scholarly journals Hearing Loss Health Literacy Discrepancy Between Younger and Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 214-214
Author(s):  
Erika Squires ◽  
Hua Ou
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hearing Health

Abstract Increasing the accessibility and affordability of hearing healthcare is a public health concern. Because low health literacy is a significant barrier to the use of existing effective healthcare services, it is critical to assess and understand health literacy deficits specific to hearing loss before implementing interventions. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify differences in hearing loss health literacy among older and young adults, which is warranted because older adults are at-risk for lower levels of health literacy compared to their younger counterparts. Adults across the lifespan (n = 170) completed the Hearing Loss Health Literacy Assessment Tool, which includes self-rated ability to access/obtain, understand, and appraise hearing health information, as well as apply information to manage life with hearing loss. Results from an independent samples t-test indicated that older adults (M = 6.3, SD = 1.45, n = 54) self-reported significantly higher overall hearing health literacy than younger adults (M = 5.37, SD = 1.27, n = 116), t(168) = 4.22, p < 0.0001. Participants rated their ability to access/obtain information significantly lower than the other subscales. Age-differences in self-rated hearing health literacy exist. Findings from this study receive support from evidence indicating that the readability and suitability of the majority of patient education materials on hearing loss are not appropriate for the average U.S. adult. This investigation provides further evidence that the availability and accessibility of patient education materials on hearing loss is an important barrier that contributes to the limited use of hearing health care.

scholarly journals Hearing healthcare gaps in LMICS: snapshot from a semi-urban community in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 912-918
Author(s):  
Adebolajo Adeyemo ◽  
Segun Ogunkeyede ◽  
Oluyinka Dania
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ear Diseases

Background: Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) have high prevalence of hearing loss which are mainly due to pre- ventable causes. While urban communities in LMICs are likely to have functional hearing healthcare delivery infrastructure, rural and semi-urban communities may have different reality. Objectives: This study aimed to provide: (i) a snapshot of the burden of ear diseases and (ii) a description of available hearing healthcare resources in a semi-urban Nigerian community. Methods: A cross-sectional study of households selected by multistage random sampling technique. Seventy-four partici- pants: 39 males and 35 females with mean age of 34 years ± 5.24 were recruited and answered a structured questionnaire. In addition, the availability of hearing healthcare services in 15 health centers within the community were determined. Results: All participants reported recent occurrence of ear complaints or gave similar history in a household member. Com- mon complaints were ear discharge, ear pain and hearing loss. Medical intervention was sought from patent medicine stores, hospitals and traditional healers. None of the assessed hospitals within the study site was manned by an ENT surgeon or ENT trained nurse. Conclusion: Despite the heavy burden of ear complaints there is inadequate hearing healthcare delivery in a typical LMIC community. This highlights the need for urgent improvement of hearing healthcare. Keywords: Hearing loss; healthcare delivery; disease burden; ear diseases; developing countries.

scholarly journals Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Might Pose a Double Burden for Older Adults

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2407
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Gkiouras ◽  
Stavros Cheristanidis ◽  
Theopoula D. Papailia ◽  
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou ◽  
Nikolaos Karamitsios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Nutritional Assessment ◽  
Mini Nutritional Assessment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Cross Sectional

Although food insecurity has been associated with a disadvantageous socioeconomic status, especially in older adults, its association with comorbidities is less clear. The scope of the present cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among older adults and evaluate the association between food insecurity, malnutrition, chronic disease, multimorbidity and healthcare utilization. A total of 121 older adults (mean (standard deviation) age: 72.6 (8.1)) were recruited from a Primary Care Health Center from 10 August 2019 to 10 September 2019. Food insecurity and malnutrition status were assessed by the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Mini Nutritional Assessment tool, respectively. Recorded variables included financial, family data and comorbidities. The prevalence of food insecurity in the sample reached 50.4%, with men and older adults malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, exhibiting high risk for food insecurity. Multimorbidity, frequency of health care utilization and medication adherence were not associated with food insecurity, possibly due to the free health services and remunerated medications offered by the Greek government. However, male gender and malnutrition risk were significant predictors of food insecurity in the multiple logistic analyses. This study highlights the need for mainstreaming food insecurity assessment among older adults with comorbidities, especially those at risk for malnutrition.

scholarly journals Simple scoring algorithm to identify community-dwelling older adults with limited health literacy: a cross-sectional study in Taiwan

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. e045411
Author(s):  
Wen-Hsuan Hou ◽  
Ken N Kuo ◽  
Mu-Jean Chen ◽  
Yao-Mao Chang ◽  
Han-Wei Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Scoring Algorithm ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

ObjectiveHealth literacy (HL) is the degree of individuals’ capacity to access, understand, appraise and apply health information and services required to make appropriate health decisions. This study aimed to establish a predictive algorithm for identifying community-dwelling older adults with a high risk of limited HL.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingFour communities in northern, central and southern Taiwan.ParticipantsA total of 648 older adults were included. Moreover, 85% of the core data set was used to generate the prediction model for the scoring algorithm, and 15% was used to test the fitness of the model.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPearson’s χ2 test and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the significant factors associated with the HL level. An optimal cut-off point for the scoring algorithm was identified on the basis of the maximum sensitivity and specificity.ResultsA total of 350 (54.6%) patients were classified as having limited HL. We identified 24 variables that could significantly differentiate between sufficient and limited HL. Eight factors that could significantly predict limited HL were identified as follows: a socioenvironmental determinant (ie, dominant spoken dialect), a health service use factor (ie, having family doctors), a health cost factor (ie, self-paid vaccination), a heath behaviour factor (ie, searching online health information), two health outcomes (ie, difficulty in performing activities of daily living and requiring assistance while visiting doctors), a participation factor (ie, attending health classes) and an empowerment factor (ie, self-management during illness). The scoring algorithm yielded an area under the curve of 0.71, and an optimal cut-off value of 5 represented moderate sensitivity (62.0%) and satisfactory specificity (76.2%).ConclusionThis simple scoring algorithm can efficiently and effectively identify community-dwelling older adults with a high risk of limited HL.

scholarly journals Health literacy and optimizing education materials in a surgical population

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Eline Mariose Dijkman ◽  
Jobbe Pierre Lucien Leenen ◽  
Remco Matthijs Koorn ◽  
Diana Wilmink
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Patient Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Charlson Comorbidity Index Score ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Comorbidity Index ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Clear Information

Objective: The aim is to examine and compare the level of health literacy (HL) amongst surgical vascular and abdominal patients and measuring the understandability and actionability of current and optimized education materials.Methods: A cross-sectional design was utilized. Patients undergoing abdominal or vascular surgery, were included for measuring HL with the Newest Vital Sign Dutch (NVS-d) tool. The Dutch version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) was used to measure the understandability and actionability of current and optimized patient education materials.Results: A total of 101 patients were included, of those 54 (53.5%) have limited HL. Patients with limited HL were significantly older (p < .001), lower educated (p < .001), and had a higher ASA status (p = .005) and Charlson Comorbidity Index score (p < .001). The occurrence of limited HL differed significantly (p = .046) between abdominal versus vascular patients. The understandability varied between 24%-59% and the actionability between 40%-67% of the current education materials. The optimized education materials had a understandability score of 86% and a actionability score of 100%.Conclusions: The high prevalence of inadequate HL emphasizes the importance of nursing and medical staff providing clear information to enable shared decision-making. Besides, it is necessary to evaluate current education materials and optimize these materials according to the level of health literacy to provide health information that is understandable.

Prevalence and Biological Correlates of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Outpatients of a Geriatric Evaluation Clinic: A Brief Report

Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Abdias Ambrosio-Palma ◽  
Jose Alberto Avila-Funes ◽  
Alberto Mimenza-Alvarado ◽  
Aurora Elizabeth Serralde-Zúñiga ◽  
Mónica Zavala-Solares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Oropharyngeal Dysphagia ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Nutrition Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Levels Of Care ◽  
Volume Viscosity

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a relevant disease among older adults and is associated with serious adverse health-related outcomes, such as malnutrition, sarcopenia, or frailty. Increasing its recognition and the related mechanisms will allow us to its prevention and treatment at different levels of care. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> This study aimed to determine the prevalence and biological correlates of OD in outpatient older adults. <b><i>Method:</i></b> This is a cross-sectional study including 100 adults aged 60 or older from a geriatric clinic of a tertiary hospital in Mexico City. Health variables and geriatric syndromes were recorded. The Eating Assessment Tool-10 detection test and the volume-viscosity swallowing test were used to diagnose OD. Logistic regression models were performed to identify the factors associated with OD. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Mean age was 81.2 (±7.5) years and 21% had OD. The presence of xerostomia (<i>p</i> = 0.05) and a worst nutritional status (<i>p</i> = 0.035) were obtained. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The prevalence of OD among older adults was high. Inadequate nutrition status and the presence of xerostomia are more likely to be present with this swallowing disorder.

scholarly journals Perceived loneliness among home-dwelling older adults with and without memory disorder: A population-based study

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-84
Author(s):  
Minnaleena Ollanketo ◽  
Raija Korpelainen ◽  
Timo J Jämsä ◽  
Maarit Kangas ◽  
Heli Koivumaa-Honkanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Memory Disorder ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
With Memory

The aim of this population-based cross-sectional study was to describe and compare the prevalence and features of perceived loneliness among home-dwelling older adults with ( n = 129) and without ( n = 244) memory disorder. The latter group was randomly resampled from 789 respondents stratified by age to obtain a standardized control group. Loneliness was assessed using the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and perceived stress using Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. Results show that severe loneliness was common among the home-dwelling older adults, especially those with memory disorder, who also perceived stress more frequently than those without memory disorder. Both groups, but again more frequently those with memory disorder, were more likely to be emotionally than socially lonely. Thus, when planning social and healthcare services and interventions to mitigate loneliness among older adults living at home, memory problems and emotional loneliness require particular consideration.

scholarly journals Health concern affects egg consumption among older adults in Tamale Metropolis, Northern Ghana

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humphrey Garti ◽  
Anthony Wemakor ◽  
Emmanuella Akwalpua ◽  
Nawaf Saeed
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Nutritional Knowledge ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Egg Consumption ◽  
Tamale Metropolis ◽  
Good For

ABSTRACTBackgroundEggs are nutrient dense and rich source of quality protein and their consumption could significantly reduce incidence of chronic and infectious diseases especially in the elderly. This study determined egg consumption and factors that influence consumption among the elderly in Tamale metropolis.MethodsAnalytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 387 older adults 60 years and above. Data on egg consumption, nutritional knowledge and awareness of health implications of egg intake were collected using structured questionnaire. Relationships between egg consumption, nutritional knowledge and awareness of health effects of egg consumption were determined in bivariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsRespondents without awareness that egg intake increases risk of diseases were 10 times more likely to eat eggs compared to those who had awareness [Adjusted Odds Ratio 10.24; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 4.20 – 25.00; p= 0.001]. Respondents with awareness that egg consumption was bad for health were less likely to consume eggs compared to those who thought egg intake was good for health [AOR 0.02; 95 % CI, 0.01 – 0.05, p < 0.001].ConclusionEgg consumption was low among the study population and was affected by health concerns: awareness that egg consumption was not good for health and exposes them to the risk of certain diseases

scholarly journals The Relationship between Periodontitis and Oral Health Literacy among the Older People in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Panat Piyakhunakorn ◽  
Nithimar Sermsuti-anuwat
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Oral Health Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Relationship

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and oral health literacy among the older population in Thailand. MATERIAL &amp; METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed between July 1 and September 30, 2020, in Panare district, Pattani province, Thailand. The inclusion criteria were older individuals more than 60 years of age who had at least six remaining teeth. Information on sociodemographic characteristics and oral health-related behaviors were collected using a self-reported questionnaire. Oral health literacy was categorized using the Thai version of the Health Literacy in Dentistry scale (HeLD‐Th). A trained examiner performed clinical periodontal examinations. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher&#39;s exact test, and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 216 independently living older adults participated and completed the study protocol. The initial analyses indicated significant associations between severe periodontitis and low oral health literacy (p = 0.029) and insufficient toothbrushing duration (p &lt; 0.001). However, in multivariate analysis, only toothbrushing duration showed significant association (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Oral health literacy interventions and oral hygiene practices for improving periodontal health status among the Thai older adults are necessary.

Self-Reported Hearing Loss and Associated Factors in Older Adults at a Memory Clinic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Maria Eduarda Pinheiro Hüttner Feijó ◽  
Patrícia Haas ◽  
Danúbia Hillesheim ◽  
André Junqueira Xavier ◽  
Anna Quialheiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Memory Clinic ◽  
Cross Sectional

Purpose The prevalence of dementia has increased in recent years and, along with hearing loss, can negatively impact the health of older adults. The purpose of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to establish self-reported hearing loss and associated factors in older adults at a memory clinic. Method Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study on factors associated with self-reported hearing loss (i.e., lifestyle, general health, cognition, functional capacity). Data were taken from medical records of older adults (≥ 60 years old) who received care between 2017 and 2018 at a memory clinic located at the Southern Santa Catarina University in Brazil. Analysis included the Pearson chi-squared test and logistic regression, estimation of the crude and adjusted odds ratios ( OR ), with respective confidence intervals of 95%. Results Researchers analyzed the medical records of 257 older adults and verified a prevalence of 13.2% of these adults with self-reported hearing loss. There was a higher prevalence of the outcome (i.e., self-reported hearing loss) in older adults who reported tinnitus (35.2%), those with mild cognitive impairment (14.7%), and those who were sedentary (19.2%). After adjustment for confusion factors, tinnitus ( OR = 4.63; p = .019) and sedentarism ( OR = 2.89; p = .029) were still associated with the outcome. Conclusions Tinnitus and sedentarism were associated with hearing loss in older adults receiving care at a memory clinic. As a public health issue, presbycusis needs to be included in the health planning and health promotion agendas, with effective control, prevention, and treatment measures.

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