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Biomedical subjects

G Spears

Publications and source records attributed to G Spears.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Psychiatric morbidity among New Zealand Cambodians: the role of psychosocial factors.

A community survey of the relationship between minor psychiatric morbidity and life events, chronic post-migration stressors, social support and coping style among adult Cambodians living in Dunedin was conducted using the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) as the case identification instrument. Chronic post-migration stressors, life events, poor coping style and poor social support were all associated with minor psychiatric morbidity. Social support or coping style did not moderate the relationship between life events/post-migration stressors and GHQ caseness, but had an independent relationship with the latter.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1995

Illness aetiology constructs, health status and use of health services among Cambodians in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to determine, among all adult Cambodians living in Dunedin: prevalence of illness aetiology beliefs; psychiatric and physical health status; pattern of use of health services; relationships between use of health services and demographic factors, illness aetiology constructs and health status; and problems encountered and improvements desired in the local health services. METHOD: 223 (i.e. 93.3% of all) adult Cambodians living in Dunedin were assessed, using a structured interview, in relation to their sociodemographic status, illness aetiology beliefs, physical health status and use of health services. The 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire was used to assess psychiatric status. RESULTS: Subjects held multiple indigenous and Western illness aetiology constructs. Psychiatric morbidity using the 28item of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28) cutoff of 3/4 was 15.7%; despite this only six subjects had ever used specialist psychiatric services. Malaria, intestinal parasitic infestations and heart conditions were the three most frequently reported physical problems. Most subjects had used traditional services in Cambodia but very few had used them in New Zealand. Health service was related to duration of stay in New Zealand. Socio-economic status, both physical and psychiatric health status and some illness aetiology constructs. One hundred and forty-two (63.7%) subjects reported problems with use of health services in Dunedin. CONCLUSION: Despite methodological limitations, some useful preliminary data on factors pertaining to use of and satisfaction with health services among Cambodians were collected. Future research should examine family characteristics and the decision-making processes that determine service use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Reliability and validity of the Cambodian version of the 28-item General Health Questionnaire.

This study confirmed the reliability and validity of a Cambodian version of the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The GHQ-28 was tested on 223 adult Cambodians living in Dunedin, New Zealand, who were examined independently by a psychiatrist (P.C.) using the short Present State Examination (PSE). There were satisfactory internal consistencies for the whole scale and the subscales except the C scale. It correctly identified 84.4% of cases with a 3/4 cut-off (sensitivity 87.5%, specificity 82.8%), suggesting a discriminative power as good as its English version when used among Caucasian women in Dunedin. The four subscales were by no means independent, and concurrent validity tests with the PSE suggested that they provided additional information regarding somatic symptoms and anxiety, but not about social dysfunction and depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

General practice consultations involving pigmented naevi presented for assessment of malignancy.

AIM: To outline the initial general practice care of pigmented naevi presented for assessment of malignancy. METHOD: Fifty six general practitioners completed a brief record for each patient presenting a pigmented skin lesion for assessment of malignancy; records were maintained prospectively for periods over October 1988 to April 1989. 2614 records were received. RESULTS: Numbers of consultations increased sharply with age to peaks at 15-19 for men and 30-44 for women; at ages 20 44 the sex ratio was 1.9 (F/M). Lesions were usually typical (51%) or atypical (24%) moles. 22% of patients were biopsied by the practitioner and 8% were referred, to dermatologists (4%) or surgeons (4%). CONCLUSIONS: The age pattern of presentations is younger than is optimal. General practitioners' decisions and actions are of crucial importance in the effective functioning of melanoma early detection programmes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) during the menstrual cycle in women with and without premenstrual syndrome.

Brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) were recorded at three menstrual cycle phases (menstrual, late follicular, and late luteal) in a sample of healthy control women (n = 21) and in a sample of women (n = 30) diagnosed as suffering from Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder (LLPDD). The latter were divided on the basis of retrospective and prospective self-ratings into moderate (PMS+) and severe (PMS++) symptom groups. Results showed (1) no change in BAER latencies at different phases of the menstrual cycle; (2) increased BAER latencies for wave III in women with moderate PMS symptoms compared with healthy controls; (3) increased BAER latencies for waves III and V in women with severe PMS symptoms compared with healthy controls. These results raise the possibility of brainstem dysfunction in PMS women, and support the idea of a neurobiological predisposition to this order.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Should mono- or poly-unsaturated fats replace saturated fat in the diet?

The effects of diets differing in saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid composition (SAFA, MUFA and PUFA, respectively) on plasma lipoproteins and factor VIIc were investigated in 28 middle-aged men and women with mild to moderate hyperlipidaemia. The subjects were stabilized on a diet with a total fat content fairly typical of New Zealand, containing approximately 40% energy as fat, before entering a randomized cross-over trial of diets high in PUFA (20% energy; SAFA and MUFA 10% each) or a high MUFA diet (20% energy; SAFA and PUFA 10% each). After 6-week periods on each diet the subjects returned to a high SAFA diet. Body weight and blood pressure remained unchanged during the study. Total and LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and the HDL2 subfraction were significantly lower on both the MUFA and the PUFA diet than on SAFA. However, there were no statistically significant differences in lipoprotein concentrations on the MUFA and PUFA diet. Factor VIIc concentrations were similar on the three diets. The proportion of PUFA in a MUFA diet appears to be a major determinant of the relative lipoprotein response to such a diet. In order to avoid a reduction in HDL-C when replacing SAFA with MUFA it may be necessary to ensure that PUFA does not provide more than about 8% total energy. Thus careful planning is needed to identify the most appropriate foods to replace those rich in SAFA in diets designed to reduce the lipoprotein-mediated risk of coronary heart disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Psychiatric morbidity among Dunedin Chinese women.

A community postal survey of minor psychiatric morbidity among Chinese women living in Dunedin was conducted. The 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used as the case identification instrument. The overall rate of psychiatric morbidity of Dunedin Chinese women did not differ from their European counterparts. The sociodemographic factors found to be associated with minor psychiatric morbidity included having no children, and being either very well or very poorly educated. Among (foreign born) migrants, those who were born in China, whose reason for migration was "follow the lead of their family" or "family reunion", had resided in New Zealand for ten years or more and spoke English infrequently tended to have higher psychiatric morbidity.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ultrasound in obstetric triage.

The use of limited ultrasound as a tool in obstetric triage has become increasingly popular. While most midwives only perform ultrasound in the third trimester, some institutions do include earlier sonographic testing as part of the midwifery management plan. This article addresses the professional issues related to limited ultrasound in obstetric triage protocol, the education and training needed to acquire the skill, the process for integrating the skill into clinical practice, and a discussion of obstetric triage procedures.

Certification↗