Medical Consultation Rates Research Articles

Why people with probable minor psychiatric morbidity consult a doctor.

This epidemiological investigation examines factors determining medical consultation in people with probable minor psychiatric morbidity. About 54% of people with probable minor psychiatric morbidity and about 23% of the (numerically much greater) remainder with lower probability of psychiatric morbidity consulted a doctor, usually a primary care physician, in the two weeks prior to a research interview. Medical consultation rates were higher in females than in males. The dominant finding was that in people with probable minor psychiatric morbidity physical illness was strongly associated with medical consultation. Almost 89% of males and 97% of females with probable minor psychiatric morbidity and physical illness consulted a doctor in the two weeks prior to interview. Logistic regression modelling was used to investigate the joint effects on medical consultation of physical illness and six socio-demographic variables, and physical illness emerged as the major single determinant of medical consultation in women and, in men, it exerted its effect through an interaction with lower educational level.

Self‐Reported Health Status and Use of Medical Care by 3500 Adolescents in Western Sweden. II: Could Clustering of Symptoms and Certain Background Factors Help Identify Troubled Young People?

A descriptive study has been reported regarding some 3,500 persons aged 13-18, who anonymously answered a questionnaire regarding their health. This is a further analysis of the data from this study. The main finding is that students seem to say important things about themselves by "somatizing". Roughly one third of the students who stated that they were not feeling healthy had had suicidal thoughts, while only one tenth of those who stated they were healthy said they had had such thoughts. School drop-outs who might have serious troubles, were overrepresented among those with many medical complaints, suicidal thoughts and high rates of self-initiated medical visits. "Bad mood" turned out to be another such marker of distress with high rates of medical complaints and medical consultations. Admitting to use of alcohol, cigarettes and or illicit drugs was also related to aspects of bad health. Female gender and not living with both parents were correlated with significant adolescent distress. A factor called "perceived social age" also turned out to be significantly connected with distress. This factor was the difference between chronological age and the adolescent's estimation of what age others perceived him as being. Those who indicated a perceived social age of at least two years above their chronological age were more depressed, had more medical complaints and more often used alcohol and cigarettes than those who perceived themselves as "socially the right age". The present study does not permit conclusions as to what was considered the basis for "perceived social age".

Trends in Medical Visits and Surgery for Otitis Media Among Children

We conducted a population-based descriptive study of medical visits and surgical interventions for otitis media among 3- and 7-year-old children from the Montreal, Canada, area over the period 1981 to 1983. The number of children seen annually for otitis media increased over that time. An increase in the event rate of otitis was observed; there was also an increase in the rate of myringotomy with ventilatory tube insertion. The rate of surgery reached a level, among 3-year-old children in particular (25.0 per 1000 cases of otitis among boys, 23.9 per 1000 cases of otitis among girls), that some authors have termed "epidemic." Comparison of the trends in the rates of surgical interventions and the rates of medical consultations for otitis suggest that most of this so-called surgical epidemic for middle ear effusion is related to a higher frequency of the underlying condition and not to more aggressive patterns of therapy during the years studied.

Job-stress and medical consultation rates for physical illness among blue collar workers of an electrical factory in Japan: A four-year prospective follow-up study.

To investigate the relationship between job-stress and medical consultation rates for physical illness, a prospective study was conducted for male blue workers of an electrical factory in Japan. 8 job-stress variables and 8 possible confounders were assessed by means of mailed questionnaires in the initial study; 375 workers without medical history of illness were followed for four years; they were interviewed once a year and medical consultations for physical illness were recorded. Age-adjusted rates of medical consultation during the four-year period were significantly higher in the subjects with higher job-dissatisfaction scores than in those with lower job-dissatisfaction scores (p less than 0.05). The results of the multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that job-dissatisfaction together with age and education was significantly correlated with medical consultation (p less than 0.05). The results suggest that job-dissatisfaction is a potential factor for medical consultation in Japanese blue collar workers.

Medical Consultation Rates of Workers of Low Level Lead Exposure

Medical Consultation Rates of Workers of Low Level Lead Exposure

Studies of the Morbidity in the Rural District(Nanakai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture)

In order to evaluate the health state of inhabitants of a rural district, the patterns of medical consultation using national health insurance were analyzed to research the diseases among inhabitants in one agricultural village. The following results were obtained. 1. In view of the geographical and climatic conditions, the NANAKAI Village selected for survey had the characteristics of a rural district. The financial situation of the village is poor. Health and hygienic expenses occupy only about 3% of the total budget. The agricultural industry consists mainly of forestry and farm work with little progress in mechanization. In the farm work animal power is almost utilized. The farm is utilized to a very high degree and the amount of agricultural labor is hard in view of the rural life. 2. The progressive decrease in populaticn of this village has been pronounced, causing the low density phenomenon of population, because of a low natural increase in the population and a high rural exodus. The aged population is thus increasing. The decrease in live birth rate, the increase in death rate and infant mortality rate represent one of the typical characteristics of a remote mountain village. 3. The morbidity in this agricultural village, based on the detailed analysis of the national health insurance receipt for medical treatment was as follows. i) In order to ascertain the population in agricultural labor, the possibility of an approach through analysis of subscriptions to national health insurance was demonstrated. ii) The rate of medical consultation was the highest in April, with a peak utilization in August. The rate decreased in the farmer's busy season. iii) The rate of medical consultation in each disease was high for respiratory disease, gastrointestinal disease, and neuralgia. iv) The rate of medical consultation under 4 years was the highest of all age structure. v) The rate of medical consultation by income structure was lower in the low income group. vi) The rate of medical consultation by medical institutions in each area was somewhat higher in medical institutions outside the village than in those within the village.

A Study on Health of People at One, Mikura-Jima of Izu Islands

The author has studied on health including dental diseases of the people in Mikurajima, one of the Izu Islands. This island is much different from the others of Japan on social and economical points of view. It has a physician in a clinic run by health insurance as the only medical institution. Health center services are scarcely given by the com-petent health center located at Miyake-jima, on account of geographical handicap there. Population is 315 and its density is 17.6 persons per 1m2. Population structure rather shows tural type.The results were as follows.1) As regards vital statistics, birth rate was 34.4 per 1000 population (1959) and death rate was 20.1 per 1000 population (the average of those 5 years from 1953). Both of them were much higher than the average of all Japan.2) Concerning physical constitutions of the people, their weights were more than the average of all Japan, and over average in the youth of male and in the age of 30 of female. Also it was showed that the girths of their chests were wider than the average of all Japan in the youth of male and the old age of both of male and female. There was no clear difference of the girths of upper arms between of these people and of all Japan, which was considered as one of nutritive indexes, 3) From nutrition survey, the followings were observed.i) Kinds of taken foods in a year were much influenced by each season especially by its weather.ii) People have taken less total quantities and higher total Calory than the average of all Japan.iii) People had taken more quantities of fat and carbohydorate, less protein especially animal protein, less Ca, more P and less all Vitamins than each. quantities of the average of all Japan.4) Rate of medical consultation was one third of all Japan. The rate was highest in the ages, between from 30 to 39, In May and Novembe, the rates were high. The most rate was by common cold, and the next was digestive organs including dental disease which occupied one-third of this consultation in a year.5) Incidence was rather low.6) As specific diseases of this district, there were many dermatological diseases and a few food poisonings by fishes which had showed intoxicated symptom. Besides, it was guessed that there were Filariasis from Hydrocele patients, and Shichito fever which was considered as one of tsutsugamushi diseases.7) There were many patients of dental caries and it was considered that this fact concerned greatly with many factors including geographical condition, an unbalanced diet by season, too much carbohydorate, taking unbalance of Ca and P, and other food life.8) Incidence of patients of dental caries was 85.1% and it was too high especially in female. Incidence of number of dental caries were 43.2% of total temporary teeth and 20.6% of total permanent teeth. The grades of dental caries were 34.6% of C1, 33.7% of C2, 31.7% of C3 amongtemporary teeth and 30.5% of C1, 33.8% of C2 and 35.7% of C3 among permanent teeth.9) There were comparatively a few patients whose tartars adhered to teeth and smally number of gingivitis and of alveolar pyorrhea.10) There were many egg-round sharped row of teeth in male and female, and its rate was 93.1% of all examinees. Normal occlusion was 68.3% of all of them.11) Mottled teeth, Hutchinson's teeth, dental hereditary, scorbute and other dental specific diseases were not found there.12) In respect of general health examination, it was found that there were comparatively many people who showed symptom of beriberi. The tendencies were not seized through the measurement of blood pressure and urine examinations.13) Concerning classification of death cause, the group of contaminatious diseases had generally decreased recently.