PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Thomas Abel

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Abel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Clarifying gender interactions in multivariate analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To examine a linear regression model to predict physical fitness using an alternative concept to analyse gender interactions. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Berne Lifestyle Panel, a survey on health and lifestyles of 56-66 years old Bernese citizens. A measure of physical fitness was regressed on gender, education and their interaction as central explanatory variables and age as confounding factor. For ease of interpretation, two dummy variables of education are introduced, one for female, the other for male education. The model with education dummy variables is compared to a linear regression model without interaction stratified by gender, and with a model with the multiplicative gender-education interaction term without stratification. RESULTS: The use of dummy variables ensures an accurate description of both women's and men's associations of education with the dependant variable, without losing any explanatory power due to stratification. CONCLUSION: The results show that the use of dummy variables is a rewarding alternative to stratification and conventional gender interaction analysis, providing both sufficient statistical information and a basis for straightforward interpretation.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Physician gender and changes in drug prescribing after the implementation of reference pricing in British Columbia.

BACKGROUND: Gender-specific attitudes and communication styles are known to influence both the content and outcome of medical visits. Therefore, gender-specific differences in response to cost containment may also occur. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of physician gender on changes in prescribing patterns of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors after the implementation of reference pricing for prescription drugs in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: Reference pricing is a cost-sharing policy by which use of high-priced medication requires out-of-pocket payment of the price difference between the cost-sharing drug and a lower-cost drug within the same class. In British Columbia, reference pricing for ACE inhibitors was introduced on January 1, 1997. Analysis was carried out on linked pharmacy and medical service claims data on 927 female and 2922 male physicians treating 47,680 Pharmacare Plan A enrollees who were aged >-65 years and were prescribed a high-priced ACE inhibitors before the implementation of reference pricing. RESULTS: Female physicians (24.1% of all physicians) were younger, treated more female patients, had patients with fewer chronic illnesses, and worked more often as general practitioners than did male physicians. The patients of female physicians were more likely to receive a written physician-requested exemption from copayment, according to a multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [OR], 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.50). Data suggested that patients of female physicians were more likely to stop antihypertensive drug therapy (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.96-2.13); however, this was independent of the new copayment policy. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide empirical evidence that physician gender is associated with slightly different patient management strategies regarding physician-requested exemptions after the start of a new drug cost-sharing policy. However, these differences are unlikely to have meaningful clinical or economic consequences.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Age and gender in the management of HIV-relevant sexual risks: theoretical background and first results of a population survey in the German speaking part of Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: Health related lifestyles can be seen as resources for preventive behaviour in HIV-relevant situations. A concept was developed to analyse the management of HIV-relevant sexual risks and to uncover patterns of sexual lifestyles. In this paper first descriptive results will be presented focusing on gender and age. METHODS: 2,275 men and women between the ages of 19 and 65 from the German speaking part of Switzerland were interviewed in a computer-assisted telephone survey. Data were collected concerning attitudes, behaviours and resources, situational aspects and communication with regard to health and sexuality. Particularly, respondents were asked whether within the past 24 months they had had either first sexual contacts with new partners or casual sex, two forms of contacts which have special HIV relevance. RESULTS: 527 men and women reported having had first or casual sexual contacts. First results show a substantial lack of condom use among persons of both sexes in the age group older than 45. In general men showed more risk behaviour than women. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time in Switzerland, detailed data were collected from persons older than 45 years regarding sexual risk behaviour. Older, sexually active people are a vulnerable target group which has been neglected thus far in terms of research and preventive measures.

Adult↗