Healthcare Utilization and Perceived Health Status from Falun Gong Practitioners in Taiwan: A Pilot SF-36 Survey

Objective: Falun Gong (FLG) is a practice of mind and body focusing on moral character improvement that includes meditative exercises. In this study, we explored perceived health status, healthcare resource utilization, and related factors among Taiwanese FLG practitioners, compared to themselves before practicing FLG, and also to the general Taiwanese norm, as reported by the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on a voluntary, paper-based survey conducted from October 2002 to February 2003 using the same Taiwanese SF-36 instrument employed by the NHIS. Primary outcomes included 8 SF-36 domain scores and the number of outpatient visits. One-sample t-tests, oneway ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression analyses were used. Results: The response rate was 75.6% (1210/1600). Compared to the norm, the study cohort had significantly higher scores in 6 of 8 SF-36 domains across sex and age (p < .05). Among those with chronic diseases, 70% to 89% reported that their conditions were improved or cured. Additionally, 74.2% and 79.2% participants stopped drinking alcohol and quit smoking; 62.7% reported decreased outpatient visits (mean before = 11.96; mean after = 5.87; norm = 14.4). Conclusions: In this cohort, FLG participants had higher perceived health scores than the population norm and reduced outpatient visits than before practice.

Download Full-text

Perceived health status as measured by the SF-36 in patients with multiple sclerosis: a review

Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences ◽

10.1111/j.1471-6712.2008.00633.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 529-538 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Martina Krokavcova ◽

Jitse P. van Dijk ◽

Iveta Nagyova ◽

Jaroslav Rosenberger ◽

Miriam Gavelova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Health Status ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Perceived Health Status ◽

Sf 36

Download Full-text

Evaluation of Health Perceptions And Healthcare Utilization Among Population-Based Female Cancer Survivors And Cancer-Free Women

10.21203/rs.3.rs-499330/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kate E Dibble ◽

Maneet Kaur ◽

Junrui Lyu ◽

Avonne E Connor

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Healthcare Utilization ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Mental Health Provider ◽

Perceived Health Status ◽

History Of ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

Female Cancer Survivors ◽

History Of Cancer

Abstract Purpose. Cancer survivors are more likely to report having a poor health status when compared to the general population; however, few studies have focused on the impact of cancer on perceived health status, in combination with other healthcare utilization and access outcomes, among women from disadvantaged health populations.Methods. 25,741 women with and without a history of cancer from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2016 contributed data. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models for the associations between cancer status and healthcare utilization and access outcomes. Models were stratified by race/ethnicity, federal poverty level (FPL), education, and comorbidities. Results. A total of 2,415 (9.4%) women had a history of cancer with breast cancer as the most common site (n=704, 29.2%). While most survivors were non-Hispanic white (68.4%), 15.2% were Hispanic, 12.1% were non-Hispanic Black, and 4.3% were additional racial/ethnic groups. Survivors were 1.28 times more likely to report fair/poor perceived health status (95% CI, 1.09-1.50), 1.61 times more likely to report hospitalizations in the last year (95% CI, 1.40-1.86), and 1.37 times more likely to see a mental health provider within the last year (95% CI, 1.12-1.66) compared to controls. Race/ethnicity and FPL were the only significant effect modifiers.Conclusion. Our study identifies disparities in health status and healthcare utilization among female cancer survivors and recognizes the importance of evaluating these associations among disadvantaged health populations. These findings could inform future cancer survivorship care.

Download Full-text

Health status in patients with sub-clinical hypothyroidism

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje.1.01907 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 152 (5) ◽

pp. 713-717 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Salman Razvi ◽

Lorna E Ingoe ◽

Carolyn V McMillan ◽

Jolanta U Weaver

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Short Form ◽

Bodily Pain ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Perceived Health Status ◽

Role Physical ◽

Normative Population ◽

Sf 36 ◽

Physical Scale ◽

Z Scores

Objective: Sub-clinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a common disorder. People with this condition may have symptoms which could affect their perception of health. Therefore, the perceived health status of people with SCH was assessed and compared with population-matched norms. Design: A prospective cross-sectional survey. Methods: Seventy-one adults with SCH, age range 18–64 years were studied. Perceived health status was measured by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) version 2 questionaire, which has been validated in a UK population setting. The SF-36 has eight scales measuring physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional and mental health. Their SF-36 scores were compared with UK normative data after matching for age and sex and are reported as z-scores. Results: Scores of all eight SF-36 scales were significantly lower in people with SCH compared with the normative population. A negative score (compared with zero of the normative population) indicates worse health status. The most significantly impaired aspects of health status were vitality and role limitations due to physical problems (role physical scale) with z-scores (95% confidence intervals) of −1.01 (−0.74 to −1.29) and −0.73 (−0.43 to −1.04) respectively. Thyroid autoimmunity did not influence the results. Conclusion: Perceived health status is significantly impaired in people with SCH when compared with UK normative population scores. This needs to be taken into consideration by clinicians when managing patients with this disease.

Download Full-text

Self-Perceived Health Status

Handbook of Research on Health Systems and Organizations for an Aging Society - Advances in Human Services and Public Health ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9818-3.ch001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Maria Otília Zangão

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Short Form ◽

Health Planning ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Study Data ◽

Perceived Health Status ◽

Sf 36 ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Quantitative Descriptive ◽

Short Form Health

Perceived health status is central to adequate health planning, not only because it plays a key role in health but also because it is related to the adoption of a health-promoting lifestyle. The objectives of the present study were to assess the self-perceived health status of the studied population and to correlate self-perceived health status with socioeconomic and demographic variables. This was a quantitative descriptive-correlational study. Data were collected by means of a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Portuguese version of the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36). The assessed population was composed of the teaching and nonteaching staff of the studied school. IBM® SPSS® statistical software, version 20, was used. The sociodemographic indicators had a significant influence on the respondents' self-perceived health status. The age group of 36-40 years was associated with a significantly higher self-perceived health status than the other analyzed variables.

Download Full-text

Perceived Health Status of and Moderating Factors in Elderly People Caring for Their Grandchildren

Psychiatry Investigation ◽

10.30773/pi.2019.0115 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 275-282

Author(s):

Kyoung Min Kim ◽

Jung Jae Lee ◽

Un Sun Chung

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Health Status ◽

Elderly People ◽

Financial Support ◽

Short Form ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Perceived Health Status ◽

Grandchild Care ◽

Moderating Factors ◽

Sf 36

Objective Situations in which elderly people are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren are becoming more common. This study aimed to investigate moderating factors of and the association between grandchild care and the grandparents’ perceived health. Financial support in return for grandchild care was also investigated as a moderating factor.Methods Participants included 357 elderly people over the age of 60 years. The assessment to evaluate the perceived health status and social support was performed via a questionnaire. It included questions regarding the care of grandchildren and demographic variables, as well as the Medical Outcome Survey (MOS) 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), and the MOS Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS).Results The subscale scores of SF-36 and MOS-SSS did not differ significantly for grandchild-care status. However, the subscale scores of SF-36 were significantly higher in groups that received regular financial support from adult children in return for grandchild care than in groups that did not.Conclusion Our data suggest that regular financial support in return for grandchild care may be a moderating factor in the association between grandchild care and the perceived health status of elderly people. These findings have important social implications and warrant future study to reveal the psychological mechanism of these associations and enhance the health of elderly individuals.

Download Full-text