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Socioeconomic status during childhood and health status in adulthood: the Wrocław growth study.

It has been widely observed that socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with frequency of cardiovascular disease. Both men and women of low socioeconomic position have increased risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and premature death. In this study the relationship between SES in childhood, and health status at the age of 50 years was examined. Socioeconomic status in childhood was measured using objective (father's educational level and number of children in the family) and subjective (self-assessed SES in childhood declared in early adulthood) indicators. Data from the Wroclaw Growth Study were completed when subjects were 50 years old, and information concerning health status was added. The results indicated that the objective, universally used measures of SES in childhood such as father's educational level and size of family did not show any essential relationships with health outcomes in adulthood, both for men and women. By contrast, retrospective, self-assessed SES (as better, average or worse as compared with peers) in childhood was significantly associated with the appearance of cardiovascular disease among women aged 50 years. Women who at the beginning of their adult life declared better socioeconomic condition in childhood were significantly healthier at the age of 50 years (OR=3.43; p=0.02). Moreover, this appeared to be independent of BMI, SES and life-style in adulthood. For men, retrospective self-assessed SES showed no relation to health status at the age of 50 years. The gender differences in the relationships between self-assessed SES in childhood and health status in adulthood are explained by possible selective premature mortality among men from lower childhood SES and/or sex differences in cognitive abilities.

Adolescent↗

Health status of children with special health care needs: measurement issues and instruments.

The methods for measuring health care outcomes and monitoring the health status of the child with a chronic health condition must be available, accessible, and meaningful. This review was evoked by this need to identify reliable and valid instruments for measuring the health status of children with special health care needs. The objectives are as follows: (1) to review the methodologic and substantive issues related to the selection of instruments and (2) to identify those instruments available currently for collecting data regarding health status of children with special health care needs. A Medline search of the literature published since 1966 through 1998 and restricted to human subjects and the English language was conducted. Indexing terms included health status, quality of life, outcome assessment, functional status, and patient satisfaction. Multiple reviewers selected instruments based on their usefulness in clinical settings as generic, disease nonspecific, child health status instruments. Few instruments were identified that can be used by pediatricians for tracking and monitoring the health status of children with special health care needs. In conclusion, to progress in the field of outcomes measurement of children with special health care needs, it will be necessary to develop new measurement tools. These instruments must (1) provide valid and reliable information on health status; (2) be useful in guiding the management of patients; and (3) not be a burden for physicians, patients, or patient's families.

Adolescent↗

Monitoring the health status and impact of treatment on Americans: the Medicare Beneficiary Health Status Registry.

OBJECTIVE: A major new survey program, the Medicare Beneficiary Health Status Registry (MBHSR), has been proposed to improve the monitoring of the health status of Medicare beneficiaries. The MBHSR would collect data by mail with telephone follow up of nonrespondents to permit economical assessment of a total Registry of approximately 200,000 Medicare beneficiaries, approximately 54,000 of whom would be surveyed in any given year. (Surveys would be conducted of samples of new enrollees who would be reinterviewed every five years.) METHOD: To assess the feasibility of that approach, a field test was conducted with a probability sample (n = 1,922) that comprised approximately equal numbers of new Medicare enrollees (aged, 65) and current beneficiaries (age range, 76-80). The field test was designed to assess the quality of the data that this design would produce. FINDINGS: Results indicate that the proposed design of the MBHSR could achieve response rates of approximately 80% among both age cohorts using a survey instrument that took 30 minutes to complete. Internal reliability of Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Mobility, Mental Health Index, General Health, and Prostate Symptomatology scales ranged from 0.77 to 0.93. When measurements were repeated approximately 30 days after the initial survey, moderate to high levels of cross temporal correlation (range, 0.64-0.96) were found for most indexes, with the exception of prostate symptomatology. In addition, an earlier comparison of survey responses in the MBHSR field test to Medicare payment records indicated that the MBHSR field test obtained highly accurate reports of most of the major surgeries that were recorded in Medicare claims files. CONCLUSION: The design proposed for the MBHSR is feasible. If implemented, it should produce acceptably high rates of response and data quality.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Socioeconomic and ethnic group differences in self reported health status and use of health services by children and young people in England: cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether self reported health status and use of health services varies in children of different social class and ethnic group. DESIGN: Cross sectional study from the 1999 health survey for England. SUBJECTS: 6648 children and young adults aged 2-20 years. SETTING: Private households in England. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of children (or their parents) reporting episodes of acute illness in the preceding fortnight and prevalence of self reported longstanding illness. Proportion reporting specific illnesses. Proportion reporting that they had consulted a general practitioner in the preceding fortnight, attended hospital outpatient departments in the three preceding months, or been admitted to hospital in the preceding year. RESULTS: Large socioeconomic differences were observed between ethnic subgroups; a higher proportion of Afro-Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi children belonged to lower social classes than the general population. The proportion of children and young adults reporting acute illnesses in the preceding two weeks was lower in Bangladeshi and Chinese subgroups (odds ratio 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.27 to 0.61 and 0.46, 0.28 to 0.77, respectively) than in the general population. Longstanding illnesses was less common in Bangladeshi and Pakistani children (0.52, 0.40 to 0.67 and 0.57, 0.46 to 0.70) than in the general population. Irish and Afro-Caribbean children reported the highest prevalence of asthma (19.5% and 17.7%) and Bangladeshi children the lowest (8.2%). A higher proportion of Afro-Caribbean children reported major injuries than the general population (11.0% v 10.0%), and children from all Asian subgroups reported fewer major and minor injuries than the general population. Indian and Pakistani children were more likely to have consulted their general practitioner in the preceding fortnight than the general population (1.86, 1.35 to 2.57 and 1.51, 1.13 to 2.01, respectively). Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Chinese children were less likely to have attended outpatient departments in the preceding three months. No significant differences were found between ethnic groups in the admission of inpatients to hospitals. Acute and chronic illness were the best predictors of children's use of health services. Social classes did not differ in self reported prevalence of treated infections, major injuries, or minor injuries, and no socioeconomic differences were seen in the use of primary and secondary healthcare services. CONCLUSIONS: Children's use of health services reflected health status rather than ethnic group or socioeconomic status, implying that equity of access has been partly achieved, although reasons why children from ethnic minority groups are able to access primary care but receive less secondary care need to be investigated.

Adolescent↗

Adolescents' sense of coherence, oral health status, and oral health-related behaviours.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between sense of coherence (SOC) and oral health. It was hypothesised that subjects with better oral health status and better oral health-related behaviours have higher levels of SOC. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Goiânia-GO, Middle-West Brazil, on a sample of 664 15-year-olds randomly selected from schools. Data were collected through questionnaires, the short version of Antonovsky's SOC Scale (13-item) and clinical dental examinations. Multiple logistic regression and polytomous ordered regression were used in the data analysis. Two sets of outcome variables were selected for the analyses: oral health status (dental caries, oral cleanliness, and periodontal disease), and oral health-related behaviours (frequency of sugar intake, toothbrushing frequency, and pattern of dental attendance). RESULTS: Adolescents' SOC was associated with their caries experience in anterior teeth (OR=0.81 for 10 units increase in SOC scale; 95% CI=0.66-0.98), but the relationship did not remain significant after controlling for other factors. Adolescents with higher SOC were less likely to visit the dentist mainly when in trouble, compared with those with lower SOC (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.71-0.98), or equivalently more likely to visit for mainly check-ups. Other measures of oral health status and behaviours were not significantly associated with SOC. CONCLUSION: SOC was identified as a psychosocial determinant of adolescents' oral health-related behaviour, particularly affecting their pattern of dental attendance.

Adolescent↗

Carrying the burden of cardiovascular risk in old age: associations of weight and weight change with prevalent cardiovascular disease, risk factors, and health status in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Measured weight in old age, reported weight at age 50 y, and weight change from age 50 y to old age were studied in association with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD risk factors, and health status in a population of 4954 men and women aged > or = 65 y in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Heavier weight (i.e., generally weight in the fourth quartile for the cohort) at age 50 y was more closely associated with prevalent CVD than was current weight, with these associations stronger in women than in men. Heavier current weight and heavier weight at age 50 y were associated with cardiovascular risk factors, including higher blood pressure, lower high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher fasting insulin. Heavier weight at both time points was related to mobility problems in both men and women and to lower current physical activity levels; among women, strong associations were also seen with lower education and current income. Remaining within 10% of reported weight at age 50 y was associated with better health status as measured by reported health, mobility difficulty, number of medications, and prevalent CVD in men. Paradoxically, most cardiovascular risk factors were lowest for weight losers despite an association of weight loss with poorer health. In this cohort of persons aged > or = 65 y, heavier weight was associated with CVD and CVD risk factors, suggesting that prevention of overweight may prove beneficial in improving cardiovascular risk in older persons. Weight stability from age 50 y to old age was associated with better health status than was weight gain or loss.

Aged↗

Health status, life satisfaction and health practices: a study of Pacific Asian and Native Hawaiian elderly cohorts.

This article describes the sociodemographic characteristics, self-ratings of health status, life satisfaction and health practices of Pacific Asian and Native Hawaiian elderly groups. The data were gathered from two separate, non-equivalent elderly cohorts enrolled in an elderly self-care education program in Hawaii during the period 1989-1992. The findings generally reflected favorable self-ratings of health status, high life satisfaction levels, and positive health practices for both of these minority elderly groups. The exceptions regarding several health practices relate to snacking between meals, overweight problems and insufficient sleep for a sizable proportion of both groups. Slight to moderate differences between the two groups were also evident in 1) eating habits; 2) snacking; 3) types of physical activities; 4) weight control; 5) sleep patterns; 6) alcohol use; and 7) smoking. Despite the article's exploratory nature and limitation in the generalizability of its findings, the data offer a beginning database for Asian and Pacific Island elderly which is sorely lacking.

Aged↗

Health status measures in allied health curricula: results of a national survey.

Multidimensional health status measures can be used as vehicles to improve communications between patients and clinicians and to monitor, measure, and manage clinical progress. However, earlier work indicated that few multidimensional health status instruments were used as outcome measures in allied health research. To determine if these instruments were included in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), respiratory therapy (RT), communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and health information management (HIM) career entry curricula, we surveyed the directors of all PT, OT, RT-BS, CSD and HIM programs in the United States. Based on responses from 130 (100%) of PT programs, 79 of 80 (99%) of OT programs, 31 of 32 (97%) of RT-BS programs, 144 of 199 (72%) CSD programs and 44 of 53 (83%) of HIM programs, we conclude that few allied health students are introduced to multidimensional health status instruments in their professional programs. We suggest that (1) the inclusion of multidimensional quality of life measures could be used as a mechanism to introduce allied health students to a broader definition of health; (2) the use of these instruments in clinical practice will assist therapists to communicate better with patients and address issues of their concern; and (3) their use will provide common clinical assessment instruments and vocabularies to facilitate the interdisciplinary management of patients.

Allied Health Occupations↗

Oral health status and oral health behaviors in Chinese Children.

The objectives of the study were to describe the oral health status and treatment needs of the 5- to 6-year-old and 12-year-old children in Southern China; to describe the patterns of oral health behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes among the 12-year-olds; and to assess the effects of socio-behavioral factors on the 12-year-old children's dental caries experiences. The study sample was comprised of 1,587 5- to 6-year-old and 1,576 12-year-old urban and rural schoolchildren living in Guangdong Province. Three calibrated dentists clinically examined the children, and trained interviewers interviewed the 12-year-olds. Caries prevalence of the 5- to 6-year-old children was high (urban 78% vs. rural 86%); the mean dmft of the urban and rural children was 4.8 and 7.0, respectively. The caries prevalence and mean DMFT score of the 12-year-olds were 41% and 0.9 (urban) and 42% and 0.9 (rural). Only 2% of the 12-year-olds exhibited no calculus or gingival bleeding, while more than 70% had calculus. In conclusion, there is an urgent need for establishing caries-preventive activities for preschool children. The prevalence of caries among the 12-year-olds was not high, but their periodontal condition was unsatisfactory. Knowledge about gum bleeding and the use of fluoride was low. More oral health education activities should be organized, especially for the rural children.

Analysis of Variance↗

Children in sheltered homeless families: reported health status and use of health services.

Studies of the health status of homeless people have primarily focused on alcoholic men and have reported numerous excess health risks. To determine the health status of children in homeless families, we performed a population-based, cross-sectional survey of a probability sample of 82 homeless families having a total of 158 children 17 days to 17 years of age living in emergency shelters in King County, Washington. Heights and weights were also measured. Seventy-five percent of the children belonged to racial minorities, and 54% were less than 6 years old. Nearly half the children (49%) had a wide variety of reported acute and chronic health problems. Less than 10% of the children measured were short for their age or underweight, whereas 35% were greater than the 95th percentile for weight-for-height. When compared with the US general pediatric population, the proportion of homeless children reported to be in "fair" or "poor" health was four times higher (13% v 3.2%). Thirty-five percent of the children had no health insurance, and 59% of the children had no regular health care provider. The homeless children used emergency rooms at a rate that was two to three times higher than the US general pediatric population (480/1,000 homeless children for 6-month period v 254/1,000 US children for 12-month period), twice as likely to lack measles immunization (21% v 9.0%), and twice as likely to never have had a tuberculosis skin test (48% v 27%). The data suggest that children in homeless families have poorer reported health status and are not obtaining preventive medical care.

Adolescent↗

Including a measure of health status in Medicare's health maintenance organization capitation formula: reliability issues.

Medicare's formula for determining capitation levels for risk-based HMOs, the Adjusted Average Per Capita Cost (AAPCC), has been criticized as a poor basis for establishing payments. Among new adjusting factors suggested for the formula is a measure of beneficiaries' functional health status. The ability of such a measure to improve predictions of Medicare costs has been demonstrated in several studies. In addition to possessing predictive validity, a measure considered for inclusion in the AAPCC must also be reliable. In this paper, the authors examine a measure of functional health status for intrarater reliability or, equivalently, stability over time. A sample of 1,616 Medicare beneficiaries was surveyed twice--in late 1982 and in January 1984. Using a five-point scale, functional health status scores were calculated for each of the beneficiaries at two points in time. For 68.4% of the sample, functional health scores were unchanged over the year, and second-year scores were within one point of first-year scores for 94.3% of the sample. Based on the intraclass correlation coefficient, the scores on this functional health scale demonstrated substantial to "almost perfect" agreement over the 1-year period.

Aged↗

The short-term effect of patient health status assessment in a health maintenance organization.

This study was designed to test the short-term effects of health assessment on the process of care and patient satisfaction. The 29 Chart physicians used the Dartmouth COOP Charts to measure their adult patients' health status during a single clinical encounter; the 27 control clinicians used no measure of health status. We compared the change between baseline and post-intervention information for a sample of all study clinicians' patients. Most of the patients were female (67%), well educated (70% had at least a college education) and young (approximately 90% were aged 59 years or younger). We found that the ordering of tests and procedures for women was increased by exposure to the COOP Charts (52% vs. 35%; p < 0.01); the effect in men was not as significant (37% vs. 23%: p = 0.06). Although women reported no change in satisfaction with care, men claimed that the clinician helped in the management of pain (p = 0.02). We conclude that the use of health status measures during a single clinical encounter in an HMO changes clinician test ordering behaviour and may improve the help male patients receive for pain conditions. The long-term impact of these management changes is not known.

Episode of Care↗

Correlating physical and mental health status with satisfaction in a health plan.

Managed care organizations strive to prevent illness where possible and improve patient outcomes for enrollees. The objective of this study was to examine how data from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 from more than 45,000 health plan enrollees can be used to: compare enrollee health status with national norms, examine the relationship between health status and member characteristics, and determine the extent to which health status is related to member satisfaction. The member survey measured physical and mental health and the following aspects of satisfaction: access, communication, and medical services. The researchers found that physical and mental health status were significantly associated with age, education, and ethnicity, whereas satisfaction was positively correlated with mental health status. Monitoring the health status of enrollees through the administration of a short, well-validated questionnaire can provide useful information in comparison with national norms as well as important insights regarding potential areas to target for quality improvement initiatives.

Adult↗

Using structured text and templates to capture health status outcomes in the electronic health record.

BACKGROUND: Because of the difficulty of implementing clinical outcomes-focused quality improvement (QI) projects, most organizations' efforts and comparative quality report cards have centered on structure and process indicators or on outcomes captured in administrative data systems. Ultimately, however, health care is intended to improve health. Health status is now frequently included in the set of quality of care information requested by purchasers of health care, accrediting and governmental agencies, and consumer groups. Subsequently, users of electronic health record (EHR) systems are demanding that the EHR support the collection and comparative analysis of health status information over time and by clinical population and provider. APPROACH: As opposed to the current practice in most organizations of collecting health status data via an annual mail survey, the approach discussed in this article utilizes standardized coding and classification (SCC) systems and standardized surveys to capture health status information in the EHR during the routine course of care delivery through the use of templates built on structured text. This method is illustrated with examples from the WAVE EHR. The EHR-based structured text and template approach facilitates the incorporation of health status measurement into the documentation of the patient-provider encounter, builds on recognized SCC systems and standardized surveys, and enables information retrieval for a variety of analyses, including those focused on QI. CONCLUSIONS: Health status outcomes are an essential component of an information set focused on health care quality. To routinely capture and analyze health status variables, SCC systems and standardized health status surveys are necessary.

Forms and Records Control↗

Aggregated physiological measures of individual and group health status.

Two health status indices applicable to individuals and groups are presented for research and health programme evaluation purposes. Both indices are functions of distances from cultural or group norms of the healthy state on a number of physiological dimensions that are theoretically or empirically related to health. Ways of deriving group norms are briefly discussed.

Health Status Indicators↗

Health status and access to health care of documented and undocumented immigrant Latino women.

Immigrant Latino women represent about one fifth of the total Latino population; however, data on health status and access to care for this population is limited. Using secondary data, we used a cross-sectional study to examine sociodemographic, migration, health status, and access to health care characteristics of immigrant documented and undocumented Latino women in North Texas. Undocumented women were less likely to report having health insurance and a regular health care provider, and reported lower education and income. These results support the need for providing immigrant women with health services such as health fairs, affordable health insurance programs, community health services, and increased opportunities for participation in federal and state programs.

Adult↗

Children of homeless families: health status and access to health care.

The parents and children of homeless families are highly vulnerable to illness and the failure to receive timely and continuous health care. Data on health status and health care utilization were collected from 70 homeless families selected for an intensive case management program and compared to data for low-income families. The data suggest that homeless children do not utilize primary care or preventive care on a regular basis in comparison to low income children generally. These results have implications for the delivery of health care services to homeless families in shelters.

Adult↗

The impact of late adolescent substance use on young adult health status and utilization of health services: a structural-equation model over four years.

This study examined the impact of adolescent substance use on young adult health status and health service utilization, while controlling for earlier subjective and objective health problems and seeking medical care. Data were obtained from 654 participants when they were in late adolescence and 4 years later when they were young adults. Latent-variable models were used to determine what effect, if any, adolescent drug use had on later health. A second-order factor of general drug use had a small, but significant, influence on decreasing subjective physical hardiness over the 4-year period. However, general drug use was not directly related to later physical symptomatology, subjective health problems, or health service utilization. General cigarette use and amount of cigarette smoking were significantly related to a range of health outcomes including increased psychosomatic symptoms, respiratory symptoms, reporting trouble with health, nights spent in the hospital, and health service utilization, as well as decreased subjective physical hardiness. Early cannabis use decreased later subjective physical hardiness and increased health problems experienced over the 4 years. Hard drug use was associated with increased emergency physician visits during adolescence and increased perceived trouble with health as young adults. Due to the fact that adolescent general drug use decreased subjective physical hardiness over 4 years, it is possible that continued substance use might lead to more serious objective health consequences later in life (i.e. physical symptoms).

Adolescent↗