A study of community differences in stress among the elderly: implications for community health nursing.

It has long been known that stressful states are linked to physical and mental health. An important dimension of emotional stress is community environment. That is, communities can produce stress in individuals but can also provide the coping resources that help modify these stressors. We examined differences in stress responses among a random samples of 900 elderly living in nine metropolitan and nine non-metropolitan, randomly chosen communities in six northeastern states. Respondents were asked if, in the past year, they had experienced anything upsetting or stressful in their lives connected with family and friends, their health, and their finances. The findings support the existence of community differences in stress responses for these elderly respondents, and show evidence of a link between community structure and individual behaviors.

How people obtain their health information--a survey in two Pennsylvania counties.

A sample of 182 respondents to a mail survey in two Pennsylvania counties, one rural, one urban, provided information on the sources of their health information. Research questions addressed were from what sources did they obtain their health information, what differences were there in patterns of response between middle-aged and older residents, and how much did various subgroups use health information. Respondents indicated they received most of their health information from printed materials, television, and informal network members, in that order, with little difference between rural and urban respondents. Radio and organizations, such as unions, were less frequently used as health information sources. The amount of information received from printed materials decreased slightly with age for women, but decreased sharply for men. The amount of information received from TV decreased with age, especially for urban residents. The youngest and oldest groups reported receiving the most health information from printed materials. TV was the most common source of health information for middle-aged adults. The findings indicate that persons disseminating health information should target their efforts through printed materials, TV, and informal networks. The most frequently mentioned sources of health information were TV specials, news stories, magazines, news articles, publications, medical books, and physicians. Radio and organizations, used by large segments of the population, are relatively untapped in terms of their potential, and not fully used when available. The urban elderly appear to receive little health information from any source.

Effects of a health careers program and family support for a health career on eighth graders' career interest.

The separate and combined effects of participation in a health careers program and of parental support for a health career on young people's interest in a health career were examined. Twenty-seven eighth graders participating in a health careers orientation program were matched by sex, race, and parental education with 27 eighth grade nonparticipants, and personal interviews were then conducted with students in both groups. Both program participation and parental support were found to be significantly related to two measures of the students' interest in a health career. One measure was of the students' interest in general health-related careers. When program participation and parental support were each studied with the other factor controlled, it was found that parental support had a greater effect when program participation was absent. An analysis of various participation-support combinations revealed that when neither participation nor parental support was present, the students' interest in a health career was considerably less than if one or both were present.