Effects Of Sociodemographic Characteristics Research Articles

Effect of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on the Morbidity Prevalence among the Urban Poor dwelling in uninhabitable environments of a South Indian city.

Introduction. Slums have generally been dirty and unclean with shortage of water supply, inadequate lighting, sanitation facilities, overcrowded, coexistence of weak buildings, insufficient communication with lack of civic amenities. In such an environment, they are exposed to all type of communicable diseases. Catering the health needs of the urban poor is a major herculean task to the health system personnel. Hence, it is attempted to understand the role of age, education and income on the morbidity prevalence among the poor migrants dwelling in the Bangalore slums. Methods. A cross-sectional two-stage cluster random sampling design was used for selecting the slum households from various clusters in Bangalore city. Sample size for the quantitative survey was calculated according the relative precision method. By considering prevalence of utilization of government healthcare service, P of 15% allowing 10% error on P, 95% confidence interval, design effect 1.7and 5% of non-response rate, finally the sample size 3896 is calculated. Results. Illness were reported as 18.5% (n=1626) and 20.1% (n=1594) for males and females respectively and the difference between these proportions are statistically significant (P=0.008). Income and educational levels are significantly (P=0.000) associated on the morbidity prevalence. The infants’ morbidity rate is 17.1 and 38.1 for males and females respectively. Income and education have effective role on morbidity prevalence; both the variables are inversely associated on morbidity prevalence. Conclusion. Habitations in unhygienic and unplanned environment are the root cause for the suffering of migrants. The suffering could be due to illness, social and psychological issues. Generating employment opportunities and other infrastructures and facilities in the rural or near by the rural areas will inhibit the large scale migration which will reduce the sufferings of the vulnerable poor urban migrations.

Effect of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Healthcare Seeking Behaviour among Users of Primary Health Care Facility in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Effect of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Healthcare Seeking Behaviour among Users of Primary Health Care Facility in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Effect of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Obstetric Care-seeking Behaviours and Perinatal Outcome in Sagamu, Nigeria

Effect of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Obstetric Care-seeking Behaviours and Perinatal Outcome in Sagamu, Nigeria

Identity of immigrants – between majority perceptions and self-definition

Immigration is often accompanied by identity transformation. This article studies the identity of immigrants in the framework of Cooley’s ‘looking-glass’ theory by examining the conceptions of various immigrant groups in Israel of how the veteran majority population perceives them. In addition, it examines the interrelation between immigrant identity as reflected in their self-definition and immigrant beliefs about how the Israeli veteran majority population defines their identity. An empirical analysis was conducted on a representative sample of 437 former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants and 338 Ethiopian immigrants aged 18‒60 who arrived in Israel under the Law of Return. The findings revealed little congruence among Ethiopian immigrants between their self-definition (mainly Jewish) and their perception of how the majority group defines them (mainly Ethiopian). This lack of congruence implies that in the opinion of a substantive share of Ethiopian immigrants, the majority population in Israel is still not ready to include them within the boundaries of the Israeli-Jewish collective. The findings regarding FSU immigrants show considerable congruence between their self-definition and their belief as to how the veterans define them. Most FSU immigrants, who define themselves as Israelis, think that the majority group sees them as such. The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on immigrants’ identities was also investigated in the study.

물리치료사의 사회인구학적 특성이 독립개원의 필요성 인식과 전문직업성에 미치는 영향

물리치료사의 사회인구학적 특성이 독립개원의 필요성 인식과 전문직업성에 미치는 영향

Leukemia-Related Mortality in Inner Mongolia, 2008–2012

In this study, we aimed to determine the leukemia-related mortality rates and associated sociodemographic characteristics in the Inner Mongolia region of China. We obtained data for the period 2008–2012 from the Death Registry System maintained by the Inner Mongolia Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We computed the percentages of leukemia-related deaths and controls diagnosed by various methods and at different levels of hospitals. The χ2 test was used to examine differences in leukemia-related mortality according to sex. We also calculated potential years of life lost (PYLL) and average years of life lost. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to analyze the effect of sociodemographic characteristics. The sex-adjusted leukemia-related mortality rate was 3.74/100 000. The mortality rate in men (4.27/100 000) was significantly higher than that in women (3.17/100 000), as was the respective PYLL (8040.5 vs. 6000.5 person-years). Mortality increased with increasing age in both men and women. The highest mortality rate was observed in those over 70 years of age for both men (18.36/100 000) and women (7.68/100 000). Men with a higher education level showed an increased risk of leukemia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02–2.07, P = 0.04). In men, unemployment was associated with leukemia-related death (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.42–0.95, P = 0.03). The leukemia-related mortality rate in Inner Mongolia was higher than that worldwide and that in China. A higher level of education and unemployment were associated with leukemia-related mortality in Inner Mongolia.

Recording of Influenza-Like Illness in UK Primary Care 1995-2013: Cohort Study.

BackgroundThere is a lack of recent studies examining recording of influenza-like illness (ILI) in primary care in the UK over time and according to population characteristics. Our aim was to determine time trends and socio-demographic patterns of ILI recorded consultations in primary care.MethodsWe used The Health Improvement Network (THIN) UK primary care database and extracted data on all ILI consultations between 1995 and 2013. We estimated ILI recorded consultation rates per 100,000 person-weeks (pw) by age, gender, deprivation and winter season. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine time trends and the effect of socio-demographic characteristics. Trends in ILI recorded consultations were compared to trends in consultations with less specific symptoms (cough or fever) recorded.ResultsThe study involved 7,682,908 individuals in 542 general practices. The ILI consultation rate decreased from 32.5/100,000 pw (95% confidence interval (CI) 32.1, 32.9) in 1995–98 to 15.5/100,000 pw (95% CI 15.4, 15.7) by 2010–13. The decrease occurred prior to 2002/3, and rates have remained largely stable since then. Declines were evident in all age groups. In comparison, cough or fever consultation rates increased from 169.4/100,000 pw (95% CI 168.6, 170.3) in 1995–98 to 237.7/100,000 pw (95% CI 237.2, 238.2) in 2010–13. ILI consultation rates were highest among individuals aged 15–44 years, higher in women than men, and in individuals from deprived areas.ConclusionThere is substantial variation in ILI recorded consultations over time and by population socio-demographic characteristics, most likely reflecting changing recording behaviour by GPs. These results highlight the difficulties in using coded information from electronic primary care records to measure the severity of influenza epidemics across time and assess the relative burden of ILI in different population subgroups.

The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the information-seeking behaviors of police officers

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to determine the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the context of staying current. Leckieet al.’s (1996) model of the information-seeking behavior of professionals is tested.Design/methodology/approach– A quantitative research design was employed for data collection. The sample includes 642 cases. It is both descriptive and exploratory.Findings– Police officers first rely upon their personal knowledge and experience, then their colleagues and then official documents. On the other hand, they rarely consulted informants, libraries, journals, books, and attendance at conferences as information sources. There were significant differences in the information sources used by police officers based on their gender in the context of staying current. Lastly, the results of this study indicated that service years in policing and the roles in police station were significantly correlated with the information sources used by police officers regarding staying current.Originality/value– This study, being the first, provides a huge theoretical base for future studies. It contributes to the discipline of information science by validating a theoretical model in a different context. In addition, it contributes to public safety by understanding the frontline police officers’ information needs and information-seeking behavior.

Handling endogeneity and nonnegativity in correlated random effects models: Evidence from ambulatory expenditure.

We describe a mixed-effects model for nonnegative continuous cross-sectional data in a two-part modelling framework. A potentially endogenous binary variable is included in the model specification and association between the outcomes is modeled through a (discrete) latent structure. We show how model parameters can be estimated in a finite mixture context, allowing for skewness, multivariate association between random effects and endogeneity. The model behavior is investigated through a large-scale simulation experiment. The proposed model is computationally parsimonious and seems to produce acceptable results even if the underlying random effects structure follows a continuous parametric (e.g. Gaussian) distribution. The proposed approach is motivated by the analysis of a sample taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The analyzed outcome, that is ambulatory health expenditure, is a mixture of zeros and continuous values. The effects of socio-demographic characteristics on health expenditure are investigated and, as a by-product of the estimation procedure, two subpopulations (i.e. high and low users) are identified.

The Effect of Socio-Economic-Cultural Factors on Breast Cancer.

Socioeconomic and cultural factors influence breast cancer prognosis. The effect of these factors on breast cancer was evaluated among women who live in Gaziantep and its surroundings. female patients who were admitted to Gaziantep University Oncology Hospital with a diagnosis of breast cancer between October 2006-July 2013 were included in the study. The effects of socio-demographic characteristics on clinical-pathological features were evaluated. The mean age of 813 women was 48.8 years. The majority were premenopausal women. Advanced stage disease on diagnosis was detected more in our region. The rate of breast cancer with unfavorable prognostic features was higher among patients who were illiterate, with low economic income and residing in rural areas. Socioeconomic-cultural factors influence the biology and clinical course of breast cancer among women who live in Gaziantep province.

Bone Cancer Mortality in Inner Mongolia from 2008 to 2012

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess bone cancer mortality and the related social factors in Inner Mongolia in China. Methods: We obtained data from the Centers for Disease Control in Inner Mongolia from five monitoring points of the Death Registry System in Inner Mongolia from 2008 to 2012. We calculated the crude mortality rate for bone cancer. The χ2 test was used to examine differences in bone cancer mortality rates between sexes and years. Unconditional logistic regressions were applied to analyze the effect of socio-demographic characteristics by sex. Results: Between 2008 and 2012, the crude mortality rate of bone cancer was 1.12/100000 (95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.21). The bone cancer mortality was 2.24 in men and 1.25 in women, resulting in a male-female ratio of 1.8. No between-year difference in the mortality rate was observed between 2008 and 2012 (men: χ2 = 4.65, P = 0.325; women: χ2 = 2.21, P = 0.698). In general, mortality increased with increasing age. People with a lower education level exhibited an increased risk of bone cancer among both men and women. Jobs involving extensive manual labor decreased the likelihood of bone cancer mortality, and the odds ratio was higher for men than women (0.6 vs. 0.45). Unmarried people had a higher risk for bone cancer than married people. Conclusion: The mortality rate of bone cancer was not significantly different between men and women from 2008 to 2012. The risk of bone cancer increased with age among both sexes. Unmarried people and those with a low education status had an elevated risk of bone cancer, whereas employment in a field involving extensive manual labor appeared to be a protective factor against bone cancer.

Medication persistence in Turkish children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The aim of this study was to investigate medication persistence in Turkish children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The effects of sociodemographic characteristics, symptom severity of ADHD, comorbidity, and treatment-related factors influencing medication persistence in children diagnosed with ADHD were studied. Medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period was evaluated for 877 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age, who were diagnosed with ADHD for the first time and started to receive medication. Medication persistence was determined according to whether or not taking the prescribed medication continued for 12 months after the initiation of treatment. Whereas the symptom severity of ADHD was assessed by using the Turgay Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV)-based Child and Adolescent Behaviour Disorders Screening and Rating Scale-Parents Form (T-DSM-IV-S), perceived medication efficacy after the first treatment was evaluated by the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale (CGI-I). In this study, medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period occurred at a rate of 30.2% (n=265) in the subjects studied. The hierarchical regression analysis conducted in this research revealed that younger age, higher hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom severity, use of long-acting methylphenidate, addition of another ADHD medication, addition of other psychotropic medications, absence of side effects, and perceived medication efficacy were associated with successful medication persistence over a continuous 12 month period. Understanding the factors that affect medication persistence in ADHD may improve treatment efficacy and symptom control, while minimizing future risks.

Quality-of-Life in Turkish Cancer Patients: The Impact of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Medical History, and Management.

Our aim is to assess the quality-of-life (QoL) of cancer patients and the effect of sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and disease management, on QoL. The present study included 318 cancer patients. The most common diagnosis in this study were breast cancer (30.0%) and gastrointestinal cancer (27.7%). A form exploring sociodemographic variables and the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire were used to collect patient data. Non-parametric tests were employed to evaluate the association of different factors with patient QoL. Sociodemographic characteristics such as age; gender; level of education; employment status; and medical history, including any family history of cancer, date of diagnosis, cancer awareness, stage of the disease, past/current treatments, use of painkillers, and psychiatric support, significantly affected the QoL of cancer patients. The mean QoL score was moderate (56.05%±26.42). Physical functioning was the most affected subdomain (63.27±25.69), and cognitive functioning the least affected (78.35±23.47). Our results indicate a relationship between many clinical and sociodemographic factors and the QoL of cancer patients. Healthcare professionals should be aware of factors that affect QoL so that patient complaints and needs can be adequately addressed to improve patient QoL.

Effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the prevalence of anemia among school going adolescent girls in Lucknow district, India

Anemia is a serious public health concern in most developing countries and the prevalence of anemia is quite high among adolescent girls. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among school going adolescent girls in urban as well as rural schools of the Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India from October 2008 to September 2009 with the objectives of studying the prevalence of anemia and the various socio-demographic characteristics in relation to anemia. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number of girls. A total of 847 school going adolescent girls between 10-19 years of age were interviewed. Information regarding their socio-demographic characteristics was collected and the girls were also examined for presence or absence of pallor for anemia. Statistical analyses were done using percentage, Chi-square test, and odds ratio. The prevalence of anemia was found to be 55.6% and 57.9% in urban and rural school going adolescent girls respectively and significant association of anemia was observed with religion, caste and socio-economic status (p value<0.05). There is need to develop strategies for intensive adult education, nutrition education and dietary supplementation including anemia prophylaxis.South East Asia J Public Health | Jan-June 2012 | Vol 2 Issue 1 | 8-12 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/seajph.v2i1.15254

Quality of life in adolescents with hearing deficiencies and visual impairments.

Summary Introduction: The term quality of life (in Portuguese, Qualidade de Vida; QV) has been expanded and modified over the years and has come to signify social development in terms of education, health, and leisure as well as economic issues. Objective: To analyze the perception of QV in adolescents with hearing and visual impairments and the effects of socio-demographic characteristics on the domains of QV. Method: This descriptive series study comprised 42 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years who were students at Recife's state schools. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-Abbreviated questionnaire was used to evaluate QV. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The global perception of QV was higher among adolescents with visual impairments than among those with hearing impairments. Among the individual components of QV, the environment domain garnered the lowest scores independent of the type of impairment. The subjects with visual impairments reported higher scores for social relationships, while the psychological domain scored higher among those with hearing impairments. The students integrated into normal classrooms perceived better QV in the psychological and social relationships domains than did those who sat in special classrooms. Conclusion: The environmental domain was the worst component of the QV of handicapped adolescents, suggesting a need for greater investments in policies to improve the QV of this population.

Country Differences in Material Deprivation inEurope

This paper assesses to what extent differences in the characteristics of individuals (micro‐level perspective) and country‐specific factors (macro‐level perspective) can explain country differences with respect to material deprivation levels. Thus, our work aims to simultaneously consider the macro dimension and the predominantly individually‐oriented study field of material deprivation using multilevel techniques. We make use of theEuropeanUnionStatistics onIncome andLivingConditions. Our results show that country‐specific factors seem to be much more relevant than individual effects in explaining country differences in material deprivation. We estimate that the introduction of country‐specific factors reduces the proportion of total variance due to between‐country differences in deprivation by 72.7 percent, while individual‐level variables reduce this proportion by only 9.4 percent. We also show, through interaction variables, that the effect of sociodemographic characteristics can be shaped by institutional and structural factors, especially by the level ofGDP.

Survival Advantage in Black Versus White Men With CKD: Effect of Estimated GFR and Case Mix

Black dialysis patients have significantly lower mortality compared with white patients, in contradistinction to the higher mortality seen in blacks in the general population. It is unclear whether a similar paradox exists in patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD), and if it does, what its underlying reasons are. Historical cohort. 518,406 white and 52,402 black male US veterans with non-dialysis-dependent CKD stages 3-5. Black race. We examined overall and CKD stage-specific all-cause mortality using parametric survival models. The effect of sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and laboratory characteristics on the observed differences was explored in multivariable models. During a median follow-up of 4.7 years, 172,093 patients died (mortality rate, 71.0 [95% CI, 70.6-71.3] per 1,000 patient-years). Black race was associated with significantly lower crude mortality (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.94-0.97; P < 0.001). The survival advantage was attenuated after adjustment for age (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.12-1.16), but was magnified after full multivariable adjustment (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.70-0.73; P < 0.001). The unadjusted survival advantage of blacks was more prominent in those with more advanced stages of CKD, but CKD stage-specific differences were attenuated by multivariable adjustment. Exclusively male patients. Black patients with CKD have lower mortality compared with white patients. The survival advantage seen in blacks is accentuated in patients with more advanced stages of CKD, which may be explained by changes in case-mix and laboratory characteristics occurring during the course of kidney disease.

Gender Difference in the Allocation of Time

This paper examines the allocation of non-market hours (i.e. hours not spent in paid employment or work) for food preparation and the effect of socio-demographic characteristics, the value of time, and nutrition preferences on time-use decisions regarding food choice. A time-allocation model is developed and tested using the American Time Use Survey. Working hours and family income are negatively related to time spent preparing food cooked at home, yet education and leisure time are positively related. Gender differences in food choice are not only influenced by the value of time and nutrition-consciousness but also by gender roles: educated women devote less time to food preparation and educated men spend more.

Psychotropic Medication Claims Among Religious Clergy

This study examined psychotropic medication claims in a sample of Protestant clergy. It estimated the proportion of clergy in the sample who had a claim for psychotropic medication (i.e., anti-depressants and anxiolytics) in 2005 and examined associations between sociodemographic characteristics, occupational distress and having a claim. Protestant clergy (n = 749) from nine denominations completed a mail survey and provided access to their pharmaceutical records. Logistic regression models assessed the effect of sociodemographic characteristics and occupational distress on having a claim. The descriptive analysis revealed that 16 % (95 % Confidence interval [CI] 13.3 %-18.5 %) of the clergy in the sample had a claim for psychotropic medication in 2005 and that, among clergy who experienced frequent occupational distress, 28 % (95 % CI 17.5 %-37.5 %) had a claim. The regression analysis found that older clergy, female clergy, and those who experienced frequent occupational distress were more likely to have a claim. Due to recent demographic changes in the clergy population, including the increasing mean age of new clergy and the growing number of female clergy, the proportion of clergy having claims for psychotropic medication may increase in the coming years. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the use of psychotropic medication among clergy.

Determining Energy Saving Behavior and Energy Awareness of Secondary School Students According to Socio-Demographic Characteristics.

The aim of this study was to determine energy saving behavior and energy awareness of secondary school students and the effects of socio-demographic characteristics (gender, residential area and grade level) on energy saving and energy awareness. The research is a survey model with an approach that aims to describe the current status. A total of 400 6th, 7th and 8th grade students were included in the study. Of the participants, 209 were female, 191 were male. As for the distribution of the students according to grade levels, 162 students were enrolled in 6th Grade, 145 students were enrolled in 7th grade and 93 students in 8th grade. A total of 240 urban students and 160 rural students participated. “Energy Saving and Energy Awareness Scale” was used as data collection tool in the study. The scale consisted of 21 items and 4 factors. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.80. The data was analyzed using one way MANOVA statistics technique in SPSS 11.5 version program. We observed that secondary school students had a high level of awareness about renewable energy sources and saving; however, they had a moderate level of interest in energy. Key words: Energy saving awareness, interest in energy, energy awareness, renewable energy sources.