scholarly journals Health, Functional and Nutritional Determinants of Falls Experienced in the Previous Year—A Cross-Sectional Study in a Geriatric Ward

Author(s):  
Lukasz Magnuszewski ◽  
Marta Swietek ◽  
Agnieszka Kasiukiewicz ◽  
Bartlomiej Kuprjanowicz ◽  
Jan Baczek ◽  
...  

Falls are a serious health problem in older adults. A limited number of studies assessed their multifactorial nature in geriatric ward patients. The aim of this study is to explore health, functional and nutritional correlates of experiencing fall(s) in the previous year by older inpatients. A cross-sectional study of patients admitted to the department of geriatrics was conducted. A “faller status” was defined based on positive history of falls in the previous 12 months. Health, functional and nutritional factors associated with falls were evaluated, and multivariable logistic regression analysis models were built. A total of 358 patients (median age 82 (IQR 76–86) years, 77.9% women) were recruited, 43.9% of whom reported falls. The “fallers” presented with a significantly higher number of chronic diseases, higher prevalence of Parkinson’s disease, peripheral arterial disease, chronic osteoarthritis, more frequently reported urinary incontinence and were dependent on others for daily living activities. They had significantly worse results for the assessment of gait, balance and frailty status. The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form scores and the mean value of serum albumin were significantly lower in the fallers’ group. Parkinson’s disease (OR = 2.82, CI—1.07–7.45; p = 0.04) and osteoarthritis (OR = 2.08, CI—1.02–4.23; p = 0.04) were the main variables for the outcome prediction, according to the direct multivariable logistic regression analysis. Our findings suggest that Parkinson’s disease and osteoarthritis are the main predictors independently associated with a history of falls in patients admitted to the geriatric ward, although the influence of some factors may be underestimated due to the tendency of not taking the history of falls in very frail, functionally dependent and bedridden individuals.

Author(s):  
Shweta Suri ◽  
Anuradha Dutta ◽  
Rita Singh Raghuvanshi ◽  
Anupama Singh ◽  
C. S. Chopra

Background: In India, Anaemia among children is still one of the major nutritional problems of public health concern. Aim of the Study: The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia among Anganwadi children (3-6 years of age) and to determine the important risk factors associated with anaemia. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted among 390 Anganwadi children of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, during April, 2019- August, 2019. Methodology: In this cross sectional study, data on socio-demographic, socioeconomic, hygiene and dietary practices were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. Hemoglobin (Hb) and anthropometric measurements were carried out. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR). Results: A majority, 70.54% of the Anganwadi children were found to be anaemic, with higher prevalence among male children (51.30%) as compared to female children (48.70%). The mean hemoglobin concentration of children was 9.91 (±1.9 g/dl). Stunting was higher among males (54.83%) as compared to females (45.17%).Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that anaemia was significantly associated with monthly income of family AOR (95% CI) 3.25(2.49, 4.00), mother's illiteracy AOR (95% CI) 1.98 (1.49, 2.46), history of anaemia in mother AOR (95% CI) 1.60(0.67, 2.52 ), history of worms in child's stool AOR (95% CI) 3.17(2.26,4.03), barefoot walking AOR (95% CI) 3.08(2.11,4.04) and lack of habit of hand washing AOR (95% CI) 1.55(0.98, 2.11). Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia among children was high. Iron supplementation, nutrition education among mothers and overall personal hygiene are important to ameliorate their iron status.


2017 ◽  
Vol 181 (16) ◽  
pp. 427-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel H Kinsman ◽  
Tim J Gruffydd-Jones ◽  
Jane Clements ◽  
Jane K Murray

Animal welfare organisations in the UK invest substantial resources to fund subsidised neutering vouchers to increase feline neutering rates. Little evidence exists to quantify factors influencing voucher redemption. This cross-sectional study assessed risk factors (including voucher value and expiry period) for redemption of neutering vouchers issued by staff of the feline welfare charity Cats Protection. Data were collected using telephone interview-administered questionnaires of cat owners who were issued a neutering voucher(s) and from Cats Protection voucher payment records. During the four-month study 2655 owners were issued 3935 vouchers. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that owners of cats that had produced ≥1 litter before voucher request, owners eligible for a voucher due to receiving benefits and owners who rented their homes or lived with family were less likely to redeem vouchers than owners whose cats had not had a litter, were eligible for a voucher for other reasons and/or owners who owned their home, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harith AL-Amri ◽  
Salim Al-Huseini ◽  
Moon Fai Chan ◽  
Alkhatib Al Saadi ◽  
Nasser Al-Sibani ◽  
...  

Objectives: Many studies suggest that depression is prevalent among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Notably, both depression and IBD have a significant disease burden. However, these studies have mostly been conducted among European and American populations; there is a paucity of these studies from Arabic countries. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among adult IBD patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted among a random sample of patient's aged18 years and older who attended the gastroenterology clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman between June 2018, and January 2019. Participants were asked to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression, as well as a sociodemographic survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of depressive symptoms among the study sample. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were also reported. Results: This study included 201participants, within average age of 36years. Of this study, 51% were female. The mean duration of the patients’IBD diagnosis was 1.9 years (standard deviation=0.3), the majority of the participants (87%) had ulcerative colitis (n=174), 80% of the participants had received steroids (n=161), and 6% of the sample had a history of a surgical stoma. The medical comorbidities among the participants were cerebrovascular accidents (25%), hypertension (25%) and diabetes mellitus (24%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23%. The logistic regression analysis resulted in four independent predictors of depression: being female (odds ratio [OR] =2.09, P=0.047), a history of surgical stoma (OR=5.737, P<.001), a comorbid diagnosis of hypertension (OR=2.846, P=0.007), and a history of a cerebrovascular accident (OR=2.651, P=0.011). Conclusion: The present study found that depressive symptoms are prevalent among Omani patients with IBD. Certain clinical factors appeared to increase the risk of depression among this population. The findings of this study fill a gap in the existing literature and call for further work aiming at screening and managing depression among IBD patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfaldet Mekonnen Estifanos ◽  
Chen Hui ◽  
Afewerki Weldezgi Tesfai ◽  
Mekonnen Estifanos Teklu ◽  
Matiwos Araya Ghebrehiwet ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Youth in general and young females, in particular, remain at the center of HIV/AIDS epidemic. To avoid and prevent HIV infection, comprehensive knowledge as well as correct understanding of transmission and prevention strategies are crucial. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the predictors of comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS and accepting attitude towards PLWHIV. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey. A two-stage probability sampling method was applied and data were collected using a standard questionnaire. Of the total 8674 women aged 15–49 years, 1971 eligible women aged 15–24 years were included in this analysis. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. A Chi-square test followed by logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between specific explanatory variables and outcome variables. The results were reported using odds ratios with 95% confidence interval. P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results Overall, 99.3% of the unmarried women aged 15–24 years were aware of HIV/AIDS, but only 51.9% had comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS. Around 70% of the respondents were aware that "using condoms every time when having sex" and "having only one faithful uninfected partner" can prevent HIV transmission. About 68% of the unmarried women rejected at least two common local misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. An alarmingly small (20.6%) proportion of the respondents had a positive acceptance attitude towards PLWHIV. All variables were significantly associated with having comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS in the unadjusted logistic regression analysis. After adjustment, older age (20–24 years), being educated, wealthier, and ever been tested for HIV/AIDS became predictors of adequate comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. Moreover, respondents with adequate comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS were more likely (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.30–2.08) to have a positive acceptance attitude towards PLWHIV than their counterparts. Conclusion Our study demonstrated a remarkably high level of awareness about HIV/AIDS among study participants, but the knowledge and positive acceptance attitude towards PLWHIV were not encouraging. Thus, endeavors to expand and strengthen educational campaigns on HIV/AIDS in communities, health facilities, and schools are highly recommended. Attention should particularly focus on young-aged and disadvantaged women with low educational level, poor socioeconomic status and those who have never been tested for HIV/AIDS.


BMJ Open ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e003976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirik Auning ◽  
Veslemøy Krohn Kjærvik ◽  
Per Selnes ◽  
Dag Aarsland ◽  
Astrid Haram ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e051527
Author(s):  
Huanyu Zhang ◽  
Eliza LY Wong ◽  
Samuel YS Wong ◽  
Patsy YK Chau ◽  
Benjamin HK Yip ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in Hong Kong older patients visiting general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) between 2006 and 2014 and to identify factors associated with PIM use among older adults visiting GOPCs in 2014.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingGOPC.ParticipantsTwo study samples were constructed including a total of 844 910 patients aged 65 and above from 2006 to 2014 and a cohort of 489 301 older patients in 2014.MeasurementsTwo subsets of the 2015 American Geriatrics Society Beers criteria—PIMs independent of diagnosis and PIMs due to drug–disease interactions—were used to estimate the prevalence of PIM use over 12 months. PIMs that were not included in the Hospital Authority drug formulary or with any specific restriction or exception in terms of indication, dose or therapy duration were excluded. Characteristics of PIM users and non-PIM users visiting GOPCs in 2014 were compared. Independent associations between patient variables and PIM use were assessed by stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe 12-month period prevalence of PIM use decreased from 55.56% (95% CI 55.39% to 55.72%) in 2006 to 47.51% (95% CI 47.37% to 47.65%) in 2014. In the multivariable regression analysis, the strongest factor associated with PIM use was the number of different drugs prescribed (adjusted OR, AOR 23.01, 95% CI 22.36 to 23.67). Being female (AOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.87 for males vs females) and having a greater number of GOPC visits (AOR 1.83, 95% CI 1.78 to 1.88) as well as more than six diagnoses (AOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.52) were associated with PIM use.ConclusionsThe overall prevalence of PIM use in older adults visiting GOPCs decreased from 2006 to 2014 in Hong Kong although the prevalence of PIM use was still high in 2014. Patients with female gender, a larger number of medications prescribed, more frequent visits to GOPCs, and more than six diagnoses were at higher risk for PIM use.


Author(s):  
Arun Kurupath ◽  
Praveen Arathil ◽  
Rahul Bansal

Introduction: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder where the individual over time needs more and more assistance from their caregivers to carry on their life and that causes increasing burden on the caregiver. The burden for the caregiver is affecting them physically, mentally and also on a socioeconomic level. Aim: To examine the factors related to caregiver burden in caregivers of Parkinson’s patients. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Parkinson’s clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital of Kochi, on 100 Parkinsonism patients and their respective caregivers. Patients were assessed using the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr Scale (H&Y) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Caregivers were assessed using Zerit’s Caregiver Burden inventory (CBI). Semi structured questionnaire was administered for socio-demographic details. Non parametric tests were done to examine the correlation among various variables. Results: Among the patients and caregivers, mean age was 70.65±7.30 and 67.31±8.56, respectively. Among the patient’s majority were males (n=74) while among caregivers, majority were females (n=73). Mean duration of disease was 6.79±2.68 years, mean caregiver burden score was 65.05±21.79, mean UPDRS score was 21.89±8.74 and had significant positive correlation with caregiver burden. Mean MMSE score was 17.19±4.91. The disease duration and UPDRS score had a significant positive correlation with caregiver burden score. MMSE score had significant negative correlation with caregiver burden score. Conclusion: This study concludes that a patient’s Parkinsonism related disability accounts for majority of caregiver burden. An early identification of factors contributing to stress in caregivers will help to avoid its persistency leading to a better insight in the caregiving role and thus in-patient care.


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