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OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of social characteristics of residential areas on carotid atherosclerosis prevalence. METHODS AND RESULTS: The associations among area social characteristics and B-mode ultrasound determined carotid plaque-score (a semi-quantitative scale measuring the degree of atherosclerosis in the carotid bifurcation area) were cross-sectionally investigated in a general population sample of 4033 men and women. Area socioeconomic circumstances were described through a social deprivation index calculated from migration rate, percentage residents with foreign citizenship among those with foreign background, dependency on social welfare support, and employment rate. Living in socially deprived areas was associated with an increased carotid plaque-score in both men (P for trend = 0.004) and women (P for trend = 0.007). These associations were only slightly reduced after adjustment for individual level indicators with a decrease of the absolute mean difference in carotid plaque-score between worse-off and better-off areas of 9% for men and 13% for women, whereas adjustment for risk factors turned the trend non-significant in women, however, not in men. CONCLUSIONS: Those living in socially deprived areas in general had more extensive carotid atherosclerosis. However, in these areas there were a substantial number of individuals with low degrees of carotid atherosclerosis and vice versa. Thus, with regard to conceptual ideas of causal inference, the social characteristics of an area seem to be associated with the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis. However, with regard to benefits of prevention, focusing on geographical areas would probably give a restricted benefit, where only some high-risk individuals would be reached.
The current study investigated personality characteristics and social circumstances in patients repeatedly infected with venereal diseases. An effort was made to identify characteristics that would differentiate a repeat patient (RP) from a non-repeat patient (NRP). Two studies were carried out. In the first, a group of patients from a venereal disease clinic in a large general hospital was first interviewed and then the patients were asked to complete a questionnaire. In the second study, an attempt was made to validate the findings from the first study by comparing data from RP and NRP venereal disease patients drawn from medical and social case histories from a second hospital. Results of both studies support the hypothesis that repeat patients are different from non-repeat venereal disease patients in terms of social and psychological characteristics. The significance of these findings is discussed.
It has been observed that obese children receive genetic and environmental effects that are associated with them being overweight. With regard to the latter, lifestyles such as eating habits and physical activity have been focused on. In the present study, the social characteristics which would dominate their lifestyles were investigated as background variables. For this purpose, 9668 Japanese children aged three years who were all born in Toyama prefecture, Japan, in 1998, served as birth cohort subjects. For the comparison between obese (Kaup Index; mass in kg/(height in m)2 > or = 18) and nonobese (Kaup index < 18) children, irregular snack intake, physical inactivity and reduced sleeping hours were chosen as statistically significant obesity-related lifestyle indicators for the children. For social characteristics, family construction (expanded family with grandparents/nonexpanded family), main caregiver (mother/other), attending a nursery school (yes/no) and mother's employment (full-time worker/other) were chosen. These were significantly associated with the obesity-related lifestyles mentioned above using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for other variables of social characteristics as well as for gender and birth month (July-December/January-June). The two greatest population-attributable risk percentages were observed for mother as main caregiver (-36.5%) and attending a nursery school (-28.9%) for irregular snack intake. Therefore, these two social characteristics substantially reduced the number of children with irregular snack intake. On the other hand, the two social characteristics were reversed in children with reduced sleeping hours (population-attributable risk percentage of mother as main caregiver: 15.4%; attending a nursery school: 17%). In contrast with favourable effects on snack intake these social characteristics showed an adverse influence on the sleeping habits of children.
"This study compares the fertility patterns of foreign-born and native-born women in Canada and examines whether [the] same set of social characteristics accounts for differential fertility among both the groups. The study also assesses the importance of social characteristics and assimilation on immigrant fertility behavior. Two generations of currently married/cohabiting women with spouse present are analyzed using multiple regressions. The results reveal similar effects on fertility of social characteristics for foreign-born and native-born, while in the case of younger generations the effects are stronger."
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The social characteristics and circumstances of arrest of 73 women arrested for driving while intoxicated and referred to the Boston Alcohol Safety Action Project were examined. Driving while intoxicated was a necessary but not sufficient condition to accoutn for the arrests.
The goal of this study was to compare the clinical, demographic and social characteristics of psychotic and non-psychotic depression in the elderly and younger age groups. Depressed patients (n = 674) meeting DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive episode were classified into two groups, psychotic and non-psychotic, based on the presence of delusions or hallucinations. The patients with psychotic and non-psychotic depression were compared on clinical, demographic, and social characteristics. Bivariate analyses revealed that younger age, psychomotor retardation, guilt, feelings of worthlessness, history of delusions in the past, and increased suicidal ideation and intent were found more commonly in psychotic as compared to non-psychotic depression. A fully adjusted logistic regression model also confirmed younger age, history of past delusions, and increased feelings of worthlessness to be associated more with psychotic than with non-psychotic depression. Trends were observed for psychotic depression to be associated with poor subjective social support and with bipolar illness. Cerebrovascular risk factors and gender composition did not differ significantly in the psychotic vs. non-psychotic groups. The study confirms previously described findings such as increased guilt, increased psychomotor retardation and increased suicidality in psychotic depression in a large sample of depressed patients. The study also introduces the concept of age as an important variable influencing psychotic depression. The limitation of this finding is that it is applicable to tertiary care samples. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding in other subgroups.
The primary objective of this research was to expand our knowledge regarding the personal and social characteristics of female methamphetamine (meth) users, their motivations for using meth, patterns of meth use, medical and social problems associated with meth use, and the relationship between meth use and sexual risk behaviors. The sample consisted of 98 HIV-negative, heterosexually-identified, meth-using females residing in San Diego, California. Female meth users were characterized by personal and social disadvantage, high rates of psychiatric symptomatology, and high levels of sexual risk behavior, including multiple partners, risky partner types (e.g., anonymous sex partners), and high rates of unprotected vaginal and oral sex. Meth use was also associated with the subjective positive experience of sex. These finding suggest that behavioral interventions should be tailored to the social characteristics of female meth users, and program content should reflect the intertwining of women's sexual experience and meth use.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether there was a difference in social characteristics in different garrison towns of the British Forces Germany and to ascertain whether the health visitor workload was different in these towns. DESIGN: Self completed questionnaires administered to mothers by health visitors on first contact after delivery of their baby, and prospective follow up by health visitors recording subsequent contacts for the first three months after birth. SETTING: 97 mothers based in Bruggen, Fallingbostel and Rheindahlen who had just delivered their new-born baby. RESULTS: Response rates for Bruggen, Fallingbostel and Rheindahlen were 54.8%, 70.2% and 69.9% respectively. There was a significant difference between parents in Fallingbostel and Rheindahlen with higher levels of maternal smoking during pregnancy (p = 0.04), more fathers aged under 25 years (p = 0.004), lower paternal military rank (p = 0.003), and increased paternal absence of more than one month during the pregnancy (p = 0.001) in Fallingbostel. The characteristics in Bruggen were similar to those in Rheindahlen. The workload of the health visitors, was significantly increased in Fallingbostel in comparison to Rheindahlen (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: The use of social characteristics as an assessment of need would allow appropriate targeted health promotion and education resulting in a reduction in the inequalities of health in the Armed Forces.
An investigation has been made of the social characteristics and knowledge and experience of Huntington disease (HD) for the first 80 individuals considering presymptomatic testing (applicants) at the medical genetics centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow and of attitudes to the test procedure and decisions made after testing for those who received a result. Sixty-one percent of applicants were female and 31% were over 40 years old. Almost all had a symptomatic parent but 38% did not know HD was in their family until they were over 25 years old and 48% had never received genetic counselling. Thirty-eight percent of applicants first heard of the test at the genetic clinic, 20% from a relative and 20% from the media, but none had received information from their GP. Thirty-one applicants did not have the test because they voluntarily withdrew (17 individuals), their family structure was unsuitable or no informative result was possible (11 individuals), or they were diagnosed clinically as being affected (3 individuals). Those who voluntarily withdrew did not differ significantly from the 49 who received a result in social characteristics or knowledge and experience of HD. Twenty-two individuals were found to be at increased risk (IR) (> 50% of becoming affected) and 27 to be at decreased risk (DR) (< 50% of becoming affected). There was a median period of 9 months between entering the test procedure and receiving a result and the main criticism of the procedure was that it took too long to complete and several individuals experienced considerable anxiety while awaiting their result.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The present clinical and social characteristics of new cases with pulmonary tuberculosis show some features. The clinical characteristics of patients in 1995 to 1997 indicate an increased number of patients with disseminated, frequently bilateral processes and acute tuberculosis which is largely associated with the decline in preventive fluorographic surveys of the population including those who have contacted bacteria-isolating patients. There were 61.3% with pulmonary symptoms among those who visit physicians and 62.1% among those from the foci of tuberculous infection. Social aspects of the study demonstrate that there is a great number of young patients (56.4% of those under 39-49 years) and a high proportion (81.1%) of able-bodied patients among both males and females. There was an increase in the proportion of patients having higher education (43.7%) and a decrease in laboring patients (21.4%). This is most likely to be associated with the fact that many patients did not work by the profession they had been trained. There was a higher proportion (43.0%) of the patients having different poor working conditions and patterns. In these years, the patients' financial position deteriorated. It was slightly better in the employed than in the unemployed. However, in both groups the bulk of the patients had income per head in the family at the subsistence level or lower (56.2 and 21.6% in the unemployed and employed, respectively. These data were assessed by the guidelines made by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation and the RF Ministry of Labour. It should be noted that the nutritional quality did not correspond to the optimal composition ratio of dietary foods and it was characterized by the high content of less valuable foods, carbohydrates, low levels of protein and vitamins. Poor social aspects in characteristics of patients were undoubtedly to be associated with a greater number of patients with severe, frequently progressive forms of tuberculosis although they had received specific chemotherapy.
Despite public warnings of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking, as well as advertising bans and educational programs in schools, the percentage of young females who smoke is on the rise. This study examined the effect of a video character's smoking status on young females' perceptions of social characteristics. University students were shown a video of a young woman in a socially oriented role-play. The video portrayed a smoker for the experimental group and a nonsmoker for the control group; in all other respects the video presentations were identical. Both groups answered a questionnaire pertaining to social characteristics they believed she possessed. The experimental group rated the character as more outgoing, more sophisticated, not as easy to manipulate, and less emotional about breaking up with her boyfriend than did the control group. There were no significant differences in ratings of her uncertainty in a crowd, her degree of unpopularity, her ability to be intimidated, the degree others admire her, and her attractiveness. The results are discussed in the light of previous studies, and implications for future research are explored.
In the present study all available young social alcohol abusers in the capital of Iceland are compared with a control group matched for age and intellectual level. Certain behaviour and social characteristics were found to occur more often during childhood among the abusers. Boys showing these characteristics should be regarded as being at high risk of developing asocial alcohol abuse. In order to prevent this they and their families should be offered social, psychiatric and medical help.
Selected mental health and social characteristics of 51 homeless persons drawn as a probability sample from missions are compared to those of 1,338 men aged 18-64 years living in households from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area survey conducted in Eastern Baltimore. Differences between the two groups were small with respect to age, race, education, and military service but the differences in mental health status, utilization patterns, and social dysfunction were large. About one-third of the homeless scored high on the General Health Questionnaire which measures distress. A similar proportion had a current psychiatric disorder as ascertained by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), with the homeless exhibiting higher prevalence rates in every DIS/DSM III diagnostic category compared to domiciled men. Homeless persons reported higher rates of hospitalization than household men for both mental (33 per cent vs 5 per cent) and physical (20 per cent vs 10 per cent) problems but a lower proportion received ambulatory care (41 per cent vs 50 per cent). Social dysfunction among the homeless was indicated by fewer social contacts and higher rates of arrests as adults than domiciled men (58 per cent vs 24 per cent), including multiple arrests (38 per cent vs 9 per cent) and felony convictions (16 per cent vs 5 per cent). Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of research and health policy.
A survey was made of demographic and social characteristics of patients referred to a Student Health psychiatrist over a two year period. These patients were compared with a group attending Student Health physicians. Significantly over-represented in the psychiatric group were: medical and dental students; students who had repeated an academic year; students over 30 years of age; Roman Catholic students; and students who were totally financially dependent on their parents. Findings by others suggesting that first-year and female students would be over-represented in the psychiatric group were not borne out.
OBJECTIVE: (1) To identify gender differences regarding psychopathological, family and social characteristics in adolescents with abnormal eating behavior; (2) to study risk factors for this abnormal eating in boys and girls. METHOD: Adolescents participating in this community-based longitudinal study completed, at the age of 13 (t(1)) and 15 years (t(2)), a semi-structured interview and the validated Spanish versions of several self-reported questionnaires measuring eating and general psychopathology. A control group of 150 pupils and 159 adolescents with abnormal eating behavior were selected. RESULTS: Girls with abnormal eating showed significantly more psychiatric morbidity and boys more social difficulties. Body dissatisfaction and psychiatric morbidity predicted abnormal eating at t(2) only in girls. DISCUSSION: The findings contribute to the debate on gender differences in abnormal eating behavior etiology.