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

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

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

The influence of self-perceived health status, social support and depression on self-efficacy among Brazilian elderly people

Interdisciplinaria Revista de Psicología y Ciencias Afines ◽

10.16888/interd.2019.36.1.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ana Luísa Patrão ◽

Vicente Paulo Alves ◽

Tiago Sousa Neiva

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Health Status ◽

Elderly People ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Perceived Health Status

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