ABSTRACT
An objective of a descriptive study was to investigate health status of elderly who resided in Nam Phong, rural area. Study population were all of elderly aged 60 and over who living in 3 Villages, Nam Phong district, Khon Kaen Province. Research instruments for data collection were weighing of body weight and height measurement in order to obtain body mass index (BMI), stool examination for detecting parasites ova, included interviewing with questionnaire. A total subject was 90 elderly. Result of this study revealed that 49.4% had BMI lower than normal which found higher in males than females. Based on BMI criteria, there were chronic energy deficiency 23.5%, obesity 12.3%. Stool examination showed 30.5% of elderly found parasites. One third (33.3%) of elderly reported use of analgesic drugs and cocktail drug (a set of variety drug called “Ya-Chud”). Approximately half of this figure were drug abuse. The elderly were still at risk to chemical use in agricultural activities and 19% were smoking at work. An establishing group of elderly in rural area is recommended by the authors in order to promote recreation, helping and teaching each other, which will be effective not only physical health but also mental health of elderly as well.
ABSTRACT
Studies concerning socioeconomic and medical problems of the elderlies in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand, were conducted in 1989 – 1990. The objectives of these stuidies were to out nutritional status, eating habit and parasitic infection. A tobal of 464 elderly persons from a semi – urban area and a rural area of Khon kean Province were sampled by the 30 cluster sampling technique in each area, The method was composed of an interview by structured questionnaire, an in – depth interview, a 24 – hour recall interview, stool examination and anthropometry by height and weight measurement. The results revealed theat most of elderly lived with their relatives and or children and had been taken care by their elotives. Half of the tobal elderlies were widwed and primary school educated ; and 22.4 per cent were working ; 66.3 percent were smokers and most of them were males ; 37.1 per cent were drinkers. Seventy – six per cent of the total elderly group habitually chewed areca nuts and betel leaves smeared with lime ; 36.4 per cent consumed improperly cooked food. IIIness prevalence of elderly during the previous 2 weeks, was fond that the number of sick elderly in the semi – urban area was slightly higher than those in the rural area. Curative behavior or health seeking behavior when getting ill of the elderly was found as following : 42.2 percent went to see a doctor at the health station or clinic and 39 percent had self medication. Nutritional status of the elderly, using body mass index (BMI) calculated from weight and height revealed that rural elderlies were lean significantly much more than those in semiurban aaea. (BMI
ABSTRACT
The local people in the northeast provinces of Thailand are found of cansuming many kinds of fresh water snails. The villagers obtain the snails from natural sources by themselves or buy it rom the markets. Pila snails, Pila polita, Pila ampullacea; viviparus snails, Trochotaia trochoides, filopaludina cambodjensis, Filopaludina sumatrensis polygramma; clams, Corbicula moreletina, Scabies crispata and Ensidens ingallisianus are widely commercial mollusc. Sampling of these fresh water snails were carried out at the provincial markets and natural sources. Identification of snails; pepsin digestion; oral inoculation to experimental hamsters had been done in the laboratory. Experimented hamsters were sacrificed. Stained parasites were indentified as Echinostoma malayanum, Echinostoma ilocanum and Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae The habit of eating improerly cooked Pila snails indicates that Pila snails act as the carrier of parasitic infection in Thailand.