scholarly journals Cognitive impairment and risk factor prevalence in a population over 60 in Argentina

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-370
Author(s):  
Raul L. Arizaga ◽  
Roxana E. Gogorza ◽  
Ricardo F. Allegri ◽  
Patricia D. Baumann ◽  
María C. Morales ◽  
...  

Epidemiological data on dementia and cognitive impairment are scarce in South America. In Argentina, no dementia/cognitive impairment population-based epidemiological studies are available. The Ceibo Study is a population-based epidemiological study of dementia and cognitive impairment in individuals over 60 to be conducted. The present paper reports the results of the pilot phase (survey of cognitive impairment) conducted in Cañuelas (province of Buenos Aires). METHODS: In a door-to-door survey, trained high school students evaluated 1453 individuals aged 60 years and over in one day using a demographic data and risk factors questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). RESULTS: Mean age of the individuals was 70.9 (±7.5) years, 61.4% were women, mean schooling was 5.5 (±3.5) years. Mean MMSE score was 24.5 (±4.7) and mean GDS 3.1 (±2.7). Risk factors of higher prevalence in the population under study were: hypertension (40.6%), smoking (35.1%), alcohol consumption (32.8%), high cholesterol (16.1%), diabetes (12.5%), cranial trauma with loss of consciousness (12.5%), 7 points or more on the GDS (11.7%). Prevalence of cognitive impairment for the whole sample was 23%, and 16.9% in subjects aged 60-69, 23.3% in 70-79 and 42.5% in subjects aged 80 or over . A significant correlation of cognitive impairment with age, functional illiteracy, cranial trauma, high blood pressure, inactivity and depression was found. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, the prevalence of cognitive impairment was comparable with previous international studies.

Author(s):  
Beata Dziedzic ◽  
Paulina Sarwa ◽  
Ewa Kobos ◽  
Zofia Sienkiewicz ◽  
Anna Idzik ◽  
...  

Introduction: Having impaired relations and limited interpersonal contact is associated with a sense of loneliness, and can result in a number of mental disorders, including the development of depression. Approximately one in five adolescents in the world suffers from depression, and first episodes of such are occurring at increasingly young ages. Due to a lack of appropriate support from parents, teachers and the healthcare system, the young person feels alone when dealing with their problem. Aims: The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, aggression and sense of loneliness among high school students, and to analyze a correlation between loneliness and depression. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 300 high school students in Poland. The study material was collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M) and De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). Results: A feeling of loneliness correlated significantly with depressive disorders (p < 0.005), with the strongest effect between the total HADS-M score and the total loneliness scale score (r = 0.61). The overall presence of disorders as per HADS-M was found to be 23%, and borderline conditions were found in 19.3%. In 24% of the students, disorders were revealed on the anxiety subscale and in 46.3% on the aggression subscale. On DJGLS, a very severe sense of loneliness was observed in 6.67% of the subjects, and in 42.3% of them, a moderate feeling of loneliness was indicated. On the social loneliness subscale, a severe sense of loneliness was found in 22.7%, while on the emotional loneliness subscale, it was found in 16.7% of the subjects. Conclusions: In this study, a quarter of the student participants experienced anxiety and depression disorders. Students showing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and aggression also showed enhanced loneliness. Girls showed higher levels of anxiety, depression and aggression, as well as emotional loneliness.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052098753
Author(s):  
Sung Hae Kim ◽  
Yoona Choi

Although the rate of sexual intercourse among adolescents has increased in Asian countries, including Korea, many sexually active adolescents still do not use contraception. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for contraceptive nonuse among adolescents using decision tree analysis of the 2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 2,460 high school students who had an experience of sexual intercourse. The findings indicated that the highest risk group who did not use contraception during sexual intercourse did not receive sexual health education in school and was involved in habitual or purposeful drug use. The experience of ever receiving treatment due to violence and the experience of sexual intercourse after drinking were also identified as risk factors for contraceptive nonuse. To encourage contraceptive use, development of standard sexual health education, counseling, and educational intervention intended to prevent risky behaviors is needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22
Author(s):  
Sarita Tuladhar ◽  
Jamuna Gurung

Introduction: Conjunctivitis is a common health problem in Nepal. It is inflammation of conjunctiva presenting as red eye. It is a communicable eye disease. Health education to the students and proper management can help spread of the disease. Knowledge of conjunctivitis among school students will help in prevention of the disease. So the study was carried out to assess the knowledge of conjunctivitis among high school students in Pokhara valley of Western Nepal. Materials/ Methods: A school based cross sectional study was performed among six government schools in western Nepal from May 2019 to June 2019. Students from grade eight, nine and ten were included in the study. Data was collected using structured questionnaire including demographic data, knowledge regarding sign symptoms of conjunctivitis, treatment, prevention, complication of conjunctivitis. Data was analysed using SPSS version 11.6. Result: A total of 523 students were included in the study. The mean age of the students was 14.7 ± 1.2 years with majority of females (53%). Nearly 2/3rd of the students (61.6%) had heard of conjunctivitis. Majority of the students (87.4%) of the students mentioned that it is communicable while 80.3% of the students correctly mentioned its etiology. Majority of the students (97.9%) mentioned that it is curable with treatment as first option (97.5%). Majority of the students (98.3%) correctly responded to the preventive measures but majority of the students (83.2%) wrongly mentioned mode of transmission. Conclusion: Secondary school students in Western Nepal have poor knowledge of conjunctivitis. Appropriate eye health education should be given to school students to prevent rapid spread of infective conjunctivitis.  


Author(s):  
O. V. Tikashkina ◽  
A. Yu. Makarova

High school students are in a special period of their life, associated with increased preparation for University admission, which affects the lifestyle and well-being, which are risk factors for the health of students. The purpose of the study was to study the behavior of students in relation to their own health Resource center «Medical Sechenov Preuniversary» by means of a questionnaire. 152 surveyed students aged 15–17 years were found to have a violation of the multiplicity and regularity of nutrition, a deficit in the consumption of protein, vegetables and fruits in the diet. A significant part of them showed a lack of motor activity. At the same time, students have complaints of a vegetative nature: they experience anxiety, cephalgia and frequent irritability, and frequent back pain is noted. The lack of personal time was diagnosed in one fourth of the student.


2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (11) ◽  
pp. 2589-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Myers ◽  
Husam A. Zaman

Background/Context The current national debate over the purposes of civic education is largely tied to outdated notions of citizenship that overlook its changing nature under globalization. Civic education is based on a legalistic understanding of citizenship that emphasizes patriotism and the structures and functions of government. This study examined adolescents’ civic beliefs and affiliations, drawing on theories of transnational and global citizenship. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose was to examine diverse adolescents’ vocabularies of citizenship, a concept that captures the tensions in their civic beliefs and affiliations. Their vocabularies were explored in terms of two topics at the intersection of national and global affiliations: universal human rights and global citizenship. The central question asked was: How do adolescents from immigrant backgrounds understand the tensions between national and global civic affiliations, and do they differ from dominant-culture adolescents’ understandings? Setting The research setting was the Pennsylvania Governor's School for International Studies, a 5-week summer program for high school students that emphasizes current scholarship and skills in international affairs, cultural studies, and foreign language. Research Design A mixed-method case study design was employed to collect detailed and rich data on the students’ beliefs about citizenship. Findings/Results The findings showed that the students from immigrant backgrounds favored universal positions and were the only students to call attention to national economic inequalities. In contrast, a majority of the dominant-culture students gave a more central role to national affiliations. However, over half of the students switched between universal and nationally oriented positions for the issues of global citizenship and human rights. It is argued that these switches represent a strong indication of the tensions in civic affiliations in light of globalization. Conclusions/Recommendations The findings presented here suggest that the question of either national- or global-oriented civic education makes little sense. This research suggests that differentiated forms of civic education are needed if all youth will have access to full citizenship and the range of civic affiliations needed in the world. Two approaches for reconceptualizing civic education are proposed: Civic education curricula should focus on the intersection of national with global issues and affiliations, and civic education should address, in addition to civic attitudes, skills, and knowledge, a conscious effort to help adolescents build flexible and multiple civic identities.


Author(s):  
J. Skov Neergaard ◽  
K. Dragsbæk ◽  
C. Christiansen ◽  
M. Asser Karsdal ◽  
S. Brix ◽  
...  

Background: Identification of subjects with a progressive disease phenotype is an urgent need in the pharmaceutical industry where most of the recent clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease have failed. Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify subgroups of individuals with objective cognitive impairment (OCI), who were most likely to progress to dementia and to identify the risk factors associated with progression. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Population-based. Participants: 5,380 elderly women from Denmark. Measurements: The Short Blessed Test and a category fluency test with animal naming, was used to assess cognitive function, and to classify them into different groups of OCI. Results: OCI was identified in 852 subjects at baseline. The risk of dementia was elevated for OCI subjects as compared to subjects with normal cognition (HR 1.46[1.19-1.79]). The courses of OCI were studied in a sub-cohort who completed the cognitive assessment at both the baseline and the follow-up visit (n = 1,933). Of these subjects 203 had OCI at baseline. The multi-domain subtypes of OCI were associated with progressive OCI. Subjects most likely to progress were older, physically inactive, had a higher level of total cholesterol (>6.5 mmol/L) and had a history of depression as compared to subjects with a non-progressive course of OCI. Conclusions: In this cohort we identified a risk profile associated with progression from OCI in older women. The degree of impairment at baseline was an important predictor of conversion to dementia, additionally several modifiable risk factors were associated with progression.


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