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Biomedical subjects

S J Newman

Publications and source records attributed to S J Newman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Housing policy and home-based care.

Housing policy can influence home-based care in three ways: through financing mechanisms; through regulations and statutes; and through formal provisions and informal mores that affect the coordination of housing and health policies. Housing policy pertaining to the subsidized housing stock has begun to take steps to accommodate special population needs, including the need for home-based, long-term-care assistance. But gaps remain in the physical adequacy and safety of housing units and neighborhoods of the unsubsidized stock, which may compromise the ability to deliver home-based care. Unfortunately, little research has been done on the ways in which housing, neighborhood conditions, and home-based care are interrelated. Both this lack of knowledge and the absence of a system for coordinating housing with health policy and practice are impediments to a coherent housing policy that fosters home-based care access, quality, and choice.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1994

Localisation of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-like immunoreactivity in the echinoderm Asterias rubens.

Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is believed to be the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, a function that has been extended to a number of invertebrate systems. We have used a specific antiserum raised against GABA to demonstrate GABA-like immunoreactivity in the radial nerve cord (RNC), tube feet and the digestive system of the asteroid Asterias rubens. In the RNC, immunoreactivity was restricted to ectoneural fibres and cell bodies while in the tube feet fibres were revealed in the basal nerve ring and longitudinal nerve. In the gut, extensive labelling was apparent in the basi-epithelial plexus as well as in mucosal perikarya.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The housing and neighborhood conditions of persons with severe mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the housing and neighborhood conditions of persons with serious mental illness with those of the general population. METHODS: Data were derived from two surveys: the Community Care Survey administered in 1988-1989 in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, as part of the national evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program on Chronic Mental Illness and the American Housing Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. RESULTS: Persons with serious mental illness generally have worse housing and neighborhood circumstances than the overall population. Persons with serious mental illness typically had housing cost burdens that were significantly higher than the general population; their dwellings and neighborhoods often had higher rates of physical deficiencies and other problems, especially crime. CONCLUSIONS: Although the relationship between the well-being of seriously mentally ill persons and the condition of their housing and neighborhood has not been established definitively, the results of this study suggest that many persons with serious mental illness are not now achieving adequate housing and its associated benefits.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

The effects of independent living on persons with chronic mental illness: an assessment of the Section 8 certificate program.

The feasibility of the Section 8 certificate program for individuals with chronic mental illness (CMI) and the outcomes associated with independent housing are examined. The analysis is based on data from a longitudinal survey of Section 8 certificate users in Baltimore and Hamilton County (Cincinnati) and on information from Section 8 application forms in each site. A pre-post research design was used to examine changes in hospitalization, residential stability, and mental health service outcomes. Four key dimensions of the CMI certificate program are examined: affordability, housing conditions, neighborhood conditions, and service gaps. Results suggest that the certificate program has a positive effect on independent living, that certificate use is associated with positive mental health outcomes, and that there is no evidence of "creaming" among program applicants.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Variables related to the psychological well being of Army wives during the stress of an extended military separation.

Past research has indicated that extended military separations have a profound impact on military wives. The present study examines the relationship between self-esteem, locus of control, accumulated stressors, perceived military stress, and the psychological well-being of 74 Army wives whose husbands were stationed in the Persian Gulf. Accumulated stressors and perceived military stress were able to account for a significant portion of the variance in psychological well-being. This suggests that during an extended separation, the lower the accumulation of stressors and perceived military stress, the greater the psychological well-being of Army wives. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Anxiety, Separation↗
PubMed1992

Questionnaire development: an examination of the Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire.

This paper describes the outcome of user trials of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire which encompassed the views of the following groups: data entry clerks, technical staff, administrative clerks and 481 subjects employed in 10 supermarkets. A significant number of improvements was identified, especially concerning its wording, layout and administration. This has led to a standardized version being produced for use in studying the prevalence of reported symptoms in many types of occupational groups.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Home upkeep and housing quality of older homeowners.

Among older homeowners, successive cohorts exhibit lower levels of home upkeep. This research explores several possible sources of these age-related differences in home upkeep as well as the potential effects on the quality of the elderly population's housing. Analysis of data from the Survey of Housing Adjustments suggests that only income has sizable effects on the quantity of home upkeep conducted, and that lower upkeep appears to reflect cutbacks in discretionary, as opposed to vital repairs.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Overwhelming odds: caregiving and the risk of institutionalization.

In this study we explored whether informally or formally provided long-term care services reduce the risk of institutionalization among the impaired elderly and the nature of the relationship between support and risk. We relied principally on the 1982 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) with supplementary data from the 1984 NLTCS and the national American Housing Survey. Five specific types of effects were tested: direct effects of formal and informal care on institutional risk; buffering effects of support moderating risk factors; supplementation effects of formal support on the risk-reducing impact of informal care; facilitating effects of the housing environment in enabling support to continue; and intervening effects mediating the direct effects. The effects of each type of support differ substantially. The analyses do not confirm the notion that formal, paid care reduces institutional risk. In fact, the use of paid caregivers is associated with greater risk of institutionalization, other things equal. The results for informal care are more mixed. A general measure that accounts for all types of informal support has no effect on institutional risk in any of the formulations tested. But the marginally significant effects of quality and proximate support in the direct effects model are consistent with the hypothesis that caregiving reduces institutional risk. The findings also indicate that a small number of housing or locational features are facilitators of formal support and particular types of informal support.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Adaptations for independent living by older frail households.

This paper examines how well older frail households cope with the requirements of independent living. Three groups of requirements are considered: household operation activities, housing consumption adjustments, and health-related activities. The analysis is based on the Survey of Housing Adjustments conducted by the Census Bureau for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, supplemented by data from the Annual Housing Survey. We find that those lacking financial resources and informal support are less likely to cope with independent living requirements, and that families bear the major burden in helping frail elders meet these requirements.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Design for the national evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program on Chronic Mental Illness.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation chose the University of Maryland Mental Health Policy Studies Program to conduct an independent national evaluation of its Program on Chronic Mental Illness, a large-scale demonstration in which nine cities across the country are participating. The national evaluation aims at describing the implementation of the program and assessing its impact on clients. The evaluation effort comprises five groups of interrelated studies: a site-level study, a community care study, housing studies, financing studies, and disability and vocational rehabilitation studies. Taken together, the components of the evaluation should provide evidence that will help create new structures and processes in large cities for delivering care to persons with chronic mental illness.

Chronic Disease↗