scholarly journals Does multimorbitdity interfere with the fundtionality of the physically active elderly?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Vicentini de Oliveira ◽  
Caio Rosas Moreira ◽  
Gabriel Lucas Morais Freire ◽  
Rogério Soares de Melo ◽  
Maura Fernandes Franco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Spearman’S Rank Correlation ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Introduction: Multimorbidity is currently considered as a relevant clinical condition due to its severity and the high prevalence among the elderly. Objective: Assessing whether multimorbidity is an intervening factor in the functionality of the physically active elderly. Method: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 70 older people of both sexes who practice exercises at the Fitness zones (FZ) in the municipality of Maringá, state of Paraná. A sociodemographic questionnaire, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale (WHO-DAS 2.0) were used as instruments. Data analysis was performed by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman’s rank correlation, in addition to the Path Analysis (p <0.05). Results: the elderly who have more than two diseases showed worse functionality than the ones with none or from 1 to 2 diseases (p <0.05). The number of diseases showed a significant association (p <0.05) with a reduction in functional domain scores, which explains from 15% to 31% of the variable’s variability. Specifically, the number of diseases was positively associated with the strong effect on the domains referred to as self-care (β = 0.56) and cognition (β = 0.55), besides a moderate effect on interpersonal relationships (β = 0.39) and social participation domains (β = 0.39). Conclusion: it was concluded that multimorbidity can be considered as an intervening factor in the functionality of elderly people who practice physical activity.

scholarly journals Epidemiological Aspects of the Initial Evolution of COVID-19 in Microregion of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5245
Author(s):  
Deborah Araujo Policarpo ◽  
Eduarda Cristina Alves Lourenzatto ◽  
Talita Costa e Silva Brito ◽  
Daise Aparecida Rossi ◽  
Roberta Torres de Melo
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Initial Evolution ◽  
Epidemiological Profile ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

COVID-19 is considered by the World Health Organization to be a global public health emergency, which presents regional divergences that affect the epidemiological profile of the disease and are associated with political, economic, social and behavioral aspects. We aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the disease in the microregion of Uberlândia, Brazil, in order to determine risk factors that contributed to progression of SARS-CoV-2 virus. A cross-sectional study was conducted about micro- and macro-determinants combined with the significance analysis of suspected and confirmed cases in 18 municipalities during the epidemiological weeks (EW) 9 to 26. There were 34,046 notifications, of which 4935 (14.49%) people were diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 282 (5.71%) required hospital care and 40 (0.81%) died. Age and presence of associated comorbidities were decisive in the variations of incidence and lethality rates. In general, young people were the most affected and the elderly people, the most exposed to the serious and lethal form (p < 0.0001). Comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiopathies increased 33.5 times the death risk. The dispersion of the virus was centrifugal, in the inter as well as in the intra-municipal level. The disorderly implementation of municipal decrees applied in a decentralized manner in the municipalities seems to have contributed for the incidence rates increasing in the EW 25 and 26.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 in Older People in Portugal: Results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE)

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 761
Author(s):  
Filipa Novais ◽  
Catarina Cordeiro ◽  
Pedro Câmara Pestana ◽  
Beatriz Côrte-Real ◽  
Teresa Reynolds Sousa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, and Portugal reported its initial cases. In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on Portuguese individuals aged over 60 years old.Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 8: COVID-19 Survey). We selected a sample of 1080 noninstitutional Portuguese individuals aged ≥ 60 years.Results: The study sample consisted of 605 (56%) women and 475 (44%) men, with a mean age of 70 ± 9.1 years. In total, 80% of the participants experienced higher levels of anxiety, 73% felt more depressed and 30% experienced additional sleep problems comparedto the period before the pandemic. Interestingly, there were no statistically significant differences between the sexes or the two selected age groups (60 - 74 and over 75 years old) regarding the incidence of these changes. Only 23%, of those that were interviewed maintained their walking routines. In addition, only 8% of the participants continued visiting family members as frequently as before. While 8% of the participants were refused some form of medical treatment, 56% claimed that they experienced healthcare delays. However,only 15% of the participants reported that their health status worsened during the pandemic.Discussion: The pandemic has had a significant impact on Portuguese individuals aged ≥ 60 years; which is in agreement with the findings of previous international studies. It changed the participants’ routines and increased their anxiety and depression levels. Despite the deterioration of healthcare services, most participants did not experience worsening of their health status.Conclusion: In conclusion, a COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the elderly population, particularly regarding their mental health.

Clinical Features of Eczema and Dermatitis in the Elderly - A Cross Sectional Study in Mainland China (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Linfeng Li ◽  
Xiaodong Shi ◽  
Xiaodong Shi ◽  
Jian Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Geriatric Patients ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Spearman’S Rank Correlation

BACKGROUND The clinical features of eczema and dermatitis in the elderly have not been fully studied. OBJECTIVE To investigate the proportion and clinical features of geriatric eczema patients in mainland China. METHODS A multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in outpatients with eczema from 39 tertiary hospitals in 15 provinces. RESULTS 1128 elderly patients (12.88%) had eczema and dermatitis. The mean age of those was 68.2 ± 6.8 years (range, 60-90 years) with a median course of 5.5 ± 8.9 years, which is much longer than that of non-geriatric patients (2.6 ± 4.1 years, P<.001). Compared to non-geriatric patients, more patients involved in extremities (76.2% vs 61.5%, P<.001) and trunk (37.2% vs 26.4%, P<.001), but less in head and neck (18.3% vs 30.4%, P<.001; 25.3% vs 20.6%, P<.001). 13.4% of eczema and dermatitis in the elderly was widespread, which is much higher than that of 8% in non-geriatric group (13.4% vs 8%, P<.001). 22.9% of geriatric eczema patients reported severe itching, which is much higher than that of 14% in counterparts (22.9% vs 14%, P<.001). A positive correlation was observed between age and severe itching (Spearman’s rank correlation test, P<.001). More geriatric patients had xerosis (39.6% vs 30.4%, P<.001) and more lichenification was found (25.6% vs 13.3%, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS More than ten percent of eczema occurs in the elderly patients. Longer disease duration, more severe itching, more extremities and trunk involvement, and prone to widespread, xerosis, and lichenification make it a special entity which should be studied further.

scholarly journals Cognitive Functioning and Life Quality of the Elderly: A Cross-sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (E) ◽  
pp. 284-290
Author(s):  
Mirjana Kralj-Vasilj ◽  
Štefica Mikšić ◽  
Nikolina Farčić ◽  
Dunja Degmenčić ◽  
Maja Miškulin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
World Health Organization Quality

BACKGROUND: According to the Gerontological Health Statistics for Croatia, the number of elderly people in Croatia is increasingly growing. The UN classification ranks the Republic of Croatia as the country which belongs to group four of the European countries with elderly population. AIM: The aim of this paper is to examine cognitive functioning and life quality of the elderly. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 156 participants took part in the study. The cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2016 to October 2016 in the Osječko-baranjska County, Croatia. The World Health Organization quality of life (QOL)-BREF scale was used to test the QOL; cognitive functioning was tested using mini-mental state examination (MMSE) questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 156 subjects were tested during the study. The MMSE questionnaire for cognitive abilities and dementia assessment: 83 (53%) participants scored 24 or more which indicates a normal result. The participants whose results indicate the presence of disorders also have notably lower life quality in all domains. The participants suffering only from a physical illness exhibit significantly lower values in the environmental domain (Mann–Whitney U-test, p = 0.010) when compared to those suffering both from physical and mental illness whose results show extremely low values in practically all the segments regarding the QOL. The values of the cognitive functioning questionnaire are related to the life quality domains; the strongest connection relates to mental health (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient Rho = 0.493 p < 0.001) and the weakest connection refers to social functioning. CONCLUSION: After reaching a certain age, the elderly seems to exhibit the lowering in cognitive functioning which consequently reflects on lowering of the life quality as well. The problems regarding the QOL occur as a direct consequence of the gap between the possibilities of the elderly and the demands and conditions set by modern life.

scholarly journals Sexuality is associated with the quality of life of the elderly!

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (suppl 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edison Vitório de Souza Júnior ◽  
Benedito Fernandes da Silva Filho ◽  
Vinicius Santos Barros ◽  
Átila Rodrigues Souza ◽  
Jéssica Ribeiro de Jesus Cordeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
World Health Organization Quality ◽  
General Quality ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Post Hoc

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the association between sexuality and quality of life of Brazilian elderly residents in the community. Methods: a cross-sectional study conducted with 477 Brazilian elderly. The data were collected between August and October 2020. We used the EVASI and WHOQOL-OLD (World Health Organization Quality of Life). Data analysis was performed with Mann-Whitney, Spearman and Kruskal-Wallis correlation tests, with Bonferroni post-hoc application when necessary, considering a 95% confidence interval. Results: there was a statistical association between all dimensions of sexuality and the general quality of life of the elderly (p<0.05). Conclusion: the stimulation of sexuality can be configured as an innovative and holistic strategy focused on the promotion of health and active aging, since this study found the association between sexuality and the general quality of life of elderly people.

Evaluation of Drug Use Based on WHO Prescribing Indicator in Mizan- Tepi University Teaching Hospital, south Western Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Hambisa ◽  
Rediet Feleke ◽  
Ameha Zewudie ◽  
Mohammed Yimam
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Hospital Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Organization

Background:: Rational drug use comprises aspects of prescribing, dispensing and patient use of medicines for different health problems. This study is aimed to assess drug prescribing practice based on the world health organization prescribing indicators in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Methods:: An institutional based retrospective cross sectional study was conducted to evaluate prescribing practices in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Data were collected based on World health organization drug use indicators using prescription papers. 600 prescriptions dispensed through the general outpatient pharmacy of the hospital were collected by systematic random sampling method from prescriptions written for a 1-year time in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. Results:: The present study found that the average number of drugs per prescription was 2.04 ± 0.87 in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital with a range between 1 and 5. Prescribing by generic name was 97.6 % and 47.8% of prescriptions contained antibiotics in the hospital. 27.7% of prescriptions contained at least one injectable medication in Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital. From prescribed drugs, 96.7% of them were prescribed from Ethiopian essential drug list. Conclusion:: Present study indicated that the average number of drugs prescribed per encounter, the percentage of generic prescribing and prescribing from the EDL were close to optimal value. However, the percentage of encounters with antibiotics and injections prescribed were found be very high. Thus, the study highlights some improvements in prescribing habits, particularly by focusing on the inappropriate consumption of antibiotics and injections.

scholarly journals The impact of coronavirus outbreak on breastfeeding guidelines among Brazilian hospitals and maternity services: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Walusa Assad Gonçalves-Ferri ◽  
◽  
Fábia Martins Pereira-Cellini ◽  
Kelly Coca ◽  
Davi Casale Aragon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Breastfeeding Support ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Maternity Services ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The World Health Organization recognizes exclusive breastfeeding a safe source of nutrition available for children in most humanitarian emergencies, as in the current pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite the Brazilian national guideline protecting breastfeeding practices, there are many concerns about protecting infants from their infected mothers. This study aimed to analyze how the Brazilian hospitals and maternity services promote and support mothers suspected or diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional and multicenter study which collected data from 24 Brazilian hospitals and maternity services between March and July 2020. Representatives of the institutions completed a questionnaire based on acts to promote and support breastfeeding, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, and Brazil’s federal law recommendations. Results The results showed that in delivery rooms, 98.5% of the services prohibited immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their infants and did not support mothers to initiate breastfeeding in the first hour. On the postnatal ward, 98.5% of the services allowed breastfeeding while implementing respiratory hygiene practices to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Companions for mothers were forbidden in 83.3% of the hospitals. Hospital discharge was mostly between 24 and 28 h (79.1%); discharge guidelines were not individualized. Additionally, a lack of support was noticed from the home environment’s health community network (83.3%). Hospital and home breast pumping were allowed (87.5%), but breast milk donation was not accepted (95.8%). There was a lack of guidance regarding the use of infant comforting strategies. Guidelines specific for vulnerable populations were not covered in the material evaluated. Conclusions In Brazil, hospitals have not followed recommendations to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding during the COVID-19 outbreak. The disagreement between international guidelines has been a major issue. The absence of recommendations on breastfeeding support during the pandemic led to difficulties in developing standards among hospitals in different regions of Brazil and other countries worldwide. The scientific community needs to discuss how to improve maternal and infant care services to protect breastfeeding in the current pandemic.

scholarly journals The Utilization of Protective Face Masks among Polish Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic: Do We Pass the Exam?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Radomir Reszke ◽  
Łukasz Matusiak ◽  
Piotr K. Krajewski ◽  
Marta Szepietowska ◽  
Rafał Białynicki-Birula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Who Criteria ◽  
The Face ◽  
Health Organization

Relevant personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic include face masks, possibly decreasing the risk of infection among the general population and healthcare workers (HCW) if utilized properly. The aim of the study was to assess whether different Polish HCW utilize face masks according to the 2020 World Health Organization guidance (WHO) criteria. This cross-sectional study included 1156 respondents who participated in an internet survey evaluating mask-related behaviors. All the WHO criteria were complied with by 1.4% of participants, regardless of medical profession, specialty or place of employment. HCW mostly adhered to criterion 1 (C1; strict covering of the face and mouth with the mask; 90.8%), C4 (washing/disinfecting the hands after touching/taking off the mask; 49%) and C3 (taking off the mask properly without touching the anterior surface; 43.4%), whereas C2 (avoidance of touching the mask with hands) was complied with least commonly (6.8%). HCW with mask-induced itch (31.6%) complied to C2 less often (odds ratio 0.53; p = 0.01). The study reveals that Polish HCW rarely adhere to all the 2020 WHO guidance criteria on the use of masks, whereas the adherence to particular criteria is variable and may be associated with the presence of skin-related conditions and other factors. Better compliance with the recommendations in the future is necessary to increase personal safety of HCW and prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Managing the Return to Football During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of the Head Team Physicians of the Football Bowl Subdivision Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 232596712199204
Author(s):  
Alexander D. Slabaugh ◽  
John W. Belk ◽  
Jonathan C. Jackson ◽  
Richard J. Robins ◽  
Eric C. McCarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
National Collegiate Athletic Association ◽  
College Football ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Football Bowl Subdivision ◽  
Health Organization

Background: COVID-19 is a severe respiratory virus that spreads via person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets. Since being declared a pandemic in early March 2020, the World Health Organization had yet to release guidelines regarding the return of college or professional sports for the 2020-2021 season. Purpose: To survey the head orthopedic surgeons and primary care team physicians for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football teams so as to gauge the management of common COVID-19 issues for the fall 2020 college football season. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The head team orthopaedic surgeons and primary care physicians for all 130 FBS football teams were surveyed regarding their opinions on the management of college football during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 30 questions regarding testing, return-to-play protocol, isolating athletes, and other management issues were posed via email survey sent on June 5, 2020. Results: Of the 210 team physicians surveyed, 103 (49%) completed the questionnaire. Overall, 36.9% of respondents felt that it was unsafe for college athletes to return to playing football during fall 2020. While the majority of football programs (96.1%) were testing athletes for COVID-19 as they returned to campus, only 78.6% of programs required athletes to undergo a mandatory quarantine period before resuming involvement in athletic department activities. Of the programs that were quarantining their players upon return to campus, 20% did so for 1 week, 20% for 2 weeks, and 32.9% quarantined their athletes until they had a negative COVID-19 test. Conclusion: While US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines evolve and geographic regions experience a range of COVID-19 infections, determining a universal strategy for return to socialization and participation in sports remains a challenge. The current study highlighted areas of consensus and strong agreement, but the results also demonstrated a need for clarity and consistency in operations, leadership, and guidance for medical professionals in multiple areas as they attempt to safely mitigate risk for college football players amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals An analysis of heavy metals contamination and estimating the daily intakes of vegetables from Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239784732098525
Author(s):  
Keneth Iceland Kasozi ◽  
Eric Oloya Otim ◽  
Herbert Izo Ninsiima ◽  
Gerald Zirintunda ◽  
Andrew Tamale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Absorption Spectrometry ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Daily Intakes

Background: Environmental contamination with elevated levels of copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr6+), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni)—all states of which are found in Uganda—raises health risk to the public. Pb, Cr6+, Cd, and Ni for instance are generally considered nonessential to cellular functions, notwithstanding the importance of the oxidative state of the metals in bioavailability. As such, we aimed in this study (i) to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in four vegetables from a typical open-air market in Uganda, (ii) to assess the safety of consuming these vegetables against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits of heavy metals consumption, and (iii) to formulate a model of estimated daily intake (EDI) among consumers in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five georeferenced markets of Bushenyi district in January 2020. Amaranthus, cabbages, scarlet eggplants, and tomatoes were collected from open markets, processed, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Modeled EDI, principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to identify relationships in the samples. Results: The levels of essential elements in the four vegetables were found to fall from Co > Cu > Fe > Zn. Those of non-essential metals were significantly higher and followed the pattern Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni. The highest EDI values were those of Cu in scarlet eggplants, Zn in amaranthus, Fe in amaranthus, Co in amaranthus, Pb in cabbages, total Cr in scarlet eggplant, Cd in cabbages and tomatoes, and Ni in cabbages. In comparison to international limits, EDIs for Zn, Cu, Co and Fe were low while Ni in cabbages were high. PCA showed high variations in scarlet eggplant and amaranthus. The study vegetables were found to be related with each other, not according to the location of the markets from where they were obtained, but according to their species by CA. Conclusion: The presence of non-essential elements above WHO limits raises policy challenges for the consumption and marketing of vegetables in the study area. Furthermore, low EDIs of essential elements in the vegetables create demand for nutritious foods to promote healthy communities.

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