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Profile of Danish women undergoing reversal of sterilization, 1978-1983.

To help identify those women who might regret undergoing sterilization, the Danish women refertilized from 1978 to 1983 were contacted by mailed questionnaire. Eighty-three percent (120/144) responded. These women were younger at the time of sterilization than Danish women sterilized in the same period (mean age 29 years versus 34 years). Furthermore, they had more children at the time of sterilization and had their first and last child at a younger age than Danish women generally, in the same age group. Their social and educational status was lower than the background population and fewer were in gainful employment. At sterilization, most of the women were in an emotionally stressful situation (e.g., marital disharmony (78% of the married women), single parenthood (28%), unwanted pregnancy (27%], or had chronic health problems in the family. Alternative contraceptive methods had not been fully explored. Thirty-eight percent complained of late secondary effects attributable to the sterilization, but the main reason for wanting reversal of sterilization was a new partner (75%). The study suggests that the psycho-social situation and contraceptive alternatives should be carefully evaluated in women requesting sterilization, especially in those below the age of 30.

Adult↗

Education and timing of parenthood among Canadian women: a cohort analysis.

This research examines factors associated with the timing of first birth in Canada, focusing primarily on the role of women's educational attainment. Proportional hazards modelling techniques are applied to data from the 1984 Canadian Fertility Survey (CFS) in order to determine how educational attainment, estimated as close as possible to the date of first birth, influences the timing of first birth and whether the importance of this variable varies according to age cohorts. The results suggest that among a number of variables useful for distinguishing different levels of risk, educational attainment proves to be the most important predictor in the model. Education exerts a substantial positive influence on birth timing for women of all age groups. As expected, moreover, significant cohort differences are also evident, with the greatest to the smallest impact on the risk from the youngest to the oldest cohorts. These clear-cut cohort differences indicate a fundamental change in the effects of education over time, a trend most likely resulting from substantial changes in both the content and social significance of formal schooling during the past few decades.

Adolescent↗

Project Redirection: evaluation of a comprehensive program for disadvantaged teenage mothers.

An evaluation of Project Redirection, a two-year demonstration program designed to help pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers, shows that teenagers from a comparison group, who were not enrolled in the demonstration program, were significantly more likely than project participants to experience a repeat pregnancy after one year, but that after two years the difference was small and nonsignificant. Likewise, at 12 months into the program, the project participants proved more likely to be using contraceptives, but by 24 months the comparison group had caught up. After one year of participation, the project teenagers were more likely than the others either to be in school or to have graduated (56 and 49 percent, respectively). However, this differential also disappeared by 24 months. Nonetheless, even at that point, project teenagers who had dropped out prior to joining the program and those who had had a repeat pregnancy were more likely to be in school or to have completed school than were similar comparison teens. Project teenagers also were somewhat more likely to have held a job during the two-year period than were teenagers not enrolled in the program. All in all, the evaluation demonstrated that teenagers who participated in the project and remained in it for more than a year had consistently better outcomes in education, employment and repeat pregnancy than any other group had. Comparison teenagers who had never participated in any special program for pregnant teenagers, on the other hand, demonstrated consistently poorer outcomes than any other group.

Adolescent↗

Geriatric nutrition.

The aging process alters body composition so that nutritional status changes as we get older. The aging process shows interindividual variability in its rate of development. Determinants of the rates of aging of systems and tissues are largely genetic. Premature aging of cells and tissues is due to genetic factors and to long-term exposure to physical or chemical environments that cause irreversible tissue damage. Whereas maximal lifespan is fixed for us all, individuals vary in life expectancy both because of variability in the risk of genetic disease which shortens life and because of variable capability for avoidance of those factors in our environment which cause early aging. Early aging as well as geriatric disease foreshorten life, but both can be prevented to some extent by diet or by diet and exercise. Diseases that can be nutritionally prevented, giving us a greater chance of achieving our genetically determined lifespans, include nutritional deficiency states and chronic diet-related diseases such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and cancer. Disabilities resulting from these diseases and from degenerative arthritis are also subject to modulation by diet. The nutritional requirements of the elderly are mostly similar to those of younger people. Elderly usually need fewer calories and similar nutrient intakes compared with those of younger people. Elderly with higher needs for specific nutrients include homebound or institutionalized people who lack sunlight exposure and therefore require more vitamin D. Nutritional requirements to promote longer life expectancy and freedom from disabilities that result from chronic disease include restriction of food energy and fat. Nutritional assessment of the elderly is aimed at identifying not only the presence of deficiency states but also states of nutrient excess and chronic diet-related diseases. There are certain problems in carrying out nutritional assessment in the elderly, but techniques are now available which make valid assessment possible even in the oldest old. Those who live longest have less genetic risk of premature aging, but as a result of native intelligence, education, coping skills, and higher socioeconomic status, they also have a greater likelihood of eating a diet that best meets their long-term nutritional needs. Those most at risk for developing malnutrition as they get older are those who lack food access because of poverty, because of disability resulting from chronic geriatric disease, or because of a combination of these factors. Malnutrition is found in elderly in our society who live in their own homes if they are indigent, isolated, and homebound because of disability.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aged↗

The independence and stability of socioeconomic predictors of morbidity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the relationship between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) morbidity and socioeconomic status (SES) at 5 centers. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients who met American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE were randomly sampled at each center, balancing by race and insurance status. Subjects were interviewed for current and past SES factors, such as insurance, occupation, employment, education, and income. SLE disease activity was measured by the SLE Activity Measure (SLAM). RESULT: Higher education, private insurance/Medicare, and higher income were associated with less disease activity at diagnosis. Controlling for SES, race, and center, the best predictors of less active disease at diagnosis were private insurance/Medicare (P = 0.002) and higher education (P = 0.007). From the time of diagnosis to the study visit (mean 3.5 years), insurance, income, and employment status changed for a significant number of subjects (37%, 16%, and 21%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Private insurance or Medicare and higher education are associated with less active disease at diagnosis of SLE. Health insurance, income, and employment status are unstable measures of socioeconomic status and may explain the variability in conclusions of previous studies on the role of SES in SLE.

Adult↗

A clinical appraisal of patients following long-term contraception.

This study presents a clinical evaluation of private patients between the ages of 16 and 40 who have used contraceptive measures from January 1, 1961, through December 31, 1973. The clinical evaluation involves 3,746 private patients. The contraceptive methods of 641 patients (17 per cent) who have been bollowed for a total of 99,996 months (13 years each) are presented and analyzed. The patients are evaluated as to weight, blood pressure, pregnancy, pap smears. laboratory changes, pelvic surgery, breast surgery, incidence of cancer, contraceptive failures and changes in contraceptive practices over this span of time. This paper evaluates the role of such sociologic factors as education, religion, economic level, occupation, working status, changing marital status, age at the time of contraceptive choice, and the attitude of the husband with regard to long-term contraceptive therapy. Side effects have been well publicized. Safety has been questioned but essentially proved for the vast majority of the patients. Collected data enable some insight into the life style and motivation of the long-term contraceptive users.

Adolescent↗

Effects of marital status on the risk of mortality in poor and non-poor neighborhoods.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the mortality risks associated with marital status are conditioned by the socioeconomic quality of neighborhoods. METHODS: The analysis is based on the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1971-1974 (NHANES I), and the 1987 NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Survey (NHEFS). Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to assess whether the effect of marital status on the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality is altered by local area poverty. Analyses are stratified by age, sex, and urbanicity. RESULTS: The interaction between neighborhood poverty and marital status is suggested for non-elderly men, particularly for cancer mortality and for men in urban areas. Interaction effects are evident among older women residing in urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a spouse elevates the risk of mortality but this risk is moderately higher in impoverished neighborhoods, notably in urbanized areas, for non-elderly men and elderly women. Future studies with larger samples of non-married persons where marital status changes are incorporated are needed to improve our understanding of the joint mortality effects of local area poverty and marital status.

Adult↗

Predictors of functional status in older people living at home.

OBJECTIVE: to describe changes in functional status of community-dwelling Spanish elderly people, followed for 2 years, and to identify socio-demographic and health characteristics that predict functional change. METHOD: we have analysed data from the first two waves of the longitudinal study, Ageing in Leganés, from a representative sample of community-dwelling people aged 65 and over (n=1273). Functional status was categorized according to a hierarchical scale as: completely functional, with functional limitations, with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability, with activities of daily living (ADL) disability or deceased. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the predictive value of selected 1993 socio-demographic and health status variables on 1995 functional status. RESULTS: prevalence of disability based on dependency in any of seven ADL items was 15.5%. Half of the respondents were disabled in at least one of 10 IADLs. Some improved functionally, others deteriorated. Men were more likely to recover function while women were more likely to enter and to remain in the IADL state. Socioeconomic factors were associated to baseline functional status and to functional status change on bivariate analysis. Number of chronic diseases, presence of cognitive problems and depressive symptoms predicted transitions, even after controlling for baseline functional status. CONCLUSION: although estimates of prevalence of disability among people over 65 are higher in Spain than in other European and North American countries, the pattern of functional changes, both in the direction of improvement and decline, seems to be similar.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Marital status, change in marital status, and mortality in middle-aged British men.

The effects of marital status and change in marital status on mortality among middle-aged British men were examined in a prospective cohort study, the British Regional Heart Study. This is a nationally representative cohort of men selected at random from general medical practices in 24 towns in England, Wales, and Scotland. It comprises 7,735 men aged 40-59 recruited in 1978-1980 and followed up for 11.5 years. Marital status and a wide range of biologic and lifestyle variables were measured at screening, and changes in marital status were assessed after 5 years. Single (never-married) men had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (relative risk (RR) = 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-2.2) and noncancer, noncardiovascular mortality (RR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.3) after adjustment for potentially confounding variables: age, social class, smoking, recall of ischemic heart disease, recall of diabetes mellitus, use of antihypertensive drugs, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake, employment status, systolic blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Divorced/separated men were not at increased risk of mortality, and widowed men were only at increased risk of other non-cardiovascular disease mortality (RR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.1-5.3). There was no effect of marital status on cancer mortality. Men who divorced during the follow-up period were at increased risk of both cardiovascular disease mortality (RR = 1.9, 95% CI 0.9-3.9) and other non-cardiovascular disease mortality (RR = 4.0, 95% CI 1.5-10.6), but men who became widowed during this time were not at increased risk. The excess mortality among single and recently divorced men was not explained by poor health or by exposure to a wide range of risk factors. It is unlikely that selection bias, chance, or artifact is responsible for the general relation between marital status and mortality. Variable and incomplete control for confounding by socioeconomic status and risk factors for common diseases may explain some of the inconsistencies observed between studies and between different categories of unmarried men (i.e., never-married, widowed, and divorced). It is possible that the social support offered by marriage exerts a protective effect for some men.

Adult↗

Modernization and status change among aged men and women.

This study investigates the differences between the relationship between elderly occupational status and modernization for men and women. Consonant with previous findings, it finds that economic development is associated with relative losses of elderly men in professional and technical occupations. Augmenting those findings, however, it finds an even stronger association between development and such losses for women. In accounting for the differences, several explanations are advanced and tested, using data from fifty-one nations.

Aged↗

Structural changes and social inequalities in health in Finland, 1986-1994.

BACKGROUND: This paper seeks to examine changes in health inequalities in Finland from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. To improve our understanding of the contribution of employment status changes to class and educational differences in health within the context of changing labour market conditions, we examined the differences in ill health among social classes, educational groups, and employment status groups. METHODS: The data was derived from nation-wide Finnish Surveys on Living Conditions from 1986 and 1994. Analyses included the age range 25-64 years. Health was measured using limiting long-standing illness and perceived health as below good. Results are presented as age-standardized prevalence percentages and odds ratios from logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The pattern and size of relative social inequalities in ill health have remained generally stable during the eight-year study period in Finland. Differences between social classes have changed only slightly. Differences between educational groups have declined somewhat among men, but have remained stable among women. Compared with the employed, health among the unemployed, housewives, and pensioners has improved for both men and women. Analysing social class differences within both the employed and the non-employed showed only negligible changes. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in social inequalities in health as indicated by class and educational differentials among Finnish men and women have mostly been negligible. The observed changes are likely to have been affected by the 1990s' labour market crisis in Finland. The rapidly increasing mass unemployment is unlikely to have been very individually selective in the short run. However, in the longer run, to the extent that unemployment remains high, this trend can be expected to change as re-entry to paid employment is likely to be more individually selective.

Adult↗

[Health status of 11- year old pupils depending on their school maturity determined at the age of 6 years].

The results of follow-up studies in 323 children, examined by extended health balance method in 1977 and 1981 are prescuted. In repeated examination of 11-year old pupils health status changes during the first years of school were analysed, depending on their school maturity groups in the I examination at the age of 6 years. Increasing number of disorders in children's health status both in the group with full and partial school maturity was observed. The incidence of these disorders, was however significant in the group with partial school maturity.

Child↗

American household structure in transition.

The number of U.S. households rose by 58 percent between 1960 and 1983, with nontraditional household types accounting for most of the increase. Whereas the number of households containing married couples with children younger than 18 rose by only four percent over the period, one-parent households increased by 175 percent; one-person households, by 173 percent; and households composed of unmarried couples, by 331 percent. In 1983, households maintained by married couples constituted six in 10 U.S. households; the second most common household type--adults living alone--accounted for about one-quarter of all households. Lone parents living with their children represent nearly one in 10 households. Almost all of these parents are women--of whom two-thirds are separated or divorced, one-quarter have never been married, and fewer than one in 10 are widows. Among adults living alone, women aged 45 and older predominate; but the rate at which the practice has been adopted since 1960 has been greatest among those under age 45. Most of the growth in the number of one-person households occurred during the 1970s. The increase in cohabitation--most of it also in the 1970s--has similarly been concentrated in the younger age-groups. The living arrangements of children younger than 18 have changed accordingly over the two decades. Since 1960, the number of children living with two parents has declined by nearly one-fifth, and the number living with one parent--generally the mother--has more than doubled.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Methods and issues in the projection of population health status.

The discussion of strategies for forecasting health status changes in human populations often becomes immersed in efforts to utilize simple projection strategies that will produce crude projections. The motivation behind this effort is that simple projection strategies have limited data requirements and the crude projection strategies will be, in some ill-defined sense, robust (i.e., insensitive to assumptions). Actually there is a wide range of projection tools available. It seems appropriate to appraise the nature and attributes of each when considering the uses to which the projections will be put. For example, simple models are not necessarily more robust than more sophisticated procedures, especially for longer term temporal projections. Clearly we have many examples in developed countries where the use of simple actuarial or demographic projections has underestimated the true cost of a health programme by factors of 200-300%. The reason why the failures of such simple projection efforts become so rapidly manifest is that the programmes, once implemented, are expanded to meet the population's needs. In projecting only health services or utilization one has nearly a self-fulfilling prophecy--that resource constraints or the actual organization of the programme will directly determine the course of the level and mixture of health services consumption. Therefore failure to base the projections on a detailed model of underlying population needs leads in such cases to grossly inaccurate results. Clearly, projecting a population's health needs requires even more data than projecting health service requirements. Such information constraints require the use of a model to organize data from multiple objective and subjective sources, and to reflect the best scientific understanding of the processes involved. This article briefly discussed the application of 2 such models. One was designed for the analysis of discrete state health changes using population and vital statistics data, the other described both discrete and continuous changes using data from longitudinally followed community populations. One is designed to work only with detailed aggregate data with heavy inputs from scientific experts; the other deals with relatively information-rich measurements. Both can be modified on the basis of expert judgement to deal with simulations of a multiplicity of possible interventions. Both appropriately calculate the relative costs and benefits of select health initiatives.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Actuarial Analysis↗