The impact of attendance patterns on oral health in a general dental practice. (33/1158)

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of attendance patterns on oral health in the context of government policy on dental care and registration in the UK. METHOD: The data involved 643 consecutive patient responses to a questionnaire on dental health taken from a survey that was conducted during 1998 in an urban area of Swansea. The survey continued for a period of six months and covered patients of 18 years of age and over, responding to a questionnaire on the subjective oral health status indicators including the pattern of their attendance to dental practices. RESULTS: Regular dental care attendance has a significant positive impact on dental health while its impact on the number of teeth present is insignificant. Regular attendees also suffer significantly less from the severity, prevalence, social and psychological impacts of dental health problems. CONCLUSION: Regular dental attendance is associated with better oral health when regularity of care is defined as a visit within a two-year period. The rationality of a 15 month registration period is therefore debatable in the context of developing equitable services.  (+info)

Training experiences and theoretical orientations of pediatric psychologists. (34/1158)

OBJECTIVE: To reexamine members of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) to document trends in training experiences of individuals who identify themselves as pediatric psychologists. METHODS: Using the 1999 SPP membership list, we asked respondents to complete a survey describing their degree status, theoretical orientation of graduate program, type of internship/fellowship, current employment setting, and orientation to assessment and treatment of pediatric problems. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents matriculated from doctoral programs in the last two decades. Compared to a previous survey (Mullins, Harbeck-Weber, Olson, & Hartman, 1996), this survey had a higher percentage of respondents who completed accredited predoctoral or postdoctoral training in pediatric psychology. Over half of the respondents were primarily employed in medical centers or academic institutions; fewer respondents reported working in private practice settings than in the previous survey 10 years ago. Respondents' current orientation was most often described as cognitive-behavioral. In this survey, the percentage of respondents endorsing an eclectic orientation was lower; the percentage endorsing cognitive-behavioral, behavioral, and systems orientations increased. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss implications of these findings as they relate to training and practice in pediatric psychology.  (+info)

Mortality in elderly men and women in a Swedish municipality. (35/1158)

AIM: to analyse the relationship between age, self-rated global health, morbidity, mobility, life satisfaction, marital status, social network and 6-year mortality in elderly men and women living at home. METHOD: the study area was a municipality in mid-eastern Sweden with a population of about 21,000. Data from interviews with non-institutionalized people aged 75 years and older in 1986 (n = 421) were linked to an individual-based research registry of prescription drug purchases. The elderly subjects were followed for 6 years. Information on mortality was obtained from the national cause of death register. A combined measure of morbidity captured both self-reported symptoms/diseases and prescription drugs. RESULTS: mortality was higher in men than women (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. Among elderly men, morbidity-related factors-self-rated global health, heart problems and diabetes mellitus, for example--were the most important predictors of mortality. Among women, the predictors were spread over more domains (morbidity, mobility, social network).  (+info)

Rural women family physicians. Are they unique? (36/1158)

OBJECTIVE: To compare the scope of practice and degree of personal and professional satisfaction of rural women family physicians with their rural male, urban female, and urban male counterparts. DESIGN: Cross-sectional mailed survey. SETTING: Rural and urban Ontario family practices. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 442 rural and urban family physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Personal and professional characteristics, scope of practice, and degree of personal and professional satisfaction. RESULTS: Rural women family physicians' scope of practice is as broad as that of rural men, and the women are more likely to attend births. They work many more hours on average than their urban counterparts. Rural women incorporate more professional activities into their practices than both male and female urban family physicians do, but they are less satisfied, both personally and professionally. CONCLUSION: Rural family practice provides a broad scope of practice for both women and men, but initiatives are needed to make rural practice more professionally and personally satisfying for both women and men.  (+info)

Has the adolescents' weight concern increased over 20 years? (37/1158)

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the proportion of 12 to 18-year-old adolescents perceiving themselves to be overweight has increased from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, and to evaluate how self-reported weight is associated with weight concern in the different age groups among girls and boys, and how this association has changed over time. MATERIAL: A nationally representative sample of 26,700 girls and 23,346 boys, aged 12-18 years, who responded to the postal survey study Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey in 1979-1999. METHODS: Self-reported information about weight, height and satisfaction with one's own weight. RESULTS: Girls reported more concerns of being overweight than boys. The proportion of those perceiving themselves as being overweight decreased over time both among overweight and among normal weight adolescents. CONCLUSION: Even if the adolescent population has gained weight, they are less concerned at being overweight than earlier. It seems that adolescents compare themselves rather to the peers close to them than to ideal models provided by culture at large.  (+info)

Factors related to dissatisfaction with the National Health Insurance among primary care physicians in Taiwan. (38/1158)

BACKGROUND: Few studies were found that evaluated dissatisfaction with the National Health Insurance (NHI) by primary care physicians in Taiwan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify factors related to dissatisfaction with the NHI among primary care physicians. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was developed through a literature review, a panel discussion, and 5 focus group interviews. In total, 9336 primary care physicians were surveyed. A logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors related to dissatisfaction with the NHI by primary care physicians. RESULTS: There were 1822 surveys returned, yielding a 19.5% response rate. They showed that 5.7% of respondents were very dissatisfied and 22.3% were dissatisfied with the current medical environment under the NHI. The dissatisfaction of primary care physicians was significantly related to age (OR = 1.029, p<0.05) and dissatisfaction with the following aspects: malpractice claims (OR = 1.744, p<0.001), complexity of medical claims (OR = 1.454, p<0.01), excessive work hours (OR = 1.790, p<0.001), decreased income (OR = 2.812, p<0.001), difficulty in finding nurses (OR = 1.379, p<0.05), and the separation of dispensing medicine from medical practice (OR = 1.389, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results can provide valuable information to help policy makers identify areas for improvement and intervention in order to reduce levels of dissatisfaction of primary care physicians under the NHI.  (+info)

GPs' satisfaction with the doctor-patient encounter: findings from a community-based survey. (39/1158)

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of the doctor-patient relationship from the GP's point of view. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional 1-day study in family practice. Thirty-three GPs volunteered to fill in a questionnaire at the end of each of 20 consecutive consultations on an index day. Six hundred and sixty-one patients (out of 665) participated in the study. Descriptive frequencies of GPs' judgements about personal experiences during the consultations, and predictors of GP's global satisfaction score on patient encounters were analysed. RESULTS: The mean age of the 33 GPs was 44.7 +/- 3.6 years. Professional skills (62% of the GPs had no doubts on diagnosis, therapy or prognosis) and the quality of the human/interpersonal interaction were major determinants of GPs' satisfaction in the patient-doctor relationship. Doctors felt professionally esteemed by 90% of their patients, and the median value of their global satisfaction score (matching the expectations from an 'ideal patient' to that experienced when meeting the real one) was very high (median 8, range 1-10). Nevertheless, GPs did not know if they were satisfied with the actual encounter with the patient in about one-third of the consultations. CONCLUSIONS: Professional skills and quality of the human/interpersonal interactions are major determinants of GPs' satisfaction in their professional activities.  (+info)

Characteristics of Korean-Americans with schizophrenia: a cross-ethnic comparison with African-Americans, Latinos, and Euro-Americans. (40/1158)

The purpose of this study was (1) to identify the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of Korean-Americans with schizophrenia, and (2) to compare the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of Korean-Americans with schizophrenia to African-American, Latino, and Euro-American individuals with schizophrenia. Based on current models of psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia, four dimensions--clinical status, functional status, subjective experience, and community risk--were examined and compared across the ethnic groups. Data on 223 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who were Korean-American (n = 40), Euro-American (n = 95), African-American (n = 60), and Latino (n = 28) were gathered in face-to-face interviews. All of the subjects were engaged in outpatient treatment. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, the main findings were as follows: (1) while the Korean-Americans were the least acculturated, their symptom levels and clinical status were highly comparable with those of the other ethnic groups; (2) based on living situation, family contact, social functioning, activities of daily living, and vocational data, the Korean-Americans showed a stronger familial orientation, lower social initiation, and higher affiliative qualities than other groups; (3) the Korean-American sample had comparable levels of self-esteem but reported lower satisfaction with life than the other ethnic groups. Minority status did not confound these findings. It is concluded that the psychosocial profile of the Korean-Americans was strongly influenced by their traditional and collectivistic cultural orientation. At the same time, the lower levels of life satisfaction could indicate that they experience difficulties in adjusting to Western society. Considering the Korean-Americans' strong tendency to maintain a collectivistic cultural orientation, mental health services need to be congruent with their cultural expectations. Interventions should also identify risk factors associated with lower life satisfaction. Several research implications are discussed.  (+info)