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PubMed1988

Social and physical health of homeless adults previously treated for mental health problems.

A total of 529 homeless adults in Los Angeles County were surveyed to determine the relationship between their previous use of mental health services and their physical health status, utilization of medical services, personal habits affecting health, experience of injury and victimization, and perceived needs. Homeless adults with a previous psychiatric hospitalization were more likely to have experienced serious physical symptoms during the previous month than those who had used only outpatient mental health services or who had never used mental health services. They reported more reasons for not obtaining needed medical care, were more likely to obtained food from garbage cans, and had the least adequate personal hygiene. However, they did not differ from the other groups on most measures of nutrition, social relations, and financial status. The most frequently expressed needs of the homeless were for improved social relations, employment, shelter, and money.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The structure of physical health status. Comparing proxies and self-respondents.

Because gerontological studies often need to rely on the use of proxy respondents, the comparability of proxy and self-respondents is of particular interest. However, it is often impossible to evaluate response agreement between proxy and self-respondents because the necessary data are not available. This study addresses the problem by using a model of health status to evaluate differences between proxy and self-respondents regarding the conceptualization of health status. The model included three dimensions of physical health: chronic illness, functional limitations, and subjective health. Three groups of respondents who differ regarding proxy status and/or physical health status were compared. A subset of matched self-respondents (n = 146) was selected to be comparable in objective health status to respondents who have proxies (n = 140). The third group consisted of physically healthier self-respondents (n = 1,425). Data came from the Study of Well-Being of Older People in Cleveland, OH. No support was found for the expectation that proxies and self-respondents would weight objective health information differently when providing summary statements of subjective health. The results suggest that proxies rely on a conceptualization similar to self-respondents when providing information about another person's health.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Shifting physical health care responsibilities at a community mental health center.

This study assesses the effects of transferring physical health care of consumers from non-nurse case managers to a nurse case manager at a community mental health center. Using a comparative descriptive design, pre- and postintervention surveys were distributed to clinical staff before and after the transfer of responsibilities to determine differences in responses relating to workload and quality of consumer care. Findings suggested that staff had more time to spend on treatment consistent with their education and training, and experienced improved job satisfaction. They reported that consumers' health care improved in terms of quality, efficiency, access, continuity, and follow-up. A chart review revealed that the number of current annual health histories decreased slightly (6%), but annual physical exams increased by 24%. Types of medical appointments were analyzed to note the complexity of health needs of the consumers, with 38% being for routine care and the remaining 62% for chronic, specialty, and acute care. Nurse case managers responsible for overseeing consumers' physical health care would be a valuable addition to community mental health centers. This study suggests improved consumer care and job satisfaction ramifications.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Linking early social risks to impaired physical health during the transition to adulthood.

The present longitudinal study of 485 youth used structural equation models to investigate the ways in which a combination of social disadvantage in the family of origin and adolescent maladjustment increases risk for physical health difficulties during adulthood. The study examined a theoretical model that proposes that disruptions in the transition to adulthood mediate the effect of earlier social disadvantage and adolescent maladjustment on young adult physical health status. Results show that early risk factors initiate a sequence of negative influences on young adult physical health through early entry into family responsibility, truncated educational attainment, and poor occupational and economic status. These associations prevailed even after controlling for physical health status during adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

John Henryism, self-reported physical health indicators, and the mediating role of perceived stress among high socio-economic status Asian immigrants.

This study examined the relationship between John Henryism (a strong behavioral predisposition to engage in high effort coping with difficult barriers to success) and self-reported physical health among high socio-economic (SES) status Asian immigrants to the USA. Cross-sectional data were collected from a community sample of 318 self-identified Chinese and Indian immigrants aged 18-73, averaging 10.2 yr lived in the US. In addition to the John Henryism Active Coping Scale, health status was measured using ordinal ratings of global self-rated health, somatic symptoms and physical health functioning. We also evaluated whether perceived stress would explain the relationship between John Henryism and health. Controlling for demographic factors, regression analyses showed that higher John Henryism significantly predicted better self-rated health and physical functioning, and fewer somatic symptoms. These relationships were significantly and fully mediated (for physical functioning and somatic symptoms) or partially mediated (for self-rated health) by lower perceived stress. Results suggest that John Henryism relates to better health among high SES Asian immigrants in part by reducing perceived stress. To better understand and improve health in all racial/ethnic groups, especially racial minorities and immigrants, more research is needed on John Henryism and perceived stress as important psychosocial mechanisms intervening between environmental exposures and health outcomes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Adult physical health outcomes of adolescent girls with conduct disorder, depression, and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the young adult physical health outcomes of adolescent girls with behavior problems. METHOD: Girls with conduct disorder, girls with depression, girls with anxiety, and healthy girls (N = 459) who had been evaluated at age 15 years were followed up at age 21, when general physical health, substance dependence, and reproductive health were assessed. RESULTS: After control for potentially confounding variables including prior health, adolescent conduct disorder predicted more medical problems, poorer self-reported overall health, lower body mass index, alcohol and/or marijuana dependence, tobacco dependence, daily smoking, more lifetime sexual partners, sexually transmitted disease, and early pregnancy. Adolescent depression predicted only adult tobacco dependence and more medical problems; adolescent anxiety predicted more medical problems. CONCLUSIONS: The robust link between female adolescent conduct disorder and poor physical health in adulthood suggests that intervention with girls who have conduct disorder may be a strategy for preventing subsequent health problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Physical health and cognitive ability among married long-term-care patients and among their spouses--a comparison between home care and nursing home care.

The purpose of this study was to establish whether physical health and cognitive function in married long-term patients or in their spouses determines why some patients are cared for in home care while others reside in nursing homes. Out of 38 married couples with a sick spouse cared for in a nursing home, 23 couples were studied; out of 34 couples with a sick spouse cared for in home care, 22 patients and 25 spouses were studied. The results showed no significant differences in physical health score either between the two groups of patients, or between the two groups of spouses. Both home-care patients and nursing home patients had low cognitive function scores, but nursing home patients had significantly lower scores. A multivariate analysis showed that physical health and cognitive function explained only 20% of patients' residence. Between the two groups of spouses there was no difference in cognitive function score. The conclusion is that physical health status and cognitive function explain only to a small extent why married long-term care patients are cared for in nursing homes or in home care.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

The relationship between childhood adverse experiences and disability due to physical health problems in a community sample of women.

The goal of this study was to examine the association of physical and sexual abuse in childhood, poverty, parental substance abuse problems and parental psychiatric problems with disability due to physical health problems in a community sample of women. We included 4,243 women aged 15-64 years from the Ontario Mental Health Supplement in the analysis. The associations were tested by multiple logistic regression. Ten percent of women had a disability due to physical health problems. Among women with a disability, approximately 40% had been abused while growing up. After controlling for income and age, disability showed the strongest association with childhood physical abuse, parental education less than high school and parental psychiatric disorder. The association with child sexual abuse was not significant. Given the high correlation between abuse and disability due to physical health problems, it is important to investigate approaches to identify women who are at increased risk of subsequent impairment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Value of combined assessment of physical health and functional status in community-dwelling aged: a prospective study in Florence, Italy.

A survey of the health and social conditions of a representative sample of 967 persons aged 60 years and older from the city of Florence, Italy, was undertaken in 1980. In 1987, a follow-up survey of this cohort was performed. There were 391 documented deaths, 408 survivors, and 168 individuals who could not be located. Functional ability at baseline was assessed using a World Health Organization 14-item scale. Indicators of physical health status included chronic disease status, number of drugs, physician visits, and days of hospitalization. After adjustment for age and sex, both functional ability and indicators of physical health status were found to be independent, statistically significant predictors of mortality. The results of this study further support the view that biomedical and functional assessment are both necessary for a comprehensive evaluation of the older population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Health physics: its development, successes, failures, and eccentricities.

Health Physics began at the University of Chicago as a science and profession during the early World War II years. It was initiated by Drs. A.H. Compton and R.S. Stone, director and associate director, respectively, of the early Plutonium Project cryptically called the Metallurgical Laboratory. It was to be a science and a profession to protect radiation workers and members of the public from exposure to ionizing radiation. It succeeded to some extent in this objective but during the past decade in the United States, it has reverted into an organization primarily to protect the nuclear industry from liability resulting from radiation exposure.

Health Physics↗
PubMed2006

A systematic review of motivational interviewing in physical health care settings.

PURPOSE: Motivational interviewing (MI), a method of augmenting an individual's motivation to change problematic behaviours, is a patient-centred counselling style that seeks to help patients resolve ambivalence about behaviour change. MI has successfully been used in the field of addictions and has recently received increased interest as a means of promoting treatment adherence in physical health care settings. This systematic review is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MI interventions in physical health care settings. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for articles specifying the use of 'motivational interviewing' in physical health care settings between 1966 and April 2004. Fifty-one relevant abstracts were yielded and data was extracted from eight relevant selected studies. RESULTS: Eight studies were identified in the fields of diabetes, asthma, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and heart disease. The majority of studies found positive results for effects of MI on psychological, physiological, and life-style change outcomes. Problems with research in this area include: small sample sizes, lack of power, use of disparate multiple outcomes, inadequate validation of questionnaires, poorly-defined therapy and training. CONCLUSIONS: While MI has high face validity across a number of domains in physical health care settings, the general quality of trials in this area is inadequate and therefore recommendations for its dissemination in this area cannot yet be made. More research into MI applied to health behaviour change is urgently required.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1995

Radiation protection and medical practice with special reference to health physicists and the Health Physics Society.

This paper broadly examines the historical development of radiation protection in medical practice through an examination of the interactions of those concerned with radiation protection and medical practice with emphasis on the last half century and on the role played by health physicists and the Health Physics Society. Included is a brief discussion of the relevant activities of various federal agencies and other organizations including the Atomic Energy Commission and successors and the U.S. Public Health Service; the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and International Commission on Radiological Protection; and the Health Physics Society, American Board of Health Physics, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Society of Nuclear Medicine, and Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors and related scientific and professional bodies.

Government Agencies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Posttraumatic stress disorder and self-reported physical health status among U.S. Military personnel serving during the Gulf War period: a population-based study.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and perceived physical health. Participants included 3,682 Gulf War veterans and control subjects of the same era who completed a telephone survey about their health status. PTSD was assessed using the PTSD Checklist-Military Version. Veterans screening positive for PTSD reported significantly more physical health symptoms and medical conditions than did veterans without PTSD. They were also more likely to rate their health status as fair or poor and to report lower levels of health-related quality of life. The results of this study are consistent with studies of other combat veterans and provide further support for an association between PTSD and adverse physical health outcomes. Stressful or traumatic life events, such as those encountered during a rapid military deployment and conflict, are associated with a variety of adverse health effects. These health effects may manifest themselves in both psychological and physical outcomes. Health care providers must be attentive to recognize and evaluate both of these dimensions.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A simplified index of physical health for use in epidemiological studies.

A battery of simple questions designed to measure physical health, in terms of ability to perform physical activities, was appraised in 1839 men and women aged greater than or equal to 50 years in a community survey in Jerusalem. The number of "Yes" answers to six questions, five of which could be skipped if the first one was answered positively, was found to be a satisfactory index, with a high degree of consistency-reliability in the total sample (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.97) and in subgroups categorized by sex, age, education, or father's region of birth. The index constituted an excellent Guttman scale (coefficient of reproducibility = 0.96, coefficient of scalability = 0.94), indicating that the score serves both as a measure of physical health and as an indication of the profile of capabilities. Associations with age and other variables conformed with expectations, attesting the construct validity of the index.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[The effects of social support reciprocity on mental and physical health of young adults].

The present study examined the effects that reciprocity of social support has on mental and physical health of young adults from the viewpoint that an individual is both an active and passive support provider as well as receiver. The questionnaire, completed by 505 young adults, included items that measured four kinds of support: requested by and provided to others, and requested and received by them. It also asked about the affects associated with support relationships, in addition to the level of adjustment and mental and physical health. Correlational analyses showed that young adults felt their support relationships were fairly reciprocal. ANOVA and multiple regression indicated that lack of reciprocity was in general associated with negative affects and poor health. Providing more support than receiving lead to dissatisfaction, and receiving more than providing to a feeling of indebtedness. Finally, the data supported the prediction that there was a path from support equity to affective state to mental and physical health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Emotional intelligence as predictor of mental, social, and physical health in university students.

This study examined the association between emotional intelligence (EI), anxiety, depression, and mental, social, and physical health in university students. The sample was made up of 184 university students (38 men and 146 women). El was evaluated by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, and Palfai, 1995), which evaluates the three dimensions (Attention, Clarity, and Mood Repair). Anxiety was evaluated with the Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, and Jacobs, 1983) and depression with the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, and Emery, 1979). Mental, social, and physical health were evaluated with the SF-12 Health Survey (Ware, Kosinski, and Keller, 1996). Results showed that high Emotional Attention was positively and significantly related to high anxiety, depression, and to low levels of Role Emotional, Social Functioning, and Mental Health. However, high levels of emotional Clarity and Mood Repair were related to low levels of anxiety and depression, high Role Physical, Social Functioning, Mental Health, Vitality, and General Health. This study confirmed the predictive value of Attention, Clarity and Mood Repair regarding the levels of anxiety, depression, and areas related to mental, social, and physical health in university students.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Predicting health care utilization in the very old. The role of physical health, mental health, attitudinal and social factors.

The purpose of this paper is to predict health care utilization in the very old from a combination of individual-based factors such as physical and mental health, health attitudes and beliefs, sociodemographic characteristics, and life circumstances. This study was conducted within the context of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE). Higher use of medications was most strongly predicted by more medical diagnoses, better cognitive status, and health attitudes. Physician contact was only weakly predicted by physical health variables, hypochondriasis, and living alone. In contrast, living alone was the greatest predictor of the utilization of increased levels of caregiving services, while having children nearby served as a protective factor against the need for more formal caregiving services. These results show that utilization of health care depends on interaction between physical and mental health, attitudinal, and social factors.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates of self-reported physical health status of students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Young people including university students are a justifiable target for health status assessment as they form a large group that only recently escaped the adverse mortality experiences of childhood. This study was conducted in the University of Ibadan to determine the state and correlates of students' physical health. STUDY DESIGN: Seven hundred and fifty students were randomly selected from all eleven halls of residence by multi stage sampling. Questionnaires derived from the Duke Health Profile, a generic health instrument were administered by trained student peers and responses scored using the recommended guidelines. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 96.5%. The sample consisted of 484 males and 240 females; 602 undergraduate and 122 graduate students giving a male:female ratio of 2:1 and undergraduate:graduate student ratio of 5:1, similar to the ratio in the 18,690 strong general student body. All the university's faculties were represented. Most (92.3%) of the respondents were single. The group had a mean age of 23.8 years (SD 4.6). The mean physical health score was 7.9 (SD 1.67) out of a possible maximum of 10. High scores were significantly associated with male gender and frequent exercise. Sixteen students (2.2%) reported a physical handicap and 122 (16.3%) a medically diagnosed chronic illness. A mean of 1.14 days of disability occurred among the students in the month preceding the survey. Common causes of morbidity reported included fever (59.8%), nervousness (12.4%), cough (12.3%) and sleeping disorders (11.2%). CONCLUSION: The high mean physical health score recorded in this study indicates that students have an overall good level of functioning. However physical health status was associated with several lifestyle and personal factors.

Adolescent↗