Perception of Weight and Health Status among Women Working at Health Centres of Tehran.

Perception of body-weight status is an important determinant of weight-related behaviours and may affect the burden of weight disturbances as a public-health problem. No study has assessed self-perception of the weight status regarding body-fat distribution among health workers to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the perception of weight and health status among 542 women working at health centres of Tehran. We assessed their perceived body-weight and health status and measured waist- and hip-circumference, weight, and height to calculate waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) as a measure of fat distribution and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2). Women reported their sociodemographic information, and the perceived weight and health status were compared with their actual fatness status, defined based on WHR and BMI, to determine misperception of weight status. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to assess the predictive effects of various sociodemographic factors and actual fatness on the perception of weight and health status. The results showed that more than 40% of women with normal BMI overestimated their body-weight status while only 15.8% of these women had central obesity. BMI was the most important variable associated with misperceived weight status as normal-weight women had significantly more misperception (OR 8.16, 95% CI 4.82-13.82) than overweight/obese women. WHR did not show any significant relationships with perceived weight status. In addition, perception of health status was not associated with actual fatness indices. It is concluded, BMI was the main predictor of the perception of weight status in female employees. The importance of using body-fat distribution in the perceptions of weight and health status should be emphasized.

Calidad de vida en el adulto mayor: estado físico y relaciones sociales / Quality of life of senior citizens: physical status and social relations

Estudio descriptivo correlacional, que obtuvo información respecto de la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores de la comuna de Concepción y los factores asociados a ella. La técnica empleada fue la encuesta social. El universo estuvo constituido por los adultos mayores inscritos en el Programa del Adulto Mayor -PAM- de los consultorios de Atención Primaria de la comuna de Concepción. La muestra fue formada por procedimiento aleatorio simple y quedó conformada por 408 adultos mayores de 60 años. Se analizaron para el presente artículo dos ámbitos del concepto de Calidad de Vida: “Físico” y de “Relaciones Sociales”. El grupo estudiado pertenece mayoritariamente a mujeres que se ubican en edades entre los 61 y 78 años, y el hallazgo principal es que tienen una percepción de calidad de vida en el ámbito físico, “muy bueno”, y a la vez una percepción en el ámbito de relaciones sociales, “muy bueno”. Se encontró una asociación altamente significativa entre percepción de calidad de vida tanto para el ámbito físico (percepción de salud) como para el ámbito de relaciones sociales, y las variables “relaciones familiares” y “relaciones de pareja”. Los resultados permiten destacar la importancia de estimular la interacción social, y el autocuidado para fortalecer la autonomía de los ancianos. Se contribuirá así a una mejor calidad de vida y de salud de este grupo.

This descriptive correlational study provided information regarding the quality of life and related factors, of the elderly in the city of Concepción. The technique used was the social survey. The study population consisted of participants in the “Programa del Adulto Mayor (PAM)” in community health centers of Concepción. The random sample, consisted of 408 adults, 60 years old or over. Two dimensions of the concept of Quality of Life are analyzed: “Physical Aspects” and “Social Relations”. The majority of the study group were women aged 61 to 78 years. The main finding was that they have a “Very Good” perception of the physical aspect of their lives, as well as of their “Social Relations”. A highly significant association was found between their perception of their Quality of Life both in terms of health and social relations and the variables “Family relations” and “Couple Relations”. The findings of this study illustrate the importance of stimulating social interaction and self care in order to strengthen the autonomy of the elderly, thus contributing to the improvement of their quality of life and health.

Nutrient Intake of the Rural Elderly Living in Kyungnam -Focusing on Health and Aging Status, and Life-Satisfaction / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in nutrient intake according to the level of self-perception of health status, aging status and life satisfaction of the rural elderly. The factors for the study were surveyed by interview method. The subjects were 270 people(71 male, 129 female) aged over 65 years(73.5 +/- 5.6ys) in the Ham-an area. The obtained results as follows : By evaluation of self-perception of health status, 57.5% of subjects answered they are in a bad health condition. The 91.5% of subjects had diseases(rheumatitis & arthritis 31.4%, cardiovascular disease 20.2%, gastric disease 10.2%). The women had more diseases than the men(p<0.01). The subjects took medical treatment in private hospital(40.5%) and public health centers(35.0%). The men showed better level of aging status(p<0.001) and life satisfaction index(p<0.01) than the worsen. Living with spouse influenced the aging status(p<0.05) and the more pocket money influenced life satisfaction(p<0.05) and aging status(p<0.05). The elderly who eat regularly 3 times a day(p<0.05) and have a good appetite(p<0.001) appeared to have positive effect on the self perception of health status and aging status. An increasing level of the self-perception of health status and regular exercise worked to improve aging status(p<0.001). The habits of smoking and alcohol drinking, however had no effect on any index. The self-perception of health status affected the nutrient intake, but only in female elderly. The aging status and the life satisfaction index related overall positively to the intake of nutrients. In conclusion, the study shows that gender did influence nutrient intake in the elderly. The women who live alone rated lowest in social resources and health condition therefore their nutrient intake was also extremely in deficit. For successful aging, a program for rural elderly is needed, i.e. actions to provide minimum economic life, food delivery and psychological/physical health care through regional public health centers.

The Association of Perception of Health Status with Lifestyle of Yanbian Koreans and Yanbian Chinese / 예방의학회지

To find the association of perception of health status with lifestyle of different ethnic groups living in north-eastern part of China, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was done by 10 local health workers for 375 Korean immigrants and 217 Chinese whose age was 30 years old or more. Because Korean immigrants showed higher mortality than Chinese, we expected to find significant lifestyle related with perception of health status which was known to be a predictor of mortality by different ethnic groups. The results were as follows: 1. We found that 59.7% of Yanbian Koreans and 42.9% of Yanbian Chinese felt unhealthy (p=0.000). 2. For Yanbian Koreans, significant variables associated with perception of health status were selected through logistic regression analysis and they were sex; female to male with an OR=2.45 (95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.06, 5.64), prevalence of chronic illness with an OR=8.48 (95% CI: 4.62, 15.56), amount of meal; small or moderate to full with an OR=2.67 (95% CI: 1.40, 5.09), preference of spicy food with an OR=1.78 (95% CI: 1.04, 3.04), and less amount intake of vitamin B2 with an OR=2.29 (95% CI: 1.33, 3.93). 3. For Yanbian Chinese, significant variables associated with perception of health status were prevalence of chronic illness with an OR=4.97 (95% CI: 2.11, 11.68), history of taking ginseng with an OR=3.72 (95% CI: 1.33, 10.43), and less intake of vitamin C with an OR=0.18 (95% CI: 0.07, 0.46). In conclusion, sex, presence of chronic illness, dietary habit, and amount of vitamin- B1 intake were associated with perception of health status in Yanbian Koreans. Presence of chronic illness, experience of ginseng intake, and amount of vitamin C intake were associated with perception of health status in Yanbian Chinese. To prove cause-effect relation between perception of health status and lifestyle, further study is needed for these different ethnic groups.