Normative Values for the Spanish Version of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS)

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish normative values for the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) in the Spanish community population (without voice problems), using a sample from a large area of southeastern Spain. Method: The sample consisted of 115 adults from ages 16 to 87, 60 of whom were women and 55 were men. Participants included the family members of patients who attended the Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and Speech Therapy Clinic at a referral hospital in the region of Murcia, Spain, and some of the clinic's staff. All the participants reported never having suffered from any voice disorder before. Results: The normative values obtained in this study for the VoiSS were 14.61 (SD=8.18) for the total score, 7.57 (SD = 5.42) for the Impairment subscale, 1.04 (SD = 1.65) for the Emotional subscale, and 5.99 (SD = 3.61) for the Physical subscale. The percentile values were also obtained for the VoiSS scale and for its three subscales. Conclusions: This study presents normative values for the VoiSS scale that have not previously been obtained in Spain. These values can be used as a reference to detect possible voice disorders.

Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio fue establecer valores normativos para la escala Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) en población comunitaria española (sin problemas de voz), utilizando una muestra de un área extensa del sureste de España. Metodología: La muestra estuvo compuesta por 115 personas (60 mujeres y 55 hombres) con edades comprendidas entre los 16 y 87 años. Los participantes eran familiares que acompañaron a los pacientes a las sesiones clínicas de ORL y de Logopedia de un hospital de referencia de la Región de Murcia, así como personal del hospital. Todos declararon no padecer ningún trastorno de la voz. Resultados: Los valores normativos obtenidos en este estudio para el VoiSS fueron 14.61 (SD=8.18) para la puntuación total, 7.57 (SD = 5.42) para la subescala Limitación, 1.04 (SD = 1.65) para la subescala Emocional y 5.99 (SD = 3.61) para la subescala Física. Los valores percentílicos se obtuvieron también para la escala VoiSS y para sus tres subescalas. Conclusiones: Este estudio presenta valores normativos para la escala VoiSS que no han sido todavía obtenidos en España. Estos valores pueden utilizarse como referencia para detectar posibles trastornos de voz.

Minas contada em números - A capitania de Minas Gerais e as fontes demográficas (1776-1821) / Minas counted in number: Capitania of Minas Gerais and the Demographic sources (1776-1821) / Minas contada en números: la capitanía de Minas Gerais y las fuentes demográficas (1776-1821)

Os "mapas da população" produzidos a partir da década de 1770 contribuem para a análise de um período da história de Minas Gerais que foi particularmente importante pelas mudanças vivenciadas em âmbitos muito diversos. Tendo por base as informações destes documentos, o presente artigo analisa as transformações na economia mineira, assim como a redefinição daquela sociedade em um período no qual Minas Gerais ganha um novo perfil, mas mantém seu papel fundamental nas dinâmicas do centro-sul da América portuguesa.

The "population tables" available since the 1770's shed new light on a period in the history of Minas Gerais which was particularly important for the transformations experienced in very different fields. Based on information gathered in these documents, this paper focuses on the transformations of Minas Gerais' economy as well as the redefinition of that society in a period 548 R. bras. Est. Pop., Belo Horizonte, v.34, n.3, p.529-548, set./dez. 2017 Stumpf, R.G. Minas contada em números in which captaincy gains a new profile, yet maintaining its fundamental role in the dynamics of the center-south of Portuguese America.

Los "mapas de población" producidos a partir de la década del setenta del siglo XVIII contribuyen al análisis de un período de la historia de Minas Gerais que fue especialmente importante por todos los cambios experimentados en ámbitos muy diferentes. Con base en los datos que proporcionan estos documentos, el presente artículo analiza las transformaciones en la economía minera y la redefinición de aquella sociedad en un período en el cual Minas Gerais gana un nuevo perfil, al mismo tiempo que mantiene su papel fundamental en las dinámicas centro-sur de la América portuguesa.

Demographic, social, and economic effects on Mexican causes of death in 1990.

PIP: This study examined spatial geographic patterns of cause of death and 28 demographic and socioeconomic influences on causes of death for 31 Mexican states plus the Federal District for 1990. Mortality data were obtained from the state death registration system and are age standardized. The 28 socioeconomic variables were obtained from Census records. Analysis included 2 submodels: one with all 28 socioeconomic variables in a stepwise regression, and one with each of the 4 groups of factors. The conceptual model is based on epidemiological transition theory and empirical findings. There are 4 stages in mortality decline. Effects are grouped as demographic, sociocultural, economic prosperity, and housing, health, and crime factors. Findings indicate that cancer and cardiovascular disease were strongly correlated and consistently high in border areas as well as the Federal District and Jalisco. Respiratory mortality had higher values in the Federal District, Puebla, and surrounding states, as well as Jalisco. The standardized total mortality rate was only in simple correlations associated inversely with underemployment. All cause specific mortality was associated with individual factors. Respiratory mortality was linked with manufacturing work force. Cardiovascular and cancer mortality were associated with socioeconomic factors. In submodel I, cause specific mortality was predicted by crowding, housing characteristics, marriage and divorce, and manufacturing work force. In submodel II, economic group factors had the strongest model fits explaining 33-60% of the "r" square. Hypothesized effects were only partially validated.^ieng

[People eager for well-being.... Spaces, cities, and migrants in the statistics of Argentine censuses, 1869-1914]. / Hombres avidos de bienestar.... Espacios, ciudades y migrantes en la estadistica censal argentina, 1869-1914.

PIP: "The essay deals with statistics of the Argentine mid XIX century Censuses, the way in which they conceived the national space (administrative and urban-rural segmentation) and how they interpreted modern migrations. The following results are among the main conclusions of the study: a basic and uniform pattern is applied to migration; urban population is always over-estimated; the pull factors are almost exclusively responsible for the way in which mobility is interpreted...." (EXCERPT)^ieng

Spotlight: Ecuador.

PIP: This article describes the vital statistics and population growth in Ecuador as of mid-1997. Mid-1997 population numbered about 12 million. Fertility was 3.6 births/woman; deaths were 6/1000 population; and births were 29/1000 population. Ecuador was primarily an agricultural country, until oil was discovered in the early 1970s. The country has worked to increase per capita income and confront environmental consequences. The capital city of Quito is situated in a valley between two mountains and has very high air pollution levels due to cars and factories. In contrast, indigenous populations live in the Andean mountains and farm small plots. Land shortages have pushed these farmers onto higher slopes and more marginal land that is becoming eroded. 22% of Ecuador's forests were cleared for farming during 1980-90. The city of Guayaquil, on the Pacific coast, has serious water pollution problems, sewage problems, and industrial pollution. Shrimp farming relies on high levels of fertilizer, which is damaging coastlines. Oil exploration in the interior of Ecuador, has resulted in disruption of indigenous population, loss of forests, and pollution of rivers. Texaco Oil is accused of spilling about 17 million gallons of crude oil, or 50 times more than the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Texaco argues that it met government environmental standards and agreed to a cleanup, which only partially meets the standards of its critics. Oil resources have funded improvements in education and health. About 90% of Ecuador's adult population is literate. Fertility has declined, but the population is still largely young and will be entering their reproductive years by 2025.^ieng

[Assessment and adjustment of census population data:1930-1990]. / Evaluacion y ajuste de los datos censales de poblacion: 1930-1990.

PIP: "This article assesses and corrects total population data by age and sex from the 1930-1990 [censuses], for nine regions in Mexico. The assessment is based on the Whipple, Myers and United Nations indexes, and the corrections were carried out with the United Nations 1/16 techniques." (EXCERPT)^ieng

Decline of tuberculosis mortality in an urban Mexican-origin population, 1935-1984.

Through a series of life table analyses, this paper describes the natural history of tuberculosis mortality in a Mexican-origin community over five decades (1935-84) during which the disease underwent a transition from a major underlying cause of death to a disease conditioned mentioned more often on death certificates as contributing to death than causing death. The decline in death rates from 1940 to 1950 was especially remarkable. Successive birth cohorts of Mexican Americans, separated by as little as five years of age, experienced distinctly lower risk of death from tuberculosis as they entered young adulthood. There was a rapid convergence in age-specific patterns of tuberculosis death rates in Mexican Americans toward those of non-Hispanic whites, so that by 1960 tuberculosis was primarily a cause of death in old age rather than young adulthood. The impact of changing environment, both through improvements of conditions within neighborhoods and through residential mobility, on birth cohorts at risk of tuberculosis needs to be examined in further research.

PIP: This study examines the history of tuberculosis mortality during 1935-84 among a Mexican-origin community in Bexar County, Texas. Data were obtained from death records of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Data coding accounted for the shift in 1949 in formatting underlying cause and primary cause of death. Deaths are estimated from multiple decrement life tables for deaths by age and underlying cause in a hypothetical cohort of 100,000 newborns followed to their deaths. Cause-eliminated life tables show the distributions of deaths if tuberculosis were eliminated. Findings indicate that life expectancy of Mexican-origin people in Bexar County during 1938-42 was about 47 years for males and females. Life expectancy for Anglos was higher but still lower than the national average. By 1980, differences in life expectancies by ethnic group converged. The rapid increases in life expectancy occurred during the 1940s: 12.7 years for Mexican-origin women and 10.3 years for Mexican-origin men. The 1940 risk of tuberculosis death among Mexican-origin people was 5-7 times that of Anglos. Among the 1940s Mexican-origin population, tuberculosis caused heavy fatalities in early adulthood between the ages of 15 and 35 years. By 1960, it was a cause only in old age, as it was among Anglos. Cohort comparisons reveal that the cohort reaching the age of 15 years in 1945 had a mortality probability that was only half as great to age 20 in 1950. The mortality probability declined to near zero by age 25 in 1955. The life table proportion of deaths due to tuberculosis declined linearly and added to life expectancy until 1980. Tuberculosis was the underlying cause of death among 96% of Mexican-origin people in 1938-42 and 41% in 1983-85. Tuberculosis morbidity declined during the 1940s and 1950s due to major housing renewal, slum clearance, code enforcement, and residential mobility.

Spotlight: Trinidad and Tobago.

PIP: Trinidad and Tobago's major source of income is oil. First discovered in the early 20th century, oil made the country one of the most prosperous in the Western Hemisphere during the 1970s, during which the government had an expansive program of infrastructure improvement. The oil industry also gave rise to the country's famous steel pan music. However, when oil prices collapsed in the 1980s, Trinidad and Tobago fell into a serious recession from which it has only recently emerged. Much of the hope for the economy now lies in natural gas, a significant amount of which is pumped by Amoco. Fertilizers, chemicals, and sugar are other important exports. In the country's 1990 census, East Indians comprised 40% of the population, slightly larger than the population of African descent. Trinidad and Tobago's population has about doubled since the first postwar census in 1946 and population halfway through 1996 stood at 1.3 million. This relatively modest growth of the population is due to a slowly declining birth rate and some emigration although the country receives some immigrants from neighboring islands. The total fertility rate fell to 2.0 in 1995, lower than replacement level, while infant mortality is low and life expectancy is rising to near that of developed countries. There is concern, however, that the poor economy has made health care and medical supplies less accessible. A 1987 Demographic and Health Survey found 53% of all married women using contraception and 44% using modern methods. The level of use has probably increased since then. Finally, Trinidad and Tobago enjoys an excellent education system and the proportion of women age 15 years and older in the labor force is increasing.^ieng

Colombia 1995: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

PIP: This summary report consists of tables and charts from the 1995 Colombia Demographic and Health Survey. The sample included 11,140 women aged 15-49 years. In 1995, population was an estimated 29.5 million. Life expectancy was 67.7 years. 3.8% had no education, 36.5% had a primary education, and 59.7% had a secondary or higher education. Fertility during 1990-95 was 3 children/woman compared to 2.9 during 1985-90. Fertility ranged from 4.3 in rural areas to 2.5 in urban areas, and from 5.0 among uneducated women to 2.5 among women with a secondary or higher education. The mean ideal number of children ranged from 2.2 among women aged 15-19 years to 3.1 among women aged 45-49 years and from 2.1 among women with no children to 3.9 among women with 6 or more children. 40.9% desired a stop to childbearing. The proportion desiring a stop to childbearing hovered between 50.8% among women with 2 children and 46.5% among women with 6 or more children. 54.4% of births were wanted, 24.4% were wanted later, and 21.1% were unwanted. Contraceptive use stood at 59.3% for modern methods and 12.9% for traditional methods; 67.0% in rural areas and 74.4% in urban areas. The proportion of use ranged from 26.2% among women with no children to 82.5% among women with 3 children. Knowledge of modern and traditional methods was high. 13.0% of never users and 17.7% of previous users did not intend to use. 26.3% of nonusers were sterilized or infecund, 31.9% were menopausal or had hysterectomies, and 9.6% desired more children. 9.7% were nonusers due to infrequent sexual intercourse. 32.2% were single, and 54.7% were in a union. The median age at first birth was 22.1 years. Infant mortality had declined. 1.4% of children were moderately to severely acutely undernourished, and 15.0% were moderately to severely chronically undernourished. 3.5% were severely chronically undernourished.^ieng

[Using System DIA software for the detection and automatic correction of errors in the data compiled using the basic questionnaire from the 1991 population census]. / Uso do Sistema DIA para a deteccao e correcao automatica de erros nos dados do questionario basico do censo demografico de 1991.

PIP: "This paper deals with aspects of the application of the generalized data editing and imputation software named DIA to the 1991 Population Census [of Brazil] Basic Questionnaire. This software, developed by the Spanish National Statistical Institute, handles editing and imputation of categorical data in one processing cycle and provides comprehensive information to control and assess the automatic correction process. The analysis reveals the data quality and efficiency of the software adopted, which ensures data consistency while preserving basic distribution properties." (EXCERPT)^ieng

[Maternal mortality in Mexico: measurement based on vital statistics]. / Mortalidad materna en Mexico: medicion a partir de estadisticas vitales.

PIP: "Vital statistics are the most comprehensive source of information on maternal mortality in Mexico.... It is clear that maternal mortality has decreased throughout the twentieth century and will continue to do so. There are signs of a higher underestimation of mortality [due to] abortion. And there are regional differentials of maternal mortality.... Professional and/or institutional attention during childbirth has a great impact on maternal mortality decline. There are also socio-economic differentials by marital status, milieu, and schooling...." (EXCERPT)^ieng

Delayed birth registration (DBR) in Sao Paulo State: an attempt at correcting underregistration.

"The aim of this paper is to analyze the pattern of delayed birth registration [in Brazil] and to establish a relationship with the total and registered births in order to estimate a mathematical function that quantifies birth underregistration."

[Correction of underregistration of general mortality]. / Correccion del subregistro de mortalidad general.

PIP: The authors evaluate the underregistration of mortality in Latin America, using the example of Ecuador. Underregistration by province, age groups, sex, and cause of death is investigated.^ieng

Sex ratio at birth deviations in modern Venezuela: the Trivers-Willard effect.

This study evaluates the impact of the Trivers-Willard (T-W) effect on human populations, using demographic data collected from vital registration data in Venezuela. The evaluation of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) and of fetal and infant deaths supports the existence of T-W effect in the Venezuelan population in extreme conditions. This T-W effect was observable in the SRB but not at later ages and is related to the marital status of the mother. The results indicate that the investment in females associated with environmental adversity is greater than the investment in males associated with good environmental conditions.

PIP: This study relies on stepwise discriminant analysis to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) factors according to marital status on the probability of the child being born a male or a female. Data were obtained from the 1988 and 1990 Venezuelan death and birth registers in the Central Office of Statistics and Information. Fetal and infant deaths numbered 87,229. Births numbered 577,976 and were reported for a variety of demographic/socioeconomic variables. The study evaluates the Trivers and Willard (1973) hypothesis that the sex ratio at birth is correlated with socioeconomic status. The focus is on the deviations in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in Venezuela. The authors refer to studies confirming sex biases in mortality and sex biases in allocating resources and care and refuting the Trivers-Willard (T-W) effect. Findings indicate that the SRB was 0.5124 and confirms other estimates. The SRB for married and cohabiting couples was 0.512 and 0.514, respectively. The SRB was lower for single women (0.508). Differences were all statistically significant. Findings suggest that the T-W effect may be stronger in women who do not live with a male partner. Sex ratio deviations varied by SES. Higher educational status was associated with a higher SRB. Extreme poverty was associated with lower SRB and had a stronger impact on SRB than high SES. The T-W effect appeared stronger prior to conception. The T-W effect varied by maternal marital status. Females were more advantaged when mothers were unmarried. The sex ratio of neonatal deaths was 0.562; that for infant deaths was 0.574. The sex ratios for mortality did not differ for any of the SES indicators. There were differences by type of births and gestation time. Single births and early gestational times had higher male mortality. Infant deaths among mothers aged 30-34 years showed a higher sex ratio.

[Participatory observation in the 1995 count of population and housing. An anthropological experience]. / La observacion participante en el Conteo de Poblacion y Vivienda 1995. Una experiencia antropologica.

PIP: "The experience of an anthropologist who participated as enumerator in [Mexico's] Conteo de Poblacion y Vivienda 1995 is analyzed in this paper. The author describes briefly the methodology...for each stage of the enumeration; she systematically points [out] the circumstances and reasons that determine why the different groups involved in the process do not follow the rules. She [examines] the questions that the informers usually avoid answering, or the ones they answer hardly and imprecisely." (EXCERPT)^ieng

Registration of births, stillbirths and infant deaths in Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: Vital statistics underestimate the prevalence of perinatal and infant deaths. This is particularly significant when these parameters affect eligibility for international assistance for newly emerging nations. OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of registration of livebirths, stillbirths and infant deaths in Jamaica. METHODOLOGY: Births, stillbirths and neonatal deaths identified during a cross-sectional study (1986); and infant deaths identified in six parishes (1993) were matched to vital registration documents filed with the Registrar General. RESULTS: While 94% of livebirths were registered by one year of age (1986), only 13% of stillbirths (1986) and 25% of infant deaths (1993) were registered. Post neonatal deaths were more likely to be registered than early neonatal deaths. Frequently the birth was not registered when the infant died. Birth registration rates were highest in parishes with high rates of hospital deliveries (rs = 0.97, P < 0.001) where institutions notify the registrar of each birth. Hospital deaths, however, were less likely to be registered than community deaths as registrars are not automatically notified of these deaths. CONCLUSIONS: To improve vital registration, institutions should become registration centres for all vital events occurring there (births, stillbirths, deaths). Recommendations aimed at modernizing the vital registration system in Jamaica and other developing countries are also made.

PIP: Vital statistics indicate only part of the actual prevalence of perinatal and infant mortality. Findings are reported from a study conducted to determine the level of registration of live births, stillbirths, and infant deaths in Jamaica. Births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths identified during a 1986 cross-sectional study and infant deaths identified in six parishes during 1993 were matched to vital registration documents filed with the Registrar General. While 94% of live births were registered by one year of age, only 13% of stillbirths and 25% of infant deaths were so registered. Post neonatal deaths were more likely to be registered than early neonatal deaths. Frequently the birth was not registered when the infant died. Birth registration rates were highest in parishes with high rates of hospital deliveries where institutions notify the registrar of each birth. Hospital deaths, however, were less likely to be registered than community deaths since registrars are not automatically noticed of such deaths. Institutions should register all vital events occurring there.

Bolivia 1994: results from the Demographic and Health Survey.

PIP: These are summary results from the 1994 Bolivia National Demographic and Health Survey, which covered 9,114 households and 8,603 women aged 15-49. Tabular data are provided on population characteristics, fertility, fertility preferences, current contraceptive use, marital and contraceptive status, postpartum variables, infant mortality, disease prevention and treatment, and nutrition.^ieng

[The creation and changing definitions of demographic knowledge: the case of mestizos in the indigenous communities of the Valle Bajo of Cochabamba, Bolivia]. / Naissance et metamorphoses du savoir demographique: le mestizaje des communautes indigenes de la Valle Bajo de Cochabamba, en Bolivie.

"In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Spanish officials and members of the Catholic church created a series of race-based caste terms designed to identify and categorize the peoples of mixed ancestry. The Spanish American caste system relied on the assumed ability of a census-taker or priest to define the blood lines of an individual based on skin color and physical characteristics. However, the demographic knowledge created from the caste system was imprecise, and changed over time.... There were also long-term shifts in the meaning of terms and the definitions of status caused by socioeconomic changes. An example is the rapid rate of apparent mestizoization in the...indigenous communities of the Valle Bajo of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The rapid increase in the number of mestizos was related to changing definitions of the status and identity of indigenous peoples, and was not strictly caused by racial mixture." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

[Preliminary comparative results and trends]. / Primeros resultados comparaciones y tendencias.

PIP: The author reports some of the preliminary results from the 1995 Count of Population and Housing for Mexico. Information is provided on distribution according to size of locality; population density; population by sex and age; and population growth.^ieng

Guatemala: maternal mortality in Guatemala: assessing the gap, beginning to bridge it.

Developing countries which have somewhat reliable vital statistics but poor or incomplete information about maternal mortality must make the most of the data available. Such data may require modification for maternal mortality analyses. What is important, however, is the decision to use available information and to analyse it properly. The analysis of maternal mortality in Guatemala, using data from 1986 birth and death certificates, identified particular areas, health regions, and particular ethnic groups that had significantly higher maternal mortality ratios than others. Small but disproportionately affected populations that had no available maternal health assistance were identified-a problem found in many developing countries. These groups urgently need the services of traditional birth attendants or other forms of assistance before, during and after delivery. The analysis of vital statistics led to the beginning of operative research and the collection of background information for establishing an epidemiologic surveillance programme for maternal mortality.

PIP: Guatemala vital statistics data on maternal mortality from official sources is variable. Generally about 5% of all deaths among women 10-49 years old are attributed to maternal mortality. This analysis of birth and death certificates for 1986 reveals a J-shaped curve for the maternal mortality ratio by age. The indigenous population had higher rates in all departments. The highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in 22 departments was in the department of Alta Verapaz (214.2/100,000 live births). The lowest MMR was found in Progreso department. The MMR in 1986 was calculated as 132.5/100,000 live births for Guatemala, or 1 pregnant woman's death every day. Among 8 health regions, the northern health region had the highest MMR (213.3/100,000). The metropolitan region had the lowest MMR (84.9/100,000). Hospital deliveries ranged from 4.7% for the northwest region to 70.7% for the metropolitan region. MMR was found to decrease by about 1/100,000 for every increase in the percentage of hospital-based deliveries, with the exception of the indigenous population, where MMR increased for every 1% increase in hospital-based deliveries. MMR was higher in hospitals for most regions. Births without medical assistance in 6 out of 8 regions had higher MMRs. For example in the northern region MMR for births without assistance was 3539.8/100,000. 5.5% of Guatemalan women had no assistance with deliveries (98 deaths out of 17,532 live births). Physician-attended deliveries had a MMR of 91.5/100,000, and traditional birth attendant-deliveries had a MMR of 96.6/100,000. In 1986 a UN assessment team found registrations reasonably completed, and estimates of registration were determined to be about 90%. Problems in recording may be due to the absence of any reference to a pregnancy on the death certificate, or the absence of the final cause or autopsy findings on the death certificate.