Biomedical subjects

H S Picavet

Publications and source records attributed to H S Picavet.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

National health surveys by mail or home interview: effects on response.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of using a mail questionnaire or home interviews on the size and the selectivity of response to national health surveys. DESIGN: The interview survey and the mail survey were both carried out in the same country (the Netherlands) using the same sample frame, the same study period (1998) and collected partly the same data on demographic, socioeconomic and health characteristics. SETTING: The Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Dutch non-institutionalised inhabitants aged 25 years and over. MAIN RESULTS: Response to the mail survey was lower (46.9%, n=3664) than to the interview survey (58.5%, n=6061). The mail survey gave higher response rates for women and lower response rates for persons with lower levels of education. Respondents to the mail survey reported lower rates of smoking but a slightly worse health status and higher figures on the use of health care services. No differences by method of data collection were found for age, marital status, region, household composition, work status and categories of body mass index. CONCLUSION: Although the response of the mail survey was lower than the home interview survey, respondents showed generally small differences, with exception of level of education.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

The impact of migraine on quality of life in the general population: the GEM study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in migraineurs in the general population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study within the context of a population-based study monitoring health characteristics of the Dutch adult population in two municipalities representative of the general population in the Netherlands. Migraine was assessed in a multistaged procedure that included a semistructured clinical interview by telephone. Final diagnosis met 1988 International Headache Society criteria. HRQOL was measured with the self-administered RAND 36-item Health Survey (RAND-36), including physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations, and physical perception. HRQOL of migraineurs was compared with that of nonmigraineurs. To compare and study the effect of comorbidity, the authors also identified subjects with asthma or chronic musculoskeletal pain. There were 5998 people with complete data, 620 of whom had migraine in the last year. RESULTS: Compared with nonmigraineurs, significantly more migraineurs had asthma (OR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.1, 2.4) or chronic musculoskeletal pain (OR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.5, 2.1). Migraineurs reported diminished functioning and well-being on all eight domains as compared with nonmigraineurs. HRQOL was inversely related to attack frequency (p < 0.0002). Migraineurs had a poorer HRQOL than did those reporting asthma, except for dimensions concerning physical functioning and general health perception, but they had a better HRQOL than did subjects with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Comorbidity of asthma or chronic musculoskeletal pain in migraine further reduced HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Migraineurs report more asthma and chronic musculoskeletal pain. Compared with nonmigraineurs and to others with chronic conditions, migraineurs report compromised physical, mental, and social functioning, particularly those with a high frequency of attack.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Physical load in daily life and low back problems in the general population-The MORGEN study.

BACKGROUND: We studied the contribution of physical load in daily activities, including activities in work, housekeeping, and leisure time, to the burden of low back problems (LBP) in the population. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to calculate the association between physical load and several LBP parameters as assessed by questionnaire in a cross-sectional study on 22,415 randomly selected men and women in The Netherlands, controlling for well-known LBP determinants. The population attributable risk (PAR) percentage was estimated with the elimination method using the logistic model. RESULTS: Half of the population reported LBP during the past year and 19% chronic LBP. Activities characterized by an awkward posture, by the same posture for a long time, or by often bending and rotating the trunk increased the risk for LBP, with ORs between 1.1 and 1.6. More than 13% of the 1-year prevalence of LBP could be contributed to these activities. This PAR was higher for those belonging to the working population, for women, and for the more severe LBP parameters. CONCLUSION: Because LBP present such a large public health problem, the estimated potential impact of eliminating (the unhealthy effect of) physical load is substantial. To assess the real health gain, more insight is necessary into the causality of the relationship and into effective preventive measures.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Prevalence and consequences of low back problems in The Netherlands, working vs non-working population, the MORGEN-Study. Monitoring Project on Risk Factors for Chronic Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To study the burden of illness of low back problems--prevalence and consequences--in the working and the non-working population. METHODS: Data from the Monitoring Project on Risk factors for Chronic Diseases, the MORGEN-study, were used. This project provided data on a probability sample of the general population aged 20-59 y in the Netherlands. Cross-sectional questionnaire data on 6317 men (24% non-working) and 7505 women (47% non-working) gathered over the period 1993-1995 were analysed. RESULTS: The 12 month period prevalence of low back problems for the working and non-working population was 44.4% and 45.8% for men, and 48.2% and 55.0% for women. Larger differences were found for chronic low back problems, and activity limitation and use of health services due to low back problems. More than one-third of those who were disabled were so because of low back problems. When those unable to work because of disability (work disabled) were excluded, the prevalence and consequences of low back pain were still higher in the non-working group in comparison with the working population. Most of the non-working women were housewives and this group was both large in size and had a high prevalence of low back problems. CONCLUSIONS: Among the men studied, more than a quarter of the total burden of low back problems in those aged 20-59 y were found in the non-working population, among women this was 50%. Both research on causes and determinants of low back pain and the development of preventive actions--now being extensively focused on the working population--should also be translated to the non-working population.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

The contribution of six chronic conditions to the total burden of mobility disability in the Dutch population.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the proportions of the burden of mobility disability in the Dutch population that are attributable to musculoskeletal diseases, lung diseases, neurological disorders, heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer. METHODS: National survey data were analyzed with an elimination technique that combines the results of logistic regression analysis and the disease prevalence. RESULTS: Of the total prevalence of disability (20.5%), 33.7% can be attributed to these six chronic conditions. Musculoskeletal disorders account for the major part, whereas the contribution of cancer is very small. CONCLUSIONS: The potential benefits of effective curative or preventive treatments for chronic conditions, in terms of reduction of the disability burden in the population, are limited.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Comparing survey data on functional disability: the impact of some methodological differences.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of some differences in survey methodology on the prevalence of functional disability in population based surveys of the elderly. DESIGN AND METHODS: Nine surveys of Dutch people aged 55 years and older were compared to investigate the differences in the methods of data collection (proxy questioning, yes/no; interview versus self administered questionnaire) and construction of the questionnaire (wording of introductory text, activities, and response categories). The effect of these differences on prevalences in three domains of functional disability--activities of daily living, mobility, and communication--were studied. Both univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were used to quantify the methodological influences. RESULTS: No effect of proxy questioning could be shown. Self administered questionnaires yielded higher prevalences of disability than interviewer administered questionnaire--in particular for mobility (odds ratio (OR) 1.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3, 1.6) and communication (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.5, 1.9), resulting in prevalence differences of 9 and 11 percentage points respectively. Seemingly minor differences in the structure and wording of the questionnaires resulted in major differences (up to 15.6 percentage points) in prevalence estimates of functional disability. These differences were associated with the severity level of the disability indicated by the wording of the questions. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in survey methodology have a substantial effect on the prevalence estimates of disability in the elderly. These differences should be taken into account when making international comparisons and studying time trends based on survey data.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1996

Health interview surveys. Towards international harmonization of methods and instruments.

With the strategy for health for all and its 38 targets, the WHO Regional Office for Europe has created a common health policy for Europe, and has developed internationally agreed indicators for measuring progress towards the attainment of the targets. Some of these indicators are "classical" health indicators, such as mortality rates and the incidence of notifiable diseases, while others reflect more recent public health concerns such as health-related behaviour and quality of life. For the latter group, gathering the information necessary for monitoring and evaluating progress is somewhat haphazard. Health interview surveys provide the best -- in some cases the only -- means of collecting data on many of these indicators, since they mirror the information that only properly approached individuals may be able to provide and ensure that all subgroups of the population are covered. Yet such surveys have enjoyed a long tradition only in a few countries. Moreover, when these indicators are covered, the results are often not comparable. The methods and instruments used to collect data have often been developed without international coordination or adapted from those used in other countries, usually with substantial modification to suit what are perceived to be local requirements. There has also tended to be considerable uncertainty among those countries lacking a tradition of health interviewing as to the best way of conducting surveys. Against this background, the WHO Regional Office and Statistics Netherlands organized a series of consultations, which have resulted in the internationally agreed methods and instruments for health interview surveys set out in this book. These methods and instruments are likely in the longer term to become standards, thus improving comparability of information. This book provides practical guidance on methods for health interview surveys. It is thus essential reading for all concerned in the planning and carrying out of such surveys, whether in national statistical offices or in public or private interviewing agencies. It will also be useful to all in the public health community, including students and academics.

Data Collection↗