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Results for “Community Surveys”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Assessing hearing problems within a community survey.

Community surveys are increasingly being used as a method of collecting health and lifestyle data. This report describes the use of a simple question on hearing difficulties within such a survey. A systematic sample of 2.5% of the electoral register of the four Parliamentary constituencies of Cardiff, Wales, was drawn. Of the 5145 individuals in the sample, 83% responded. Age and social class explained much of the variability in reported hearing difficulties. A recent fall and cigarette consumption were associated with hearing problems, but the contribution of alcohol consumption while potentially important did not reach statistical significance. This self-administered community survey provided hearing data which are consistent with other specialized studies and is a viable route for the assessment of community needs.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1981

Physical and mental incapacity in elderly white persons in Cape Town. A community survey.

A community survey of 150 Whites persons over the age of 60 years living in the community in Cape Town showed that incapacity due to physical illness or impairment of function is present to some degree in 33%. Cognitive defects were present in 12%, poor social contacts in 19%, and lack of social and emotional support in 10%. Financial problems (12%) and unsatisfactory housing (3%) were the main material problems. Notwithstanding the above, it appeared that most elderly persons were managing adequately and that 58% were satisfied with their life circumstances.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Shoulder disorders in the elderly: a community survey.

A community survey of identifiable symptomatic shoulder disorders in a sample of 644 elderly people over age 70 (318 male and 326 female) revealed a prevalence of 21%. Shoulder disorders were more common in women (25%, versus 17% in men). Approximately 70% of the cases of shoulder pain involved the rotator cuff. Fewer than 40% of the subjects sought medical attention for these symptoms. Increased medical awareness is needed, since the elderly often do not volunteer information about such symptoms.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Substance use disorders in an Australian community survey.

A community survey of the common mental disorders in a geographically defined treatment service area was used to explore the socio-demographic correlates and service utilization of people with alcohol and drug use disorders living in the area. These data represent the most comprehensive data on substance use disorders in a defined geographic region in Australia. Alcohol and drug use disorders were most likely to be found in the young, with those aged 18-34 years being three times more likely to have an alcohol use disorder than those aged 55 years and over. A third (33%) of those people with an alcohol use disorder and 42% of those with a drug use disorder had consulted a health professional in the past 12 months for their substance use disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence and characteristics of women who have had a hysterectomy in a community survey.

A community survey of 8,896 households was undertaken in the Hunter region of New South Wales to assess women's health status. Consent was gained from 5,781 of the 6,361 eligible women between 18 and 69 years of age. The prevalence of hysterectomy in this sample was 16.9%, with 34.2% of women in their fifties having had a hysterectomy. Most hysterectomies (75%) were performed on women between the ages of 30 and 49 years. The demographic variables of parent's country of birth, educational level and employment status predicted recent hysterectomies after controlling for the effect of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Are cognitively impaired individuals adequately represented in community surveys? Recruitment challenges and strategies to facilitate participation in community surveys of older adults. A review.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is the most important age-related disorder and subject to a substantial body of epidemiological research. However, field work in elderly populations faces special challenges which may reduce response rates and invalidate survey results. Therefore, this paper will review more recent prevalence studies of dementia to examine how recruitment issues and their influence on the study outcome have been addressed. METHODS: Field studies of the elderly with the main focus on prevalence of dementia published over the last 10 years will be systematically reviewed. The review concerns sampling frames, ways to include institutionalised individuals, response rates and strategies to deal with special challenges of field work in elderly populations such as mortality, fragility and sensory impairment. Furthermore, papers were evaluated regarding the extent to which recruitment outcomes were discussed. RESULTS: The literature is characterised by a disregard of recruitment issues to a varying extent. Mortality, functional dependency and sensory impairment (all positively related to dementia) are barely taken into account in the study design and rarely discussed. As a consequence, cognitively impaired individuals are likely to be underrepresented in most community studies. CONCLUSION: Strategies to deal with special challenges of field work in the elderly in a systematic manner and to facilitate participation in population surveys of the elderly are crucial and will be outlined. Communication on recruitment issues is essential to improve the validity of study outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Psychiatric disorder and gynaecological symptoms in middle aged women: a community survey.

In a community survey 521 women aged 35-59 were selected at random from all patients registered in two groups practices. They were interviewed at home and assessed by means of standardised psychiatric measures and detailed gynaecological inquiry. Levels of psychiatric morbidity were found to be within the expected range for such a sample. Both psychiatric morbidity and the personality dimension of neuroticism were significantly associated with gynaecological symptoms, including dysmenorrhoea and premenstrual tension, some symptoms of excessive menstruation, and flushes and sweats but not disappearance of menstruation for over six months. Current psychiatric state was significantly associated with recent adverse life events and with indices of psychiatric vulnerability (neuroticism and previous psychiatric history), suggesting possible aetiological links with gynaecological symptoms. The findings of this study have implications for the management of gynaecological complaints in general practice.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Complaints of cognitive decline in the elderly: a comparison of reports by subjects and informants in a community survey.

In a community survey, subjects and their informants were asked the same questions about memory and intellectual decline in the subjects. Subjects and informants both commonly reported cognitive decline, although in most cases the decline was not seen as interfering with daily life. However, when responses from subjects and informants were cross-tabulated, agreement was found to be poor. For subjects, reports of cognitive decline were correlated with anxiety and depression symptoms and with trait neuroticism. Subjects' reports were uncorrelated with age and only weakly correlated with cognitive test performance, indicating little validity. By contrast, informants' reports were correlated with the subjects' cognitive test performance and age, but also with the informants' own anxiety and depression symptoms. Although informants' reports have validity, they may also be contaminated by the informants' affective state.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Pi MZ phenotype and an increased prevalence of reported psoriasis in a community survey.

In a community survey of 953 adults we identified 40 who reported having had psoriasis. Eight of these cases were subsequently documented from physicians' records. alpha 1-Antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) phenotyping identified 35 MZ individuals, 4 (11.4%) of whom reported psoriasis. Among the 918 non-MZ individuals 36 (3.9%) reported psoriasis, yielding a relative incidence of 3.2 (p less than 0.05). This is consistent with previous reports suggesting an association between moderate alpha 1-AT deficiency and psoriasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Community surveys: the benefits and sacrifices.

Community-based research is becoming more important, especially with the introduction of the RDP and the changing role of NGOs. Community surveys are a part of this new research approach. This paper enters the debate around the role and importance of surveys. A case study of a community survey done in Mfuleni by the Western Cape Community Partnership Project will be used to illustrate the points made. Key considerations are raised in terms of the potential for the community survey to be useful. These include the role of the survey in providing information and assisting in the process of the development of the project as a whole. In addition the cost effectiveness plus the ethical and political dimensions are considered. In the course of the survey important lessons were learned that could benefit others also doing research of this type. Issues raised include the importance of the presence of specific research skills being part of the team throughout the project, the importance of full negotiation of access, being clear in terms of objectives and the questions to be asked, sampling issues, problems of questions demanding memory recall, community participation and spreading of skills, and the dissemination of results.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed1994

Nutritional status of children in Alexandra township. Clinic-based data and a community survey.

A community-based survey of the nutritional status of children aged 12-23 months was conducted. A cluster sampling technique was used. The weight and height of 426 children were measured. Compared with clinic-based growth-monitoring data, which showed that 5.5% of the children were below the 3rd percentile of weight for age, this survey revealed that 17.7% of boys and 9.3% of girls were below the 3rd percentile of weight for age. This may indicate that the health centre is not reaching those in greatest need. In respect of height for age, 44.3% of boys and 44.1% of girls were below the 3rd percentile while less than 4% of boys and girls were below the 3rd percentile of weight for height; this indicated a high percentage of stunting but no acute malnutrition. Growth monitoring may be an important component of a child health programme. However, unless growth is measured accurately and appropriate action implemented, growth monitoring alone is of little value. Thus before continuing with the programme of growth monitoring, the Alexandra Health Centre should ensure that health workers are adequately trained and that appropriate interventions are implemented to reduce the risks associated with children who fail to gain weight at the expected rate. Once implemented, a regular evaluation of all aspects should be undertaken.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1988

Fatal ischaemic heart disease in Belfast: a comparison of two community surveys.

Data from two community surveys in Belfast were used to compare all deaths attributed to ischaemic heart disease during two one-year periods (1965/66 and 1981/82). There was an increase in mortality in men of all ages from 3.3 to 4.4 per 1,000 population (33%) and in women from 1.6 to 3.1 per 1,000 population (94%). Only in men aged less than 70 years was the mortality rate unchanged (2.2 per 1,000 population). The proportion of deaths in persons whose fatal attack began outside the hospital was virtually unchanged (65% in 1965/66 compared with 69% in 1981/82). Survival time was markedly decreased in the later survey, as were delay times in initiating medical care. The increase in mortality probably is due to an increase in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction. The introduction of mobile coronary care in Belfast in 1965 seems to have had equal effects in reducing mortality inside and outside hospital.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Status of Soil Transmitted Helminth infections in an urban locality of Assam; as observed from survey by WHO sampling methodology for school children and community survey by random sampling.

In this study, an attempt was made to compare and correlate findings of a Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) survey carried out using WHO sampling methodology for school children and community survey by random sampling. The prevalence and intensity of STH in the age-group of 9-10 yrs reportedly represent community status. The results showed that the STH prevalence and intensity in the age-group of 9-10 years do represent community burden. However, more such surveys will have to be carried out to substantiate this statement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Characteristics of nonresponders in a community survey of the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of nonresponse in a community survey of cognitive status in the elderly. DESIGN: Cross-sectional community survey with two stages of recruitment: an initial, less-intensive method, followed by a more aggressive approach that included face-to-face contact. Characteristics of initial nonresponders and responders were compared. SETTING: A close-knit rural community with higher than usual proportions of elderly, especially the very old. Subjects were interviewed in their homes. Collateral informants were subsequently interviewed by telephone. PARTICIPANTS: Utah heads of household aged 75 and older who resided in a noninstitutionalized setting. MEASUREMENTS: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Dementia Questionnaire, and an autobiographical risk factor and family history questionnaire provided measures for all independent variables. The dependent variable was status as initial responders or initial nonresponders. RESULTS: An initial participation rate of 63% was achieved, but a final rate of 93% was achieved when initial nonresponders were contacted later face-to-face. MMSE score was significantly related to responder status when analyzed alone (beta = -.19, P = 0.02) and remained a significant predictor after adjusting for education and whether born in Cache County (beta = -.16, P = 0.041) or current drinking, diabetes, or "other" health problems (beta = -.18, P = 0.028). After controlling for the informant report of subject's problems with activities of daily living, MMSE score fell just below statistical significance (beta = -.16, P = 0.079). CONCLUSIONS: Nonresponders in community surveys of the elderly appear to be disproportionately cognitively impaired. The increase in participation rates achieved after more persistent recruitment suggests that many initial nonresponders can still be recruited if intensive methods are used.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

[Impact of snakebites in rural environment: community survey in the rural development community (DRC) of Frilguiagbe, Republic of Guinea].

An exhaustive study has been carried out in the rural development community (DRC) of Frilguiagbe, located at 115 km from Conakry in the Conakry-Kindia highway. It concerns a population of 23,442 inhabitants divided into 3,047 households. The survey was carried out at three levels:--community level;--health centres;--traditional healers. In the household survey made between 2002 and 2003, 175 snakebites cases were recorded. In health centres, only two (2) cases were recorded from 1993 to 2003. On the other hand, 80% (=140) of the cases registered in the households have consulted a traditional healer. On the whole, there were 9 deaths (5%). Such a result shows that the collect of information from the consultation registers is not appropriate to appraise the importance of envenomations in our country.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Community surveys of late-life depression: who are the non-responders?

BACKGROUND: community surveys of depression among older people may be particularly prone to non-response. Information on non-responders is difficult to obtain and often limited to demographics. Therefore, the full extent of response bias is not always known. OBJECTIVE: to determine factors associated with non-response at each stage of a two-stage survey of late-life depression. SETTING: one large general practice (registered population >30000) serving the market town of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK. SUBJECTS: community residents (n=2633) aged 65-74 years registered with the practice. METHODS: a two-stage community survey of patients aged 65-74 years. The first stage was an interviewer-administered general health survey including a measure of depressive symptoms. We asked those who screened positive for possible depression to undergo a semi-structured psychiatric interview. We compared use of services and medication by non-responders and responders to both stages using primary-care records. We compared Townsend deprivation scores using data obtained from the 1991 census. RESULTS: responders to stage 1 were more likely to use both primary [odds ratio (OR) 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38-1.96] and secondary (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.25-2.02) services and tended to live in more affluent areas (P=0.002). At stage 2, the only difference observed was a lower level of use of tranquillisers or hypnotics among responders (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.11-0.67). CONCLUSIONS: older people with low levels of contact with health services may be under-represented in community surveys of depression. Investigators should look outside traditional health settings to promote the uptake of response in these studies.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Sexual orientation and mental health: results from a community survey of young and middle-aged adults.

BACKGROUND: Community surveys have reported a higher rate of mental health problems in combined groups of homosexual and bisexual participants, but have not separated these two groups. AIMS: To assess separately the mental health of homosexual and bisexual groups compared with heterosexuals. METHOD: A community survey of 4824 adults was carried out in Canberra, Australia. Measures covered anxiety, depression, suicidality, alcohol misuse, positive and negative affect and a range of risk factors for poorer mental health. RESULTS: The bisexual group was highest on measures of anxiety, depression and negative affect, with the homosexual group falling between the other two groups. Both the bisexual and homosexual groups were high on suicidality. Bisexuals also had more current adverse life events, greater childhood adversity, less positive support from family, more negative support from friends and a higher frequency of financial problems. Homosexuals reported greater childhood adversity and less positive support from family. CONCLUSIONS: The bisexual group had the worst mental health, although homosexual participants also tended to report more distress.

Adult↗