A National Survey of Training and Smoking Cessation Services Provided in Community Pharmacies in Thailand

Over the past few years, several training programs have been run in support of smoking cessation services within community pharmacy circles in Thailand. These have included a comprehensive training program offered by the Thai Pharmacy Network for Tobacco Control (TPNTC) and brief training programs run by other agencies. This study provides an estimate of the scale of smoking cessation activities among Thai pharmacies, and examines the impact of both the brief and comprehensive training programs on the provision of smoking cessation services. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 3,600 Thai community pharmacists. A total of 1,001 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 27.8%). Smoking cessation services were provided by 71.1% of the respondents, and 47.4% of such services gave only brief advice. Comprehensive services (defined by the 5A’s: ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange follow-up) accounted for 15.3% of the respondents. Only 293 pharmacists (29.6%) said they had received cessation training; 62.5% of whom had received such training from TPNTC. The receipt of brief and comprehensive training was associated with a higher rate of the provision of brief advice, when compared with no training, showing adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 2.93 (95% CI, 1.66–5.18) and 5.93 (95% CI, 3.18–10.17) respectively, while evidence of differences between these training programs was not observed, having an adjusted OR of 1.94 (95% CI, .89–4.21). TPNTC trained pharmacists were 4.98 times (95% CI, 2.24–11.05) more likely than those who received other brief training to provided the 5A’s cessation services. All types of training program help to promote the provision of brief counseling by pharmacists. Comprehensive training is associated with the increased provision of both 4A’s and 5A’s cessation services.     

Primary and Specialty Medical Care Among Ethnically Diverse, Older Rural Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: The ELDER Diabetes Study

PURPOSE: Residents in rural communities in the United States, especially ethnic minority group members, have limited access to primary and specialty health care that is critical for diabetes management. This study examines primary and specialty medical care utilization among a rural, ethnically diverse, older adult population with diabetes. METHODS: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional face-to-face survey of randomly selected African American (n=220), Native American (n=181), and white (n=297) Medicare beneficiaries > or =65 years old with diabetes in 2 rural counties in central North Carolina. Participants were asked about utilization of a primary care doctor and of specialists (nutritionist, diabetes specialist, eye doctor, bladder specialist, kidney specialist, heart specialist, foot specialist) in the past year. FINDINGS: Virtually all respondents (99.0%) reported having a primary care doctor and seeing that doctor in the past year. About 42% reported seeing a doctor for diabetes-related care. On average, participants reported seeing 2 specialists in the past year, and 54% reported i seeing >1 specialist. Few reported seeing a diabetes specialist (5.7%), nutritionist (10.9%), or kidney specialist (17.5%). African Americans were more likely than others to report seeing a foot specialist (P < .01), while men were more likely than women to have seen bladder specialist (P = .02), kidney specialist (P = .001), and heart specialist (P = .004), after adjusting for potential confounders. Predictors of the number of specialists seen include gender, education, poverty status, diabetes medication use, and self-rated health. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate low utilization of specialty diabetes care providers across ethnic groups and reflect the importance of primary care providers in diabetes care in rural areas.     

Factors Associated With Health-Related Quality of Life Among an Older Population in a Largely Rural Western Region

CONTEXT: As elderly people become a larger proportion of the rural population, it is important to identify those at risk for poor health. Predictors of health-related quality of life can be useful in designing interventions. PURPOSE: One objective of the present study was to profile the health-related quality of life of community-dwelling, elderly people in a southwestern region of the United States. A related objective was to identify the principal factors associated with health-related quality of life, thereby identifying population subgroups in greatest need of health or social services. METHODS: A telephone survey of approximately 5,000 individuals 65 years and older collected data on need for assistance with activities of daily living, physical and mental health-related quality of life, and worry about health status measures. A modified version of the Behavioral Model was used to more clearly distinguish the different groups at risk for poor health. FINDINGS: Those groups of community-dwelling, elderly people in the poorest health were older than 75 years, had less than a high school education, were retired or unemployed, and had low household income. No differences were found by urban, rural, and frontier residence. CONCLUSIONS: To maintain the physical, social, and psychological health of older people residing in rural and urban areas, social services, medical care, and supportive services are needed, particularly among the most socially and economically disadvantaged.     

The Association of Health and Functional Status with Private and Public Religious Practice among Rural, Ethnically Diverse, Older Adults with Diabetes

PURPOSE: This analysis describes the association of health and functional status with private and public religious practice among ethnically diverse (African American, Native American, white) rural older adults with diabetes. METHODS: Data were collected using a population-based, cross-sectional, stratified, random sample survey of 701 community-dwelling elders with diabetes in two rural North Carolina counties. Outcome measures were private religious practice, church attendance, religious support provided, and religious support received. Correlates included religiosity, health and functional status, and personal characteristics. Statistical significance was assessed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. FINDINGS: These rural elders had high levels of religious belief, and private and public religious practice. Religiosity was associated with private and public religious practice. Health and functional status were not associated with private religious practice, but they were associated with public religious practice, such that those with limited functional status participated less in public religious practice. Ethnicity was associated with private religious practice: African Americans had higher levels of private religious practice than Native Americans or whites, while Native Americans had higher levels than whites. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in private religious practice among rural older adults is related to personal characteristics and religiosity, while public religious practice is related to physical health, functional status, and religiosity. Declining health may affect the social integration of rural older adults by limiting their ability to participate in a dominant social institution.     

Direct Cost of Maternity-care Services in South Delhi: A Community Survey

The study was conducted to estimate the direct maternity-care expense for women who recently delivered in South Delhi and to explore its sociodemographic associations. A survey was conducted using the two-stage cluster-randomized sampling technique. Two colonies each from high-, middle- and low-income areas were selected by simple random sampling, followed by a house-to-house survey in each selected colony. Information was collected by recall of healthcare expenses for mother and child. In total, 249 subjects (of 282 eligible) were recruited. The mean expense for a normal vaginal delivery (n=182) was US$ 370.7, being much higher in a private hospital (US$ 1,035) compared to a government hospital (US$ 61.1) or a delivery in the home (US$ 55.3). Expenses for a caesarean delivery (n=67) were higher (US$ 1,331.1). Expenses for the lowest-income groups were ∼10% of their annual family income at government facilities and ∼26% at private hospitals. The direct maternity expense is high for large subsections of the population.Key words: Community survey, Healthcare cost, Health expenditure, Maternal health services, Maternity care, India     

Health Characteristics of Older People Who Rotationally Live With Families: A Nationwide Survey

BackgroundPopulation aging has been a critical issue around the world and people will have to face living problems when they get old. In Western countries, older people are more used to live alone or in institutions. In Eastern countries, due to filial piety of Chinese culture, the elderly prefer to live with their children or their relatives. There was no empirical study to investigate the relationship between health and living arrangement among older Taiwanese.ObjectiveThis study was designed to explore the association between living arrangement and health characteristics among the elderly in Taiwan.MethodThis study used national representative data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging surveyed in 2007. We identified 2621 elders aged older than 65 in 2007 and categorized them into 3 types of living arrangement by the questionnaire. Linear regressions were used to analyze the relationship between living arrangement and health status (activities of daily living [ADLs], instrumental activities of daily living [IADLs], and Center of Epidemiological Studies–depression [CES-D]) among the elderly.ResultsElderly individuals who indicated they rotationally lived with family members had poorer health conditions, including IADLs (Coeff = 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.06–0.52) and CES-D (Coeff = 0.41; 95% CI: –0.59–1.40), than those who steadily lived with family. In contrast, elderly individuals who lived alone had better health conditions in IADLs (Coefficient = –0.38; 95% CI: –0.53 to –0.22) than those who indicated they lived steadily with family.ConclusionsThese findings reveal that this type of rotational living is not a good living arrangement for the elderly.     

Rural Adolescent Health: The Importance of Prevention Services in the Rural Community

Context: Adolescence is a pivotal developmental period for the establishment of positive health and health practices. However, developmentally propelled risk behaviors coinciding with barriers to health services may increase the propensity for untoward health outcomes in adolescence. In addition, the sociocultural context of the rural environment can present challenges to the health of adolescents. Limited data on rural adolescent health, particularly among population subgroups, hinder the ability to adequately advocate for adolescent health prevention services. Methods: A secondary analysis of the 2005 California Health Interview Survey Adolescent questionnaire was conducted. Selected survey items corresponding to the Healthy Youth 2010 objectives were analyzed for 663 adolescents aged 12‐17 residing in rural regions of California. Adolescent subgroup analysis included race/ethnicity, age, and poverty level. Findings: Adolescent health issues of particular concern in this study include sexual health, substance use, mental health, and risk factors for obesity. Predictably, risk behaviors increase with the age of the adolescent. Minority and poor youth demonstrate the greatest vulnerability to untoward health outcomes. Conclusion: Significant risk behaviors and health concerns exist among the rural adolescent population, particularly among poor and minority youth, arguing for the creation and preservation of prevention services for youth in the rural community. Future research using alternative sampling methodologies may be necessary to adequately represent the higher‐risk adolescent in the rural community. More data are needed on vulnerable adolescent populations in the rural community in order to adequately advocate for prevention services.     

Impact of Participant Incentives and Direct and Snowball Sampling on Survey Response Rate in an Ethnically Diverse Community: Results from a Pilot Study of Physical Activity and the Built Environment

Community-wide efforts to encourage healthy behaviours must respond to the needs of existing neighbourhoods, especially those where low physical activity (PA) is associated with social, economic, and cultural challenges. This study reports on the effect of direct and snowball sampling strategies and financial incentive levels on the response rates of a built environment and PA survey in a predominately urban, low-SES new-immigrant community. Women residing in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario were selected to participate by quasi-random sampling, yielding a response rate of 41.5%. The survey completion rate per contact attempt increased 2-fold when incentives were increased from $10 to $20 and a further threefold following the increase from $20 to $30. Snowball sampled respondents were older, less likely to have full-time employment, and had lower educational attainment than directly sampled participants. With appropriate incentives, face-to-face contact, and snowball sampling, survey-based research is feasible within a low-SES, high minority population.     

农村37万自然人群的猝死调查

本文报告江苏省海门县三十七万各农村人口,1981年1月至1982年12月底两年内猝死的回顾性调查结果。二年内共有猝死80例,其中男性47例,女性33例,男女比例为1.47:1.男性猝死平均年龄为60.3岁,女性为73.4岁。猝死的年平均发生率为10.73/10万。冠心病是猝死的主要原因。冠心病猝死自症状出现至死亡一小时内达高峰。一小时内猝死者,冠心病占66.7%,1~6小时内占24.1%,说明猝死时间越短,冠心病猝死的可能性就越大。     

Challenges in the Delivery of Nutrition Services to Hospital Discharged Older Adults: The Community Connections Demonstration Project

The objective of this project was to explore the effort necessary to transform the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program (OAANP) into core programs within an integrated health care delivery system that serves hospital-discharged older adults in order to assist them in reintegrating into the community. Six OAANPs in six states were funded and provided technical assistance to develop coalitions with hospitals and community organizations. Each demonstration site was unique and faced many challenges in reaching out to a hospitalized vulnerable population. This project also provided opportunities to try out new initiatives and examine their sustainability within the community.     

福建省城乡人群刷牙行为抽样调查报告

[目的]了解福建省城乡人群刷牙行为,为有针对性地进行城乡人群口腔健康教育提供宝贵的基线资料。[方法]采用分层、整群随机抽样方法,在福建省城乡人群(12岁、18岁、35~44岁、65~74岁)4个年龄组进行问卷调查,了解其刷牙行为。[结果]福建省人群掌握正确刷牙方法的率均低于全国平均水平。正确刷牙方法的掌握率、定期更换牙刷率、早晚刷牙率和含氟牙膏使用率均为城市高于农村(P<0.05)。[结论]应加强口腔保健知识的宣传,加强口腔健康教育,大力培训基层牙科医生,改善农村医疗条件,提高口腔预防保健水平,最终提高人群的口腔健康水平。     

浙江省部分地区农村老年人社区卫生服务利用状况及医疗费用调查

目的了解浙江省农村老年人的卫生服务利用状况及医疗费用负担,为相关措施制定提供依据。方法2009年10—11月,采取分层随机整群抽样的方法,对舟山及温州市的农村老年人进行人户问卷调查,调查的主要内容包括一般人口学资料、家庭基本情况、就医的可及性、卫生服务需求和利用。并对老年人2周患病率、就诊率、1年内的住院情况及影响住院因素、医疗费用等进行分析。结果调查2184名老年人,2周患病率为53．9％,其中慢性病延续到2周内的占83．4％,患病就诊率为81．7％。就诊首选的医院是村卫生室和镇卫生院,占74％,选择上述医院的主要原因是距离近（占57．1％）;调查前一年内住院率为14．3％,选择在县医院、市及以上医院的分别占44．3％、44．2％。2周医疗费用支出中位数为70元,因经济困难未治疗者占24．2％;调查前一年内住院费用的中位数是7000元。在住院患者中,家庭收入低者明显低于中等收入者。结论慢性病是影响农村老年人健康的主要原因;经济状况是影响老年人就医的主要因素;老年人门诊医疗主要考虑方便性,住院医疗首选县级以上医院。     

深圳市梅林社区老年人生存质量研究

目的了解深圳市梅林社区老年人的生存质量状况。方法随机抽取深圳市梅林社区60岁以上老年人350名,采用SF-36量表对其进行问卷调查。调查数据采用SPSS14.0软件包进行描述性分析、t检验、F检验、多元逐步回归分析。结果与国内同类研究比较,深圳市梅林社区老年人在生存质量的8个维度都获得较高的评分,与美国常模比较,在MH维度的评分较低。生存质量维度评分等级排列,深圳市梅林社区78.4%的老年人生存质量在中等及以上水平,生存质量总得分在75分以上者占71.8%。高龄、离异或丧偶、医疗保障和退休前职业对老年人生存质量有影响,年龄与文此程度是影响深圳市梅林社区老年人生存质量的主要因素。结论深圳市梅林社区老年人生存质量处于中等及以上水平;文化程度和心理、精神状态对老年人的生存质量产生广泛影响,加强社区卫生服务,加强社区健康教育,积极关注老年人的心理、精神健康是提高老年人生存质量的重要措施。