Social and health determinants of well being and life satisfaction in Jamaica

School Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy in Adolescents and Intention to Drop Out of School

School dropout is a risky behaviour that is a threat to well-being in adolescence. This study aimed to analyse school satisfaction and self-efficacy in school activities in a sample of adolescents attending secondary school in an Italian region at high risk of school dropout. The objective was to investigate whether differences exist among students on the basis of school dropout intention, gender, and career choices. Another aim was to identify, among the students' satisfaction variables, the main psychosocial predictors of dropout intention. Students (N = 1340) attending secondary schools in Sardinia completed Soresi's questionnaires on life satisfaction and self-efficacy. The data were analysed with a multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression analysis. The results indicated that students intending to drop out of school scored lower on satisfaction with perceived support and satisfaction with peer and teacher relationships than their peers not at risk of dropping out. The logistic regression analysis showed that the most significant predictors of dropout intention were academic performance, satisfaction with the school experience, satisfaction in the relationships with teachers and with family members, and satisfaction with perceived support (26.9% of model variance). The results of this research thus indicate which areas could be addressed through prevention to improve well-being conditions in education.

"Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been": a path analysis of the associations between happiness and health, sleep, physical activities for older people in Abu Dhabi

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to identify the associations of happiness and factors related to physical and mental health, leisure, and sports activities amongst older adults in Abu Dhabi. The sample comprised 1,004 participants in the third Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey administered in 2019-2020.

METHODS

The analysis used path analysis to develop a model incorporating the specified variables. The path model highlighted all direct and indirect associations between the variables. We also used variance analysis to test the differences in gender, marital status, and education attainment with happiness.

RESULTS

Results show that sleep quality is most associated with happiness and subjective health. In addition, sleeping hours did not show any association with subjective health; but were associated with happiness. The result also confirms that mental health is negatively associated with happiness and subjective health. How often an elderly gets involved in sport and activities for at least 30 min significantly affects subjective health and happiness.

CONCLUSIONS

Happiness of older adults is best understood when we look at both direct and indirect effects using a path model. Their happiness is significantly associated with their subjective health, mental health, participation in sport and activities and sleep quality, Implications of the study were highlighted, along with future research directions.

An assessment of self-rated life satisfaction and its correlates with physical, mental and social health status among older adults in India

Life satisfaction refers to the assessment of one's own life in terms of self-perceived favourable qualities. It is an integral part of healthy and successful course of ageing. It is widely associated with the health status and social well-being. The present study attempted to determine the constructing factors of self-rated life satisfaction, such as socio-demographic, physical, social, and mental well-being of older adults. We analysed information from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI-1), the initial phase conducted during 2017-18 for the population of older adults in India. We applied descriptive statistics for prevalence assessment and association was checked using chi-square test. Further, to determine the adjusted outcome of predictor covariates on the likelihood of an individual being satisfied from life estimated by applying hierarchical multiple logistic regression models. Several noteworthy affirmations on the relationship between the socio-demographic variables and health risk behaviours with life satisfaction were observed. The results were consistent with studies showing change in life satisfaction subject to the state of physical and mental health, presence of chronic diseases, friends and family relations, dependency, and events of trauma or abuse. While comparing respondents, we found varying degrees of life satisfaction by gender, education, marital status, expenditure and other socio-economic features. We also found that besides physical and mental health, social support and well-being play a pivotal role in achieving higher life satisfaction among older adults. Overall, this work contributes to the study of the subjective well-being of older adults in India based on self-reported levels of life satisfaction and further narrows the gap in knowledge about associated behaviour. Hence, with on-going ageing scenario, there is need for multi-sectorial policy-oriented approaches at individual, family, and community level, which helps to take care of older-adults' physical, social, and mental health for the betterment of healthy ageing.

Self-Control and Emotion Regulation Mediate the Impact of Karate Training on Satisfaction With Life

Physical activity is an important determinant of a healthy lifestyle. Regular participation in sports-related activities contributes to the maintenance of good psychophysiological and social health. Long-term physical activity has a positive impact on subjective well-being and can reduce stress. Karate is a specific physical activity which focuses on self-regulation and self-development; therefore, it may reduce impulsivity and improve self-control. Good self-control is also related to satisfaction with life and well-being. The presented study aimed to examine the possible intermediate impact of self-control and emotion regulation on the relationship between karate training and satisfaction with life. Fifty-eight karate practitioners and fifty-nine control subjects participated in the research. The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the Brief Self-Control Scale were applied in order to assess life satisfaction and the general level of self-control. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was used to assess suppression and reappraisal, both of which are distinct aspects of emotion regulation. The direct and indirect relationships between karate training and satisfaction with life were investigated using a linear regression model that included self-control, suppression and reappraisal as mediating variables. No direct effects of karate training on satisfaction with life were found, whereas karate training was indirectly associated with satisfaction with life via the indirect path that leads through self-control and reappraisal. This indicates that self-control and reappraisal fully mediate the impact of karate training on subjective well-being. Karate training can therefore play an important role in shaping volitional and personality characteristics, both of which contribute to increasing the well-being of trainees.

Outcomes of Organizational and Community Embeddedness: A Conservation of Resources Perspective

Drawing on Conservation of Resources and spillover theories, we empirically examine work and community outcomes of both organizational and community embeddedness and the underlying mechanism whereby the two forms of embeddedness influence both domain-specific and cross-domain outcomes. With data from 165 matched pairs of employees and their colleagues from a Midwestern US organization, we found that organizational and community embeddedness influence specific individual behaviors both within and across their respective domains. Additionally, we found support for the mediating role of psychological flourishing in the relationships between embeddedness and various organizational and community outcomes. We discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications of our findings, as well as suggestions for future research.

Cross-national variation in the subjective wellbeing of youth in low and middle income countries: The role of structural and micro-level factors

Subjective wellbeing (i.e. life satisfaction and happiness) impacts youth's social, economic and political participation. Prior studies have documented cross-national variation in subjective wellbeing of adults but there is a lack of data on the prevalence and correlates of subjective wellbeing among youth in low and middle income countries. This paper utilizes data from an international dataset - Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys to assess the influence of structural and micro-level factors on the subjective wellbeing of youth (ages 15 - 24) in 29 countries or regions in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. We find that within countries, global life satisfaction and happiness are associated with age, education attainment, place of residence, marital status, household wealth and exposure to mass media. Significant interactions between age, gender and education are observed. However, none of the country level development indicators account for cross-national variation in youth's SWB although there is some indication that income inequities between countries may influence youth's SWB. The findings underscore the need for objective measures of subjective wellbeing to understand the conditions in LMICs.

Religion and Life Satisfaction: A Correlational Study of Undergraduate Students in Trinidad

Religious behaviour tends to correlate positively with life satisfaction. The predictive power of this relationship is associated with various socio-demographic factors such as age, gender and religious affiliation. We investigated the relationship between religious involvement and life satisfaction in a multi-religious population of undergraduate medical students of the University of the West Indies. We used a cross-sectional design to assess 228 undergraduates (50 males and 178 females) on religiosity, religious well-being and life satisfaction using the Religious Orientation Test, Religious Well-Being subscale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, respectively. Respondents also provided socio-demographic information such as age, gender and religious affiliation. "How religious one considers oneself" was the religiosity construct most significantly associated with life satisfaction while "frequency of prayer" was the least. Christians registered higher religiosity and religious well-being but non-Christians reported significantly higher life satisfaction. Muslim and Hindu scores on religiosity, religious well-being and life satisfaction were not statistically different. Females scored higher than males on religiosity (borderline significant, p = .054) and significantly higher on religious well-being (p < .01); however, there was no significant difference between males and females on life satisfaction. The "religious affiliation" group scored significantly higher on religiosity and religious well-being compared with the "no religious affiliation" group but there was no difference between these two groups on life satisfaction. Religiosity and religious well-being were overall significantly and positively associated with life satisfaction. However, in demographic groups where there was higher religiosity, for example females, Christians, people affiliated with a religion and older people, it was not associated with greater life satisfaction.

Exploring Relationship Between Spiritual Intelligence, Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Among Elderly Pakistani Muslims

This study is an effort to explore the relationship between spiritual intelligence, religiosity and life satisfaction in elderly Pakistani Muslims. A non-probability purposive sampling technique is utilized in order to recruit a sample of 100 elderly people (n = 50 men; n = 50 = women). Standardized questionnaires were used for collecting data. Data analysis was carried out using Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and independent sample t test. Findings revealed a significant correlation between spiritual intelligence, religiosity and life satisfaction among Pakistani elderly Muslim people. Gender differences were considered while conducting the study, and findings are valid for both male and female elderly Pakistani Muslims. Some findings of this study endorse findings of some previous studies, and it adds latest insights to the existing body of knowledge on the subject.

Health status, mental health and air quality: evidence from pensioners in Europe

Environmental quality is an important determinant of individuals' well-being and one of the main concerns of the governments is the improvement on air quality and the protection of public health. This is especially the case of sensitive demographic groups, such as the old aged people. However, the question this study attempts to answer is how do individuals value the effects on the environment. The study explores the effects of old and early public pension schemes, as well as the impact of air pollution on health status of retired citizens. The empirical analysis relies on detailed micro-level data derived from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). As proxies for health, we use the general health status and the Eurod mental health indicator. We examine two air pollutants: the sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and ground-level ozone (O₃). Next, we calculate the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) which shows how much the people are willing to pay for improvement in air quality. We apply various quantitative techniques and approaches, including the fixed effects ordinary least squares (OLS) and the fixed effects instrumental variables (IV) approach. The last approach is applied to reduce the endogeneity problem coming from possible reverse causality between the air pollution, pensions and the health outcomes. For robustness check, we apply also a structural equation modelling (SEM) which is proper when the outcomes are latent variables. Based on our favoured IV estimates and the health status, we find that the MWTP values for one unit decrease in SO₂ and O₃ are respectively €221 and €88 per year. The respective MWTP values using the Eurod measure are €155 and €68. Overall, improvement of health status implies reduction in health expenditures, and in previous literature, ageing has been traditionally considered the most important determinant. However, this study shows that health lifestyle and socio-economic status, such as education and marital status, are more important, and furthermore, air pollution cannot be ignored in the agenda of policy makers.

An assessment of quality of life using the WHOQOL-BREF among participants living in the vicinity of wind turbines

Living within the vicinity of wind turbines may have adverse impacts on health measures associated with quality of life (QOL). There are few studies in this area and inconsistent findings preclude definitive conclusions regarding the impact that exposure to wind turbine noise (WTN) may have on QOL. In the current study (officially titled the Community Noise and Health Study or CNHS), the World Health Organization QOL-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire provided an evaluation of QOL in relation to WTN levels among randomly selected participants aged 18-79 (606 males, 632 females) living between 0.25 and 11.22 km from wind turbines (response rate 78.9%). In the multiple regression analyses, WTN levels were not found to be related to scores on the Physical, Psychological, Social or Environment domains, or to rated QOL and Satisfaction with Health questions. However, some wind turbine-related variables were associated with scores on the WHOQOL-BREF, irrespective of WTN levels. Hearing wind turbines for less than one year (compared to not at all and greater than one year) was associated with improved (i.e. higher) scores on the Psychological domain (p=0.0108). Lower scores on both the Physical and Environment domains (p=0.0218 and p=0.0372, respectively), were observed among participants reporting high visual annoyance toward wind turbines. Personal benefit from having wind turbines in the area was related to higher scores on the Physical domain (p=0.0417). Other variables significantly related to one or more domains, included sex, age, marital status, employment, education, income, alcohol consumption, smoking status, chronic diseases and sleep disorders. Collectively, results do not support an association between exposure to WTN up to 46 dBA and QOL assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

The biopsychosocial model and quality of life in persons with active epilepsy

BACKGROUND

Despite a long recognized need in the field of the importance of the psychological and social factors in persons with epilepsy (PWE), the medical community has continued to focus primarily on seizures and their treatment (the biological-biomedical model). From the biopsychosocial perspective, a person's lived experience needs to be incorporated into the understanding of quality of life. While the biopsychosocial model has gained prominence over the years, it has not been studied much in epilepsy.

METHODS

The study sample included 1720 PWE from the 2003 and the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Data were analyzed using set correlation, as it allows for the examination of the relative contribution of sets of independent variables (biological, psychological, and social domains) and a set of dependent variables (quality of life) of interest, defined as self-rated health status, self-rated mental health status, and life satisfaction.

RESULTS

Results provide strong evidence that the full biopsychosocial model explained a significantly larger amount of variance in quality of life (R(2) = 55.0%) compared with the biological-biomedical model alone (R(2) = 24.8%). When the individual domains of the biopsychosocial model were controlled for, the psychological (R(2) = 24.6%) and social (R(2) = 18.5%) domains still explained a greater amount of the variance in quality of life compared with the biological-biomedical model (R(2) = 14.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

While seizure freedom will continue to be an important treatment goal in epilepsy, the psychological and social domains are an important consideration for both interventional programs and clinical research designed to improve quality of life in PWE. Better integration of social workers and psychologists into routine care may help address these disparities.

The validity of using self-reported illness to measure objective health

Background:

There is a longstanding discourse on whether self-reported health is a good measure of objective health. This has never been empirical examined in Jamaica.

Aims:

Study seeks to 1) examine the relationship between particular subjective and objective indexes; 2) investigate the validity of a 4-week subjective index in measuring objective indexes; 3) evaluate the differences that exist between the measurement of subjective and objective indexes by the sexes; and 4) provide policy makers, other researchers, public health practitioners as well as social workers with research information with which can be used to inform their directions.

Materials and Methods:

Data published by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, and the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica were used for this study. Descriptive statistics were used to provide background information on data. Scatter diagrams were employed to establish 1) statistical associations, and 2) linearity and non-linearity between variables under examination. Multiple regression, using the enter method, was employed to a predictive model of linear associations.

Results:

A strong significant association was found between life expectancy at birth for the Jamaican population and self-reported illness (r = -0.731); and this was weaker females (r = - 0.683) than males (r = - 0.796). However, the relationship between mortality and self-reported illness was a weak non-linear one.

Conclusions:

Self-reported illness in a 4-week reference period is a good measure of objective health and that self-reported illness for males was a better measure for objective health than for females.

Childhood health in Jamaica: changing patterns in health conditions of children 0-14 years

BACKGROUND

The new thrust by WHO is healthy life expectancy. Therefore, health must be more than morbidity. It is within this framework that a study on childhood health in Jamaica is of vital importance.

AIMS

This study 1) expands the health literature in Jamaica and by extension the Caribbean, 2) will aid public health practitioners with research findings upon which they are able to further improve the quality of life of children, 3) investigates the age at with children in Jamaica become influenced by particular chronic diseases and 4) assesses the subjective wellbeing of children.

METHODS

The current study extracted a sample of 8,373 and 2,104 children 0-14 years from two surveys collected jointly by the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Statistics Institute of Jamaica for 2002 and 2007 respectively. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data.

RESULTS

Ninety-one percent of children in Jamaica, for 2007, reported good health. The number of children who had diarrhea fell by 84.2% in 2007 over 2002, and a similar reduction was observed for those with asthma (42.1% in 2002 and 19.7% in 2007). Another critical finding was that 1.2% of children, in 2007, had diabetes mellitus compared to none in 2002.

CONCLUSION

Public health now has an epidemiological profile of health conditions of children and the demographic shifts which are occurring and this can be used for effective management and planning of the new health reality of the Jamaican child.

Prospective association between self-reported life satisfaction and mortality: results from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg S3 survey cohort study

Background

To identify factors which determine high life satisfaction (LS) and to analyse the prognostic influence of LS on mortality.

Methods

Data collection was conducted on 2,675 participants, age 25-74 years, as part of the MONICA Augsburg Project 1994-95. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with high LS (measured with one item, 6-level Likert scale, where "high" = very satisfied/most of the time very satisfied with ones personal life). After 12 years mean follow-up, a total of 245 deaths occurred. We calculated age- and sex-adjusted incident mortality rates per 10,000. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

Independent determinants of LS were income, health-perception, and social support, as well as somatisation, anger or depressive symptoms (all p < 0.05). Participants with higher LS (n = 721, 27%) benefited the most with respect to absolute mortality risk reduction (higher LS = 67; mid = 98; low = 140 per 10,000). The sex-stratified analyses indicated an independent association of higher LS and survival for men (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.37 - 0.81) but not for women.

Conclusions

Baseline assessment demonstrated that psychological, social and life-style factors, but not somatic co-morbidities, were relevant determinants of LS. Moreover, the analysis showed that men with higher LS have a substantial long-term survival benefit. The observed association between LS and mortality may be attributed to common underlying causes such as social network integration and/or self-rated health.

The impact of marriage and social support on persons with active epilepsy

Persons with epilepsy (PWE) are more likely to report never being married than those without epilepsy. Social support, especially from marriage, may buffer the negative impact of stressful events and chronic health conditions. In 2005, sixteen U.S. states asked about epilepsy and social support in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. A set of survey weight-adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of marriage and social support on self-rated health status and life satisfaction in persons with active epilepsy. PWE who were married with poor social support were less likely to report excellent/very good self-rated health status (OR=0.34) and better life satisfaction (OR=0.20), compared with those who were married with good support (reference group) after controlling for demographics and comorbid conditions. Once poor mental health status was controlled for, these differences were no longer significant. In contrast, persons with active epilepsy who were not married with poor support were significantly less likely to report better life satisfaction (OR=0.22) after controlling for demographics, comorbid conditions, and poor mental health status. Epilepsy practitioners need to address poor mental health through appropriate treatment and/or referral. Practitioners should also encourage PWE to improve their social support contacts.

Re-testing theories on the correlations of health status, life satisfaction and happiness

BACKGROUND

Empirical evidences have shown that happiness, life satisfaction and health status are strongly correlated with each other. In Jamaica, we continue to collect data on health status to guide policies and intervention programs, but are these wise?

AIMS

The current study aims to fill the gap in the literature by examining life satisfaction, health status, and happiness in order to ascertain whether they are equivalent concepts in Jamaica as well as the coverage of the estimates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The current study used a cross-sectional survey of 2000 men 55 years and older from the parish of St. Catherine in 2007 which is it also generalizable to the island. A132-item questionnaire was used to collect the data. The instrument was sub-divided into general demographic profile of the sample; past and Current Good Health Status; health-seeking behavior; retirement status; social and functional status. Ordinal logistic regression techniques were utilized to examine determinants of happiness, life satisfaction and health status.

RESULTS

Happiness was correlated with life satisfaction - Pseudo r-squared = 0.311, -2LL = 810.36, χ(2) = 161.60, P < 0.0001. Life satisfaction was determined by happiness - Pseudo r-squared = 0.321, -2LL = 1069.30, χ(2) = 178.53, P < 0.0001. H ealth status was correlated with health status age, income, education and area of residence - Pseudo r-squared = 0.313, -2LL = 810.36, χ(2) = 161.60, P < 0.0001.

CONCLUSION

The current study refuted the empirical finding that self-reported happiness depends on perceived health status for older men in Jamaica.

Subjective life satisfaction and mental disorders among older adults in UAE in general population

BACKGROUND

Life satisfaction is widely considered to be a central aspect of human welfare. Many have identified happiness with it, and some maintain that well-being consists largely or wholly in being satisfied with one's life. Empirical research on well-being relies heavily on life satisfaction studies.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships of psychiatric disorders and physical disorders on life satisfaction among Arab older adults in general population.

METHODS

Face-to-face interviews with Geriatric Mental State Interview (GMS-A3) were conducted with a nationwide sample of 2000 household in 2001. Total samples of 610 elders (above 60 years) were interviewed.

RESULTS

There were 347 males (56.9%) and 263 females (43.1%). The mean age was 68.6 years (SD = 8.3). The commonest diagnoses were depression (20.2%), anxiety (5.6%), hypochondriasis (4.4%), and organic brain syndrome with or without dementia (3.6%). The findings suggest that having depressive disorder was significantly associated with less life satisfaction in the whole sample of older adults' people. In addition, anxiety, hypochondriacal disorders, and organic brain syndrome were significantly associated with low life satisfaction. Meanwhile, other psychiatric disorders e.g., phobia, Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia were not significantly associated with life satisfaction. No significant relationship was found with any physical disorders alone. The data further reveal that low level of life satisfaction was especially significant in the age group above 85 years and people who live alone or only with wife/husband.

CONCLUSIONS

The strong influence of psychiatric disorders e.g., depression, anxiety, organic brain syndrome, and hypochondriasis rather than physical disorders suggests that a lack of meaning and worries are more detrimental to life satisfaction than physical frailty. The findings underscore the need to develop interventions that help older people deal more effectively with psychiatric disorders and its comorbidities. Moreover, the results suggest that providing family support, by not allowing older adults to live alone, may be especially helpful for older adults.

Paradoxes in self-evaluated health data in a developing country

BACKGROUND

Statistics showed that males reported fewer illnesses and greater mortality rates than females, but are outlived by approximately 6 years by their female counterparts, yet their self-rated health status is the same as that of females.

AIMS

THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: (1) Are there paradoxes in health disparity between the sexes in Jamaica? and (2) is there an explanation for the disparity outside of education, marital status, and area of residence?

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The current study utilised a data set collected jointly by the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica. The data set is a survey on the living conditions of Jamaicans. It was conducted between May and August of 2007. The JSLC is a modification of the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study. The sample size was 6,783 respondents, with a non-response rate being 26.2%.

RESULTS

Good health status was correlated with self-reported illness (OR =0.23, 95% CI = 0.09-0.59), medical care-seeking behaviour (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.36-0.72), age (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.96-0.97), and income (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 1.00-1.00). Self-reported illness is statistically correlated with sex (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10-0.62), head of household (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12-0.96), age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.07) and current good self-rated health status (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.12-0.84).

CONCLUSION

This paper highlights that caution must be used by researchers in interpreting self-reported health data of males.

Health status of patients with self-reported chronic diseases in Jamaica

BACKGROUND

Developing countries such as Jamaica suffer increasingly from high levels of public health problems related to chronic diseases.

AIMS

To examine the physical health status and use a model to determine the significant predictors of poor health status of Jamaicans who reported being diagnosed with a chronic non-communicable disease.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The current study extracted a sub-sample of 714 people from a larger nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 6,783 Jamaicans. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data from the sample. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square to investigate non-metric variables, and logistic regression to determine predictors of poor health status.

RESULTS

Approximately one-quarter 25.3%) of the sample reported that they had poor health status. Thirty-three percent of the sample indicated unspecified chronic diseases: 7.8% arthritis, 28.9% hypertension, 17.2% diabetes mellitus and 13.3% asthma. Asthma affected 47.2% of children and 23.2% of young adults. S ignificant predictors of poor health status of Jamaicans who reported being diagnosed with chronic diseases were: age of respondents, area of residence and inability to work.

CONCLUSION

Majority of the respondents in the sample had good health, and adults with poor health status were more likely to report having hypertension followed by diabetes mellitus and arthritis, while asthma was the most prevalent among children. Improvement in chronic disease control and health status can be achieved with improved patient education on the importance of compliance, access to more effective medication and development of support groups among chronic disease patients.

Health of females in Jamaica: using two cross-sectional surveys

BACKGROUND

The 21(st) Century cannot see the examination of health status of elderly, population, children and adolescents; but not for females.

AIMS

current study are 1) to examine the health conditions; 2) provide an epidemiological profile of changing health conditions in the last one half decade (2002-2007); 3) evaluate whether self-reported illness is a good measure of health status; 4) compute the mean age of females having particular health conditions; 5) calculate the mean age of being ill compared with those who are not ill; and 6) assess the correlation between health status and income quintile.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In 2002, a subsample of 12,675 females was extracted from the sample of 25,018 respondents and for 2007; a subsample of 3,479 females was extracted from 6,783 respondents.

RESULTS

There is reduction in the mean age of females reported being diagnosed with chronic illness such as diabetes mellitus (60.54 ± 17.14 years); hypertension (60.85 ± 16.93 years) and arthritis 59.72 ± 15.41 years). The greatest decline in mean age of chronically ill diagnosed females was in arthritic cases (by 7.41 years). Concurrently, the mean age of females with unspecified health conditions fell by (33%, from 54.62 ± 21.77 years in 2002 to 36.42 ± 23.69 years in 2007).

CONCLUSION

Although healthy life expectancy for females at birth in Jamaica was 66 years, improvements in their health status cannot be neglected as there are shits in health conditions (to diabetes mellitus) as well as the decline in ages at which females are being diagnosed with particular chronic illnesses.

The associations between life satisfaction and health-related quality of life, chronic illness, and health behaviors among U.S. community-dwelling adults

The primary purpose of this article was to examine the associations between life satisfaction level and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), chronic illness, and adverse health behaviors among adults in the U.S. and its territories. Data were obtained from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an ongoing, state-based, random-digit telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged >or=18 years. An estimated 5.6% of U.S. adults (about 12 million) reported that they were dissatisfied/very dissatisfied with their lives. As the level of life satisfaction decreased, the prevalence of fair/poor general health, disability, and infrequent social support increased as did the mean number of days in the past 30 days of physical distress, mental distress, activity limitation, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, sleep insufficiency, and pain. The prevalence of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and heavy drinking also increased with decreasing level of life satisfaction. Moreover, adults with chronic illnesses were significantly more likely than those without to report life dissatisfaction. Notably, all of these associations remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Our findings showed that HRQOL and health risk behaviors varied with level of life satisfaction. As life satisfaction appears to encompass many individual life domains, it may be an important concept for public health research.

Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with type 2 diabetes in Turkey

We measured the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of 376 type 2 diabetes patients in Turkey using the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) instrument and examined which patient socio-demographic and diabetes-related clinical characteristics are associated with better quality of life (QoL). The influence of patient socio-demographic and clinical characteristics on QoL was examined using independent sample t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. Diabetes significantly affected the HRQoL of patients included in this study. The mean score of the total DQOL measure was higher among patients who were less than 40 years of age, male, married, had less than 8 years of education, lived with their family and had no family history of diabetes (p<0.05). Similarly, patients with less than 5 years of disease duration, no complications or prior hospitalization, receive insulin, and with HbA(1)c<7 reported significantly better overall HRQoL (p<0.05). Patients with BMI<24 had higher levels of satisfaction with diabetes than those with BMI>or=24 (p<0.05). Diabetes-related HRQoL information is clearly of supreme importance to family physicians and policy makers to identify and implement appropriate interventions for achieving better management of diabetes and ultimately improving the QoL of diabetes patients.

Bem-estar psicológico e adolescência: fatores associados

Esse trabalho procurou avaliar os fatores associados ao bem-estar psicológico em adolescentes realizando um estudo transversal com amostra representativa (n = 960) com idades entre 15 e 18 anos. Foram visitados 86 domicílios em cada um dos 90 setores censitários sorteados. Um consentimento informado era assinado pelos pais ou responsáveis pelo adolescente antes que ele respondesse a um questionário auto-aplicado. O bem-estar psicológico foi avaliado através de uma escala que continha sete figuras que representavam expressões variando de extrema felicidade até extrema tristeza. O adolescente era solicitado a assinalar aquela figura que mais se assemelhava à maneira como se sentia a respeito da sua vida. Entre os entrevistados 72,33% se consideravam com alto nível de bem-estar psicológico, a prevalência foi maior nas famílias de maior nível sócio-econômico (classe social A ou B) e com maior escolaridade materna. Os resultados também mostraram que pessoas que mantém uma prática religiosa, não fumam, não consomem bebidas alcoólicas e que desejam emagrecer tem maior bem-estar psicológico, sugerindo uma inter-relação entre os comportamentos de saúde.

Life satisfaction decreases during adolescence

OBJECTIVE

Adolescence is a developmental phase associated with significant somatic and psychosocial changes. So far there are few studies on developmental aspects of life satisfaction. This cross-sectional study examines the effects of age and gender on adolescent's life satisfaction.

METHODS

1,274 German adolescents (aged 11-16 years) participated in a school-based survey study. They completed the adolescent version of the Questions on Life Satisfaction (FLZ(M) - Fragen zur Lebenszufriedenheit), a multidimensional instrument measuring the subjective importance and satisfaction with eight domains of general and eight domains of health-related life satisfaction. Effects of gender and age were analysed using ANOVAs.

RESULTS

Girls reported significantly lower general (F = 5.0; p = .025) and health-related life satisfaction (F = 25.3; p < .001) compared to boys. In both genders and across nearly all life domains, there was a significant decrease in general (F = 14.8; p < .001) and health-related life satisfaction (F = 8.0; p < .001) between 11 and 16 years. Satisfaction with friends remained on a high level, whereas satisfaction with family relations decreased. Only satisfaction with partnership/sexuality increased slightly, however this effect cannot compensate the general loss of satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreasing life satisfaction has to be considered as a developmental phenomenon. Associations with the increasing prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation during adolescence are discussed. Life satisfaction should be considered a relevant aspect of adolescent's well-being and functioning.

Injury-related fear-avoidance, neuroticism and burn-specific health

Dysfunctional beliefs such as fear-avoidance (i.e. fear of re-injury) and personality traits such as neuroticism are risk factors for poor health. However, there is little information regarding associations with poor perceived health after severe burn and what level of fear-avoidance is associated with poor health. In this study, we investigated fear-avoidance and neuroticism regarding their associations with post-burn health. Participants were 86 recovered burn patients and data were collected by a postal survey. Post-burn health was assessed with the nine subscales of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B). In logistic regressions, fear-avoidance was related to poorer health in six subscales assessing both physical and psychosocial problems. Neuroticism was associated with poorer health in three subscales assessing mainly psychosocial problems. Chi-square analyses showed that participants with a moderate or high level of fear-avoidance >or=1.0 (out of 4) were more likely to describe their health as poor and had a longer sick leave than those with a fear-avoidance level of <1.0. In summary, fear-avoidance was associated with poorer health even at moderate levels and was associated with several aspects of post-burn health.

Community psychiatry: results of a public opinion survey

BACKGROUND

Mental health authorities must know the public's attitude to community psychiatry when planning community mental health services. However, previous studies have only investigated the impact of demographic variables on the attitude to community psychiatry.

AIM

To assess the influence of psychological and sociological parameters on the public opinion of community psychiatry in Switzerland.

METHOD

Linear regression analyses of the results of a public opinion survey on a representative population sample in Switzerland (n = 1737).

RESULTS

Most respondents have positive attitudes to community psychiatry. In the regression analysis (R2 adjusted = 21.2%), negative emotions towards mentally ill people as depicted in the vignette, great social distance, a positive attitude to restrictions, negative stereotypes, high rigidity and no participation in community activities significantly influenced negative attitudes to community psychiatry. Additionally, other parameters, e.g. contact with mentally ill people and the nationality of the interviewee, have a significant influence.

CONCLUSIONS

In planning psychiatric community services, general individual traits and emotive issues should be considered because they influence the response towards community psychiatry facilities in the host community.