczema control. This instrument has been developed and validated in the UK. There is a self-reported and a proxy-reported version in English, Dutch and German. However, it is unclear whether the self-reported version shows adequate content validity wh...

Zusammenfassung Im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie stehen die empirisch Forschenden vor besonderen Herausforderungen: Da Kontaktbeschränkungen persönliche Formate verhinderten, galt es nicht nur die Datenerhebungen, sondern auch die qualitative Interpretationsarbeit (Datenauswertung) im virtuellen Raum zu gestalten. In diesem Beitrag skizzieren wir e...

Background Extended reality, which encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), is increasingly used in medical education. Studies assessing the effectiveness of these new educational modalities should measure relevant outcomes using outcome measurement tools with validity evidence. Objective Our aim is to dete...

Since the WHO’s “Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan” in 1999, pandemic preparedness plans at the international and national level have been constantly adapted with the common goal to respond early to outbreaks, identify risks, and outline promising interventions for pandemic containment. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts...

Hintergrund: Influenzainfektionen und Herzerkrankungen gehen mit negativen Wechselwirkungen einher: Zum einen steigt während einer Infektion mit Influenzaviren das Risiko für das Auftreten eines Herzinfarktes. Zum anderen ist das Risiko für schwere oder tödliche Erkrankungsverläufe der Influenza bei Menschen mit kardiologischen Vorerkrankungen erhö...

PurposeTo critically appraise, compare and summarize the quality of all existing PROMs that have been validated in hyperhidrosis to at least some extend by applying the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology. Thereby, we aim to give a recommendation for the use of PROMs in future clinical...

Objectives: Cholestasis and elevated serum bile1 acid levels are common in critically ill patients. This study aims to define the specific pattern of bile acids associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the changes in pattern over time. Methods: Prospective observational study. Serum samples of 70 ARDS patients were analyzed...

Core outcome sets (COS) are critically important outcomes that should be measured in clinical trials. Their absence in atopic dermatitis (AD) is a form of research waste and impedes combining evidence to inform patient care. Here, we articulate the rationale for COS in AD and review the work of the international Harmonising Outcome Measures for Ecz...

This study aimed to compare worries related to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in families with young children in two regions in Germany differently affected by the pandemic (Regensburg in Southeast Germany, Leipzig in Eastern Germany) during the first and the second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. 720 parents participating in the KUNO Kids...

Individuals with chronic conditions have been faced with many additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual health literacy (HL) as the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply pandemic-related information has thus become ever more important in these populations. The purpose of this study was to develop and content-valida...

Background Urbanization and biodiversity loss are linked to chronic disorders, in particular allergic diseases. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a synopsis of intervention studies specifically examining the influence of exposure to natural environments on human microbiota as well as immunological markers as suggested interlink between...

Objectives: To gain insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ongoing health research projects, using projects from a selected funding programme in Germany as an example. Design: Online survey and validation workshop. Setting: Lockdowns and social distancing policies impact on clinical and public health research in various forms, es...

Background Measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have led to impacts on healthcare systems and providers worldwide. Outpatient healthcare professionals (HCPs) provide the majority of patient care. Insight into their experiences during a pandemic is rare. Therefore, we explored how primary and secondary care HCPs in a rural area in Germany experi...

Background Recap of atopic eczema (RECAP) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) assessing eczema control. Long-term control of eczema is one of the four core outcome domains for atopic eczema trials. This instrument has been recently developed in the UK. Objective This study aimed to translate the English RECAP into German and test its cont...

Background: Early exposure to digital media may affect the physical and cognitive development in young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics and national guidelines recommend no digital media use at all under the age of 18 months. The aim of our study was to determine the actual exposure to digital media in 12-month-old infants and to reveal...

Research data derived from observational studies are accumulating quickly in the field of allergy and immunology and a large amount of observational studies are published every year. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the adherence to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist by papers pub...

Background Hand eczema is a common inflammatory skin disorder in both adolescence and adulthood. Objectives We sought to assess the lifetime prevalence of hand eczema and associated exogenous and endogenous risk factors among adolescents in Germany. Methods This was a cross-sectional study embedded into a prospective population-based birth cohort...

Background The prevalence of food allergies (FA) in children increased rapidly at the turn of the century. The EuroPrevall study identified Germany as a country with very high prevalence of FA at that time. Using two large German birth cohorts, we provide an update of the status quo 10 years later. Methods KUNO Kids and Ulm SPATZ Health studies ar...

Background Our aim was to gain insight into the experiences of women suffering from the urinary component of the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) and to understand the impact of urinary complaints as part of GSM on the lives of affected women. Design Qualitative study. Setting Online, primary care. Participants and methods Postmenopausa...

Purpose: Despite the health benefits of full breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, less than 50% of mothers in Germany practice this method for at least 4 months after childbirth. Because of the growing importance of health literacy to improve public health, we investigated the role of maternal health literacy in breastfeeding behavior. Met...

Abstract Background Seasonal influenza vaccination has been recommended for pregnant women in Germany since 2010. The aim of this study was to examine prevalence and determinants of receipt of provider recommendation for influenza vaccination as well as influenza vaccination uptake during pregnancy. Methods We analysed data from the “KUNO Kids Heal...

Introduction German government regulations such as physical distancing and limited group numbers, designed to curb the spread of COVID-19, have had far-reaching consequences for the very foundations of social life. They have, to name only a few, transformed greetings and goodbyes, blurred private and public worlds, and complicated basic communicati...

Hintergrund: Herzerkrankungen wie die koronare Herzkrankheit (KHK), die Herzinsuffizienz (HI) und das Vorhofflimmern (VHF) gehören zu den Erkrankungs- und Todesursachen, die in den westlichen Industrienationen am häufigsten vertreten sind. Vorherige Studien zeigen starke Unterschiede der Prävalenz von KHK und HI zwischen den deutschen Bundesländer....

Background Population-based data regarding the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM), somatization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults are limited. Objective To investigate the association of CM history (emotional and physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse) with somatization and with physical and mental HRQoL in adult...

IntroductionMalignant melanoma is an aggressive skin tumor with a good prognosis when treated in an early tumor stage, but has a poor prognosis with distant metastases. The incidence of malignant melanoma has increased continuously over the last decades, with little change in mortality. One explanation for this is that melanomas are increasingly de...

Background Wearing face masks in public is recommended under certain circumstances in order to prevent infectious diseases transmitted through droplets.AimThe objective was to compile all German and English research results from peer-reviewed journal articles using a sensitive literature search on the effects of mask-wearing for preventing infectio...

School closures have a negative impact on physical and mental well-being, and education, of children and adolescents. A surveillance programme to detect asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection could allow schools to remain open, while protecting the vulnerable. We assessed the feasibility of a programme employing gargle samples and pool testing of indivi...

Introduction: Serologic studies are crucial for clarifying the regional dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic as well as the success of a vaccination campaign against COVID-19. We describe a cohort study investigating the seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany). Protocol and study design: The...

Hintergrund und Stand (inter)nationaler Forschung: Der Innovationsfonds soll durch die Entwicklung neuer Versorgungskonzepte eine versorgungswissenschaftlich evaluierte Weiterentwicklung der Gesundheitsversorgung erzielen. Die Ad-hoc-Kommission „Innovationfonds“ des Deutschen Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung möchte, Qualität und Potenzial bisher geför...

Einleitung Serologische Tests auf Antikörper gegen SARS-CoV-2 sind ein essenzieller Baustein zur Einschätzung des Infektionsgeschehens in der COVID-19-Pandemie. Regionale Seroprävalenzstudien vermitteln ein genaueres Bild auf lokaler Ebene und leisten einen wichtigen Beitrag, um den bundesweiten Pandemieverlauf besser einzuschätzen. Methoden In de...

Titel: „Also, wir haben auch ganz viele Bewohner, die sagen: "Nehmt jetzt euren Maulkorb endlich ab!" - Perspektiven von Pflegekräften und Mitarbeitenden in pandemischen Zeiten Hintergrund: Die massiven Auswirkungen der sozialen und politischen Maßnahmen der Covid-19-Pandemie zeigen sehr deutlich bereits bekannte Herausforderungen hinsichtlich de...

Titel: Die pandemische pflegerische Langzeitversorgung – Denkanstöße aus dem Forschungsprojekt CoronaCare Der Hintergrund: Mit Aufkommen der Pandemie erfahren Pflegeheimbewohner:innen die Zuschreibung der besonders gefährdeten Risikogruppe. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines schweren Verlaufs, der bis zum Tod führen kann, ist bei dieser Gruppe aufgrund...

Background The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of a multitude of socio-economic, lifestyle, environmental, psychosocial and birth related determinants and their effect on maternal health four weeks after delivery. Methods We used data from a German birth cohort study, the KUNO-Kids health study. Social determinants, as well as the...

Background Healthcare professionals (HCPs) in critical care had to adapt rapidly through the COVID-19 pandemic, including adjusting to a new, unknown disease pattern with severe disease progression, organizing work continuously in personal protective equipment, new knowledge, and constant new information about the pandemic and response efforts. In...

Background: In Germany the pandemic is assuming historic dimensions that cannot yet be fully assessed. The sociopolitical regulations designed to curb the spread of the virus have transformed social interaction with the introduction of mandatory physical distancing and limited social gatherings as well as strict hygiene measures. Older people are c...

Background: In Germany the pandemic is assuming historic dimensions that cannot yet be fully assessed. The sociopolitical regulations designed to curb the spread of the virus have transformed social interaction with the introduction of mandatory physical distancing and limited social gatherings as well as strict hygiene measures. Older people are c...

Background The long-term sequalae of COVID-19 remain poorly characterised. We assessed persistent symptoms in previously hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and assessed potential risk factors. Methods Data were collected from patients discharged from 4 hospitals in Moscow, Russia between April 8 and July 10, 2020. Participants were interviewed vi...

Background The Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging (DIVA) questionnaire is a validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) capturing the impacts of vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Aim We aimed to psychometrically validate the German version of the DIVA questionnaire. Methods Data was collected online and by paper-pencil. We ran confi...

This systematic review aims to provide an update on measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures for pruritus. A Medline literature search was conducted to update the systematic review published by Schoch et al. in 2017 and to identify new validation studies published between October 2015 and July 2019. The methodological quality of...

Background: Research in early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP) is flourishing and new intervention strategies have proven to be promising. Due to the dynamic nature of ECAP, gaps between what is known and how guidelines inform practice are likely. A living systematic review (LSR) can narrow this gap by incorporating new evidence as it becomes av...