Information source preferences for selecting dental services among elderly consumers.

This manuscript presents the results of a primary research study conducted among the elderly to determine the sources of information they prefer for the selection of dental services. The results of the study are presented in terms of source preferences by dental need (generalist or specialist), source preferences by gender (male or female), source preferences by level of education (low or high), and source preferences by income level (low or high). Conclusions are drawn from the results of the research, and suggestions are made regarding the use of information source preferences for the marketing of dental services to the elderly.

A multivariate analysis of choice criteria for hospitals.

This study determines the choice criteria used by consumers in selecting a hospital and provides information useful to hospital administrators in planning and implementing marketing efforts directed toward potential consumers. The findings suggest that physical plot, previous experience with the hospital, location of hospital, overall cost, and reputation of the hospital were important factors in selecting a hospital.

Synovial hemangioma of the knee.

Synovial hemangioma is a rare, benign lesion affecting children and young adults. The lesion most commonly affects the knee joint. A recurrent history of pain and swelling is a characteristic feature. The degree of pain and tenderness can vary from mild to excruciating. Doughy consistency of the mass and quadriceps atrophy are other features. Total excision should be the object of treatment. A clinical diagnosis will be made only if the clinician is aware of the condition.

A comparative study of the frequency of anterior impingement exostoses of the ankle in dancers and nondancers.

True lateral roentgenograms were obtained in 100 nondancers and 32 professional dancers to determine the incidence of anterior talar exostoses. The average age of the nondancers was 45.8 years as compared to 23.0 years in the dancer population. Both groups were asymptomatic in the region of the foot and ankle. All exostoses on the dorsum of the talar neck measuring greater than 1 mm were recorded.

Motivations for childbearing and fertility behavior among urban and rural families of Iran.

PIP: A sample of 384 husbands and wives were randomly selected and interviewed to investigate the implication of fertility norms and motivations for childbearing on fertility and family planning behavior among Iranian families in urban and rural areas of Iran, after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The term "fertility behavior" refers to actual family size, which is defined as number of children the respondent has living at the time of the interview. "Family planning behavior" refers to the duration of time that the subject has used any birth control method(s). Rural families demonstrated larger actual and ideal family sizes than urban families. The rural sample had a median actual family size of 3.5 children and a median ideal family size of 4.7 children. For the urban sample these figures were 2.2 and 2.3, respectively. The median number of years married was 12.33 for rural and 13.91 for urban respondents. Urban respondents tended to emphasize the psychological and emotional benefits and liabilities associated with having children while rural respondents tended to emphasize both economic and security related motivations. Both groups endorsed infant mortality as a motivation for having more children. Male and female respondents were remarkably similar in their endorsed motivations. There was a significant positive correlation between desired and ideal family size. The correlations among ideal/desired family size and practicing birth control methods were the same and significant at the .001 level. The relationship between motivations for childbearing and years of practicing birth control methods was also significant at the .001 level. Stepwise regression analyses were performed to examine the important predictors of fertility and family planning behavior. For both actual family size and years on birth control, males and females were very similar in terms of predictor importance. Those respondents with less education and large ideal family size tended to have larger actual family size. Location (urban/rural) and parents, family size was weighted much more heavily for males than for females. Those respondents with greater education and who lived in an urban areas tended to have used birth control for longer periods of time. Ideal family size did not contribute significantly to this regression. Parents' family size and motivations for childbearing made marginal contributions to regressions on either dependent variable.^ieng