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Biomedical subjects

I Chi

Publications and source records attributed to I Chi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

The safety and efficacy issues of progestin-only oral contraceptives--an epidemiologic perspective.

Progestogen-only oral contraceptives (POCs) are generally considered a good contraceptive choice for brestfeeding women and for women who want to use an oral form of contraception, but are not suited for, or cannot tolerate the side effects of, estrogen-containing preparations. However, a number of POCs' safety, efficacy and other related issues remain to be addressed. This paper reviews recent literature and evaluates these issues from an epidemiologic perspective. The small number of users imposes severe limitations in designing epidemiologic studies to address POCs' long-term safety issues, but available information suggests POCs are at least as safe as, if not safer than, COCs. Compared to COCs, POCs are more likely to cause menstrual disturbances which, in turn, could affect their acceptability and lead to poor compliance and hence higher pregnancy rates. POCs' efficacy has been estimated to be between 1.4 and 4.3 pregnancies per 100 woman-years of use. Lower pregnancy rates approaching those of COCs have been reported in centers with good counseling. POCs' benefits outweigh their risks. However, more studies are needed to further address POCs' safety and efficacy issues.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

Norms and alcohol consumption: Japanese in Japan, Hawaii and California.

The study compared age/sex norms and alcohol consumption of a sample of Japanese from Japan and Japanese Americans in Hawaii and California. Age norms included acceptable drinking levels for the following age groups: 16, 21, 40 and 60, both male and female. There were significant differences in norms across the sites with the Japanese in Japan holding the most tolerant views of heavier drinking for men, followed by California and Hawaii. The Japanese-American samples were more tolerant of female drinking than were the Japanese. There was a high degree of similarity between Hawaii and California, whereas Japanese respondents in Japan differed in their responses. A correlation between drinking and norms by site indicated a high degree of congruence between drinking and more tolerant norms for drinking in all of the samples: Those who drank the most also had the most permissive norms toward drinking. The differences in norms between Japanese in Japan and Japanese Americans were explained in terms of enculturation and acculturation.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1991

Dietary calcium intake and other risk factors: study of the fractured patients in Hong Kong.

Osteoporosis has become a major health problem among the elderly in Hong Kong. This study compares the level of dietary calcium intake and the differences in various risk factors among elderly fracture patients and elderly without fractures. Furthermore, this study identifies the relationship between the risk factors and the amount of calcium intake; and classifies the fracture patients and the low calcium intake group. Although the design of the present study precludes testing causal hypotheses, the findings are suggestive of factors that are likely to be important in a program to reduce fractures among elderly populations.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Cognitive impairment and hospital use.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of older people are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease or another dementias. The resultant cognitive impairment has been well identified as one of the risk factors for nursing home placement but it has not been well studied as a risk for hospitalization. METHODS: To study the association between cognitive impairment and hospital use, this study examined data from a randomly selected cohort of community dwelling California elderly (California Senior Survey). The cohort was followed for one year (N = 940). RESULTS: Only about 17 percent of the study population was in the mildly or moderately/severe impaired category. Those participants with cognitive impairment were almost twice as likely as those without any impairment to be hospitalized and to be hospitalized for six days or more. CONCLUSIONS: Although the cause of the cognitive impairment and hospitalization was not determined in this study, the data support the importance of cognitive impairment as a risk factor for hospital use even after controlling for age, ADL, IADL, and prior hospitalizations. The causes for this need to be further examined so the burden of such care can be reduced.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Gender and ethnic differences in the health practices of the elderly poor.

Gender and ethnic differences in personal health practices were examined with a sample of 1021 Medicaid recipients aged 65 years and older. Six different health practices were examined including smoking, drinking, weight control, exercise, and social networks. Although gender differences were noted with respect to all of the health practices examined, neither men nor women were consistently favored in adhering to desired health practices. Perhaps most importantly, women were more apt than men to refrain from smoking and drinking which have been strongly linked to major health consequences. Ethnicity was also a factor in all of the health practices examined. Whereas Hispanic and Black elderly were very similar to White elderly, Asian elderly generally adhered to more desired health practices than did either Whites, Blacks, or Hispanics. The implications of these findings could benefit health promotion programs for the elderly.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1989

Differential health screening of the well elderly by gender and age; appropriate care or bias?

We use data from a random sample of 5,454 elderly participants in the California Preventive Health Care for the Aging Program to identify gender and age differences in health screening practices. We present a framework to facilitate an evaluation of current targeting of services by gender and age. This framework clarifies where targeting based on age and gender is appropriate or inappropriate and where more or less targeting might be needed. With use of this framework, some inappropriate age bias is indicated. The oldest-old often receive less health screening than their younger counterparts. Gender-based targeting is less frequent and is usually appropriate when it occurs. We discuss implications for practice and future program evaluations.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

The relative influence of selected social factors on Korean drinking behavior in Los Angeles.

The purpose of this study was twofold: to identify characteristics distinguishing Korean-American drinkers from abstainers and to clarify differences between those who drink smaller versus larger amounts of alcohol. A random sample of 280 Korean adults was interviewed using a schedule based on Cahalan's national study of drinking behavior and attitudes. Approximately 58% of the sample were abstainers while only about 14% were heavy drinkers. Logistic regression was used to determine the relative influence of various social factors on drinking behavior. The logistic model identified five characteristics which differentiated abstainers from drinkers: gender (male), college education, parental opposition, playing indoor games (e.g., cards) and going to bars, and/or nightclubs. A second logistic model clarified the influence of similar characteristics on the level of drinking. Males and those who went to bars and/or nightclubs were most apt to be heavy drinkers whereas participants in sports and Protestants were aligned with more moderate drinking.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1989

Differences in drinking behavior among three Asian-American groups.

This article challenges the commonly held beliefs that there are few if any heavy drinkers among Asian-Americans and that different groups of Asians exhibit similar patterns of drinking. To explore these stereotypes, alcohol consumption patterns were compared in a survey of 298 Chinese, 295 Japanese and 280 Koreans in Los Angeles. Heavy drinking was found in each of the Asian groups. Gender specific logistic regression models were used to illustrate the differences in the drinking patterns of the Asian-American groups and to clarify the determinants of drinking. The greatest proportion of heavy drinking was found among the Japanese and the lowest among the Chinese. Having friends who drank was the only social factor consistently related to Asian drinking behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Health practices of the elderly poor.

The purpose of the present study was to describe the health practices of the elderly poor and to examine the association between specific health practices and subsequent hospital use. Data came from a sample of 931 Medicaid elderly living in California. Smoking, limited social networks, and lack of regular exercise significantly increased the odds of subsequent hospital utilization. Implications of these findings, which could benefit health promotion intervention and treatment programs for the elderly, were discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Health promotion for the rural elderly.

There has been increased interest in developing health promotion programs for the rural elderly as a means to foster successful aging. The present study describes one such program and identifies rural and urban differences in health promotion activities. Data come from the California Preventive Health Care for the Aging Program (PHCAP) which is one of the oldest and largest such programs in the United States. A sample of over 5,000 PHCAP clients was drawn from rural, semi-rural and urban projects. Though the rural and urban clients differed significantly with respect to demographic characteristics, differences in health promotion practices were relatively minor. However, the health promotion practices of semi-rural residents differed considerably from that in rural projects. Though less disabled, semi-rural clients received a greater scope of health promotion activities than rural clients. The authors discuss possible site, practitioner and client factors which may have accounted for rural health promotion activities being more restricted. Regardless of project site, the California PHCAP detected many health problems and a majority of clients were referred to other health professionals for treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Male Chinese drinking behavior in Los Angeles.

The purpose of this research was to identify the characteristics that distinguish male Chinese drinkers from abstainers and to clarify differences between Chinese men who drink limited amounts of alcohol and those who drink more heavily. A random sample of 218 adult Chinese men was interviewed using a schedule based on a national study of drinking behavior. The stereotype of Chinese as limited drinkers was partially supported by the data. Approximately 22% of the sample were abstainers whereas only 14% were heavy drinkers. Light drinkers were the modal category. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relative importance of the significant characteristics of drinkers and abstainers. Parents' drinking behavior influenced respondent's drinking behavior, and drinkers tended to like to go to parties. Chinese men with higher education were more apt to be drinkers. A second logistic regression model was used to identify the predictive variables related to the level of drinking. Chinese men who go to bars and who have friends who drink were the most likely to be heavy drinkers.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Exploring Filipino American drinking behavior.

The purpose of this article was to explore characteristics distinguishing levels of drinking by Filipino Americans. A sample of 298 adult Filipinos was interviewed using a schedule based on a national study of drinking behavior and attitudes. Approximately 50% of the female sample were abstainers while 80% of the men were drinkers. Heavy drinking was almost exclusively a male activity. Thus, two models of Filipino drinking were examined. Logistic regression was used to identify social factors distinguishing female drinkers from abstainers. A second model clarified the influence of similar characteristics on male Filipinos who drank limited amounts of alcohol and those who drank heavily. The only variable significant in both models was regular participation in religious service.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Predicting Japanese American drinking behavior.

Empirical data on Japanese American drinking behavior are scarce. The present study was a random sample (N = 295) of households in Los Angeles with Japanese surnames. Japanese Americans born in the United States tended to drink less than those born in Japan. The study also observed significant gender differences in Japanese American drinking behavior which were attributed to ascribed social roles. Other demographic and social determinants of drinking were examined through two logistic regression models. The first model predicted drinking (as opposed to abstaining), while the other distinguished heavy drinkers from those who drank alcohol in more moderate amounts. Potential reference groups (e.g., parents, friends, church groups, etc.) were often significant in predicting whether and how much a Japanese American drank.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Rare events occurring at insertion of an intrauterine device--a review of an international experience.

Events occurring at the time of insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) are rarely studied, especially for parous women for whom, in theory, IUD contraception is most suitable. These events, although rare, cause personal distress, embarrassment and inconvenience and can have a negative impact on IUD acceptance. Sixty million women worldwide are using IUDs. Thus, even a rare event may have important public health implications. To avoid such occurrences, the risk factors of these rare events need to be delineated. The large international IUD data set compiled by Family Health International (FHI) since 1972 provides a unique opportunity to achieve this purpose. Four IUD insertion-related rare events have been studied, namely: insertion failure, uterine perforation, syncope and other vasovagal reactions, and severe insertional pain. This review paper summarizes the important findings from these as well as other relevant studies. This broad experience should form the basis by which health personnel inserting IUDs can improve the quality of care for women requesting a device for contraception.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Early readmission following elective laparoscopic sterilization: a brief analysis of a rare event.

This study examines some potential factors that are associated with occasional readmission soon after discharge for laparoscopic sterilization--a generally innocuous outpatient procedure. Thirty-six early readmissions among 22,000 cases of laparoscopic sterilization (an incidence rate of 1.6 per 1,000 procedures) in an international data set were investigated. Early follow-up (7 to 21 days after sterilization discharge) was 95%. The complications that led to readmission were of a more serious nature (e.g., intestinal burn/injury) among women sterilized by electrocoagulation (all unipolar) than among women sterilized with clips. Among electrocoagulation cases, women who were sterilized less than 42 days postabortion or postpartum were significantly more likely to be readmitted than were women who had not recently been pregnant. All readmitted women were discharged in satisfactory condition. The mean overall hospital stay during readmission was 7.3 days--10.6 days for electrocoagulation, 5.6 days for tubal ring, and 2.1 days for clip cases. A case-control analysis did not reveal a significantly higher relative risk for readmission among women with previous abdominal operations than among those without.

Abscess↗
PubMed1984

IUD--related uterine perforation: an epidemiologic analysis of a rare event using an international dataset.

An international dataset of 21,610 IUD insertions revealed 41 uterine perforations occurring at the time of, or subsequent to, insertion. Dat were collected on standard forms. Perforations were classified as confirmed, probable, or possible, based on the clinician's judgement and subsequent management. The uterine perforation rate was estimated as between 1.9 and 3.6/1000 insertions. 13 of the total 41 perforations were reported from 2 of 72 cooperating clinics. In 1 clinic, this center-clustering phenomenon suggested an effect of a high risk device. In the other clinic, the effect of insertor (operator) inexperience was indicated. A case-control analysis delineated previous cesarean section as a host risk factor (P0.05, McNemar's chi square). Further investigation of this association by similar case-control studies is recommended.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Previous abdominal surgery as a risk factor in interval laparoscopic sterilization.

Previous abdominal surgery has been termed a relative contraindication for laparoscopic sterilization. This study quantifies the relative risks of surgical difficulties, immediate complications, and early follow-up complications/complaints of interval sterilization in women with versus women without previous abdominal surgery (PAS and NPAS groups, respectively). This multicenter study included women sterilized by electrocoagulation, the tubal ring, and the spring-loaded clip. Within each center the PAS and NPAS women were generally similar with respect to sociodemographic variables and preexisting medical conditions. Stratified analysis determined that the rate of surgical difficulties was significantly higher in PAS women (relative risk = 2.3, P less than 0.05), but most of these difficulties were overcome without resorting to another technique or approach. The rates of complications as well as the mean operation times and mean durations of hospitalization (indices of medical costs) did not differ significantly between the PAS and NPAS groups.

Abdomen↗