ABSTRACT
Health related quality of life (HRQOL) measures are now accepted as indicators of efficacy in the palliative treatment of cancer. Utility measures may also provide valuable information yet they have been applied less frequently. To assess the application of a time trade-off (TTO) utility measure and its concordance with the Spitzer uniscale and quality of life index (QLI) 38 women with advanced, symptomatic breast cancer were studied over a 12 month period. The correlation coefficient for QLI and TTO values was 0.54 and for uniscale and TTO 0.62. Using generalized estimating equations the regression of TTO scores on QLI and uniscale scores was significant at baseline. In longitudinal analyses results were significant only for QLI. Although all participants completed the HRQOL measures only 24 (63%) were prepared to trade time. The remaining 14 (32%) stated they felt too well to trade. Those prepared to trade time recorded significantly worse mean HRQOL scores throughout the study compared to those who felt too well to trade and had tumors which showed a poorer response to therapy. In this preliminary study utility and HRQOL scores were generally favorable throughout the 12 month study period and showed fair to moderate concordance. Further research in larger patient groups is required to better define the relationships between utility and HRQOL measures.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Quality of Life , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Life Expectancy , Longitudinal Studies , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Adolescent health service usage is a neglected research area. Data are important for planning of services and for prioritizing needs. A sample of 871 18-year-olds was surveyed about its use of health services in the preceding year. A significant proportion had made a consultation and were mostly satisfied with the service received. For a subsample of that cohort, who had a difficulty in their daily living, only a third had consulted a health professional for that difficulty over the past year. Help-seeking was related to the severity of that difficulty, particularly for the limitations that it imposed on everyday life. Some dissatisfactions with consultations were expressed in relation to expectations of the efficacy of treatment and to the communication of the health professionals.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Attitude to Health , Adolescent , Disabled Persons/psychology , Female , Health Behavior , Humans , Male , New Zealand , Patient Satisfaction , Personal SatisfactionABSTRACT
This study surveyed 400 dentists to determine their current practices with patients who smoke. Although dentists are aware of the importance of counselling patients on the cessation of smoking, they need to take a more active role in these activities. Current evidence suggests that even brief counselling interventions can help some patients stop smoking.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Attitude to Health , Dentists , Smoking Prevention , Adolescent , Adult , Counseling , Dentist-Patient Relations , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Male , New Zealand , Patient Education as Topic , Smoking CessationABSTRACT
We assessed relations between early temperament and behavior problems across 12 years in an unselected sample of over 800 children. Temperament measures were drawn from behavior ratings made by examiners who observed children at ages 3, 5, 7, and 9. Factor analyses revealed 3 dimensions at each age: Lack of Control, Approach, and Sluggishness. Temperament dimensions at ages 3 and 5 were correlated in theoretically coherent ways with behavior problems that were independently evaluated by parents and teachers at ages 9 and 11, and by parents at ages 13 and 15. Lack of Control was more strongly associated with later externalizing behavior problems than with internalizing problems; Approach was associated with fewer internalizing problems among boys; and Sluggishness was weakly associated with both anxiety and inattention, especially among girls. Lack of Control and Sluggishness were also associated with fewer adolescent competencies. These results suggest that early temperament may have predictive specificity for the development of later psychopathology.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Personality Development , Temperament , Adolescent , Antisocial Personality Disorder/diagnosis , Antisocial Personality Disorder/psychology , Anxiety/diagnosis , Anxiety/psychology , Arousal , Attention , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Female , Gender Identity , Humans , Internal-External Control , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Male , Personality AssessmentABSTRACT
The research sought to describe the nature and severity of disability and its impact in a large sample of 18-year-olds. It was conducted as part of a larger longitudinal study of the health and development of a cohort of approximately 1000 children. This paper presents an overview of the methods used together with the results on the prevalence of specific disabilities. The three leading disabilities were: coping with dust, pollens, or chemicals (rate: 272 per 1000), equipment dependence (186), and disability in endurance (160).
Subject(s)
Disabled Persons/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , New Zealand/epidemiology , Population Surveillance/methods , Prevalence , Severity of Illness Index , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The effects of high, medium and low levels of perinatal complications and family adversity on intelligence quotient (IQ) scores were examined in a large sample of Dunedin children tested every second year in the age group 3-13 years. The aim was to test the hypothesis that favourable environmental circumstances attenuate the effects of perinatal complications on later cognitive ability. The results did not support this hypothesis but rather suggested that perinatal complications and family adversity have independent adverse effects on the development of children's cognitive ability.
Subject(s)
Infant, Newborn, Diseases/psychology , Intelligence , Social Environment , Family , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Longitudinal StudiesABSTRACT
We investigated the prevalence of depression in a sample of 9-year-old children from the general population being studied longitudinally. Current point prevalences of major and minor depressive disorder were estimated at 1.8% and 2.5%, respectively. A comparison of children with depression and a nondepressed group disclosed no significant differences by sex, nor any significant association between depression and socioeconomic status, teacher reports of behavior problems, and cognitive or motor development. The children with current depression were reported by a parent to have had a history of more behavioral problems, had been referred more often for assessment or treatment of behavioral or emotional problems, and had more negative self-perceptions of their academic ability. The results suggested that parents may be more sensitive than teachers to the behavior problems exhibited by depressed children.
