[Family caregivers of people with neurodegenerative disease: profile, contributions, and impact of care]. / Cuidadores familiares de personas con enfermedad neurodegenerativa: perfil, aportaciones e impacto de cuidar.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the informal system of caring for people with neuro-degenerative disease: what it consists of and the characteristics of main carers, the type of care given, and the consequences for the main carer of assuming these functions. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted by means of a home-filled questionnaire. SETTING: Autonomous Community of Andalusia. PARTICIPANTS: 72 main carers of someone with neuro-degenerative disease, chosen from a sub-sample of 1000 homes in which at least one dependent person lives and receives care from a member of his/her family or social network with whom he/she resides. This sub-sample was based on a random sample of 3160 Andalusian homes stratified proportionately according to province and size of dwelling. MAIN RESULTS: In 86.1% of the 72 homes polled, health care was provided only by the informal system network. In over half the homes, care was provided by just one person, the main carer. The main carer was usually a woman (87.4%), with an average age of 54.52, house-wife and close family member of the sick person. In our study the beneficiaries of care had an average age of 77.63, a low level of autonomy in daily activities, and had had a neuro-degenerative disease for an average of 8.16 years. The main kinds of care provided in the home for people with neuro-degenerative disease were help in instrumental activities, care related to daily activities, observation/company and supervision of medicines. Main carers believed that undertaking this work had seriously affected their health (72.2%), the use they made of their time (84.7%), their social life (83.3%) and their economic position (44.4%). CONCLUSIONS: People with neuro-degenerative disease make considerable demands on health care provision, which is mainly covered at home by the immediate family network. In most cases this network consists of just one person, the main carer, on whom falls the entire burden of care. The assumption of this role directly affects the health of a large number of carers, as well as other areas of their lives, in particular the possibility of conducting a social life and using their time for themselves or for activities other than caring.

Cuidadores familiares de personas con enfermedad neurodegenerativa: perfil, aportaciones e impacto de cuidar / Family carers of people with neuro-degenerative illness: profile, contributions and impact of care

Objetivo. Analizar el sistema informal de cuidados de personas con enfermedad neurodegenerativa, en cuanto a su composición y a las características de los cuidadores principales, el tipo de cuidados que presta y las consecuencias que tiene para el cuidador principal asumir estas funciones. Diseño. Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal realizado mediante cuestionario domiciliario. Emplazamiento. Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía. Participantes. Setenta y dos cuidadores principales de alguna persona con enfermedad neurodegenerativa, seleccionados de una submuestra de 1.000 hogares en los que vive al menos una persona dependiente por alguna razón y que recibe cuidados de algún miembro de su red familiar o social con el que reside. Esta submuestra se obtuvo a partir de una muestra aleatoria de 3.160 hogares andaluces, estratificada proporcionalmente según provincia y tamaño de hábitat. Resultados principales. En un 86,1 por ciento de los 72 hogares encuestados, los cuidados de salud son prestados sólo por la red el sistema informal. En más de la mitad de los hogares los cuidados son realizados por una sola persona, el cuidador principal. Éste suele ser una mujer (87,4 por ciento), con una edad media de 54,52 años, ama de casa y familiar cercano de la persona afectada. Los beneficiarios de nuestro estudio tienen una edad media de 77,63 años, un nivel bajo de autonomía para actividades de la vida diaria y enfermedad neurodegenerativa desde hace una media de 8,16 años. Los principales cuidados que se prestan en el hogar a personas con enfermedad neurodegenerativa son ayuda en actividades instrumentales, cuidados relacionados con actividades de la vida diaria, vigilancia/acompañamiento y administración de la toma de medicamentos. Las cuidadoras principales consideran que desempeñar este trabajo ha afectado de forma importante a su salud (72,2 por ciento), al uso que hacen de su tiempo (84,7 por ciento), a su vida social (83,3 por ciento) y a su situación económica (44,4 por ciento). Conclusiones. Las personas con enfermedad neurodegenerativa presentan una importante demanda de cuidados de atención a la salud, que en gran parte es cubierta en el hogar por su red familiar inmediata. En la mayoría de los casos esta red se halla configurada por una sola persona, la cuidadora principal, sobre la que recae toda la carga de los cuidados. Para un importante grupo de cuidadoras, asumir este rol afecta de forma directa a su salud, así como a otras áreas de su vida y, en especial, a sus posibilidades de tener relaciones sociales y de usar el tiempo para sí mismas o para otras actividades diferentes a cuidar (AU)

El grupo focal como técnica de investigación cualitativa en salud: diseño y puesta en práctica / The focus group as a technique of quality health research: design and putting into practice

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[Vaccination every time when an occasion arises: evaluation of an intervention in the Murcia Autonomous Community]. / Vacunar cada vez que se presenta una ocasión: evaluación de una intervención en la Comunidad Autónoma de Murcia.

This study evaluated the occasions for vaccination that are lost in a vaccination center by means of the systematic offer of tetanus vaccine to the adults which accompanied pediatric patients. The study was prospective and had three periods, of two weeks duration each. In the first period vaccination was offered through a questionnaire, in the second without questionnaire, and the third was used as control. The recorded accompanying persons were 298, 478 and 155 for the three periods. During the first period the overall number of administered doses increased by 22%. During the second it increased by 31% (p = NS). In both the number of administered tetanus vaccine doses was doubled. 68% of the nonvaccinated accompanying persons accepted the vaccine in the first period, and 63% in the second period (p = NS). We conclude that both intervention alternatives were equally effective. Through this intervention we increased the rate of adequately vaccinated accompanying persons form 30 +/- 3% to 75 +/- 3%. This approach may be effective to increase the level of tetanus immunization in the adult population when applied in primary care centers.

[Effects of tobacco on child health. The child as a passive smoker]. / Efectos del tabaco sobre la salud infantil. El niño como fumador pasivo.

The smoking habit within the family produces various harmful effects on child health when the child is considered as a passive smoker. In this paper we have reviewed the most recent studies which analyze the influence of parental smoking on the incidence of respiratory diseases, alteration in the pulmonary function and presence of other symptoms, during the first years of life. A number of recommendations have been extracted to prevent these problems during childhood.