Effects of auditory and socio-demographic variables on discontinuation of hearing aid use among older adults with hearing loss fitted in the Chilean public health sector.

BACKGROUND: The percentage of older adults with hearing loss who stop using their hearing aids and the variables associated with this phenomenon have not been systematically investigated in South America. This problem is relevant to the region since countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Chile have public programmes that provide hearing aids to older adults. The aims of this study were to determine the percentage of older adults fitted with a hearing aid at a public hospital in Chile who subsequently stop using it and the auditory and socio-demographic variables associated with the hazard of discontinuing hearing aid use. METHODS: A group that included 355 older adults who had been fitted with a hearing aid was studied retrospectively. In a structured interview, participants were asked about socio-demographic variables and answered part of the Chilean National Survey on Health, evaluating self-perceived hearing loss and responding to questions about discontinuation of hearing aid use and their satisfaction with the device. Survival models were applied to determine the hazard of stopping hearing aid use in relation to the variables of interest. RESULTS: The rate of discontinuation of hearing aid use reached 21.7%. Older adults stopped using their hearing aids mainly during the first 5-6 months post-fitting, and then this number steadily increased. The income fifth quintile was 2.56 times less likely to stop using the hearing aid compared to the first. Those who self-reported that they could not hear correctly without the hearing aid were 2.62 times less likely to stop using it compared to those who reported normal hearing. The group that was very dissatisfied with the hearing aid was 20.86 times more likely to discontinue use than those who reported satisfaction with the device. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographic variables such as economic income and auditory factors such as self-perceived hearing loss and satisfaction with the device were significantly associated with the hazard of stopping hearing aid use. Self-perceived hearing loss should be considered part of the candidacy criteria for hearing aids in older adults in Chile and other (developing) countries.

Intensity of Health Behaviors in People Who Practice Combat Sports and Martial Arts.

Background: Health behaviors are associated with a healthy lifestyle, in which relative possibilities of choice play an important part. Athletes are a group of people who should particularly endeavor to have a health-oriented lifestyle. It is believed that combat sports (CS) and martial arts (MA) have an especially significant educational potential, connected with several desirable values which provide positive patterns of health behaviors. The aim of the work was to assess the intensity of health behaviors in athletes who practiced CS and MA in relation to the length of their training history, their age, sex, place of residence, education level, and financial situation. Methods: The research involved 441 men and women who practiced boxing (B), Brazilian ju-jitsu (BJJ), karate (K), mixed martial arts (MMA) and Muay Thai (MT). The average age of the subjects was 24.68 ± 8.24 years. The standardized Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) questionnaire and another questionnaire for a lifestyle survey were applied. Individual behaviors covered four areas: Correct eating habits (CEH), preventive behaviors (PB), positive mental attitude (PMA), and health practices (HP). The one-way analysis of variance (F-test) for independent groups was used (ANOVA). The effect size was calculated with Hedge's g for Student's t-test, and with Cramér's V for the χ2 test. The value of p ≤ 0.05 was assumed to be statistically significant. Results: CS and MA athletes presented a moderate level of health behaviors. The greater intensity of health behaviors (HBI and its categories) was found among B, K and MMA athletes, and the smaller among those who practiced MT. Correct eating habits (CEH) were characteristic of subjects who practiced every day and whose length of training history was 4-8 years. Greater intensity of preventive behaviors (PB) was observed among individuals aged under-19 years, who still studied. Greater intensity of health practices (HP) was found among those who exercised every day. Influence of financial situation was observed in relations to PMA. Conclusions: It seems that the existing educational potential of CS and MA was not fully realized in the studied population. Determining the place of health in the system of values of CS and MA athletes may be the basis for predicting health behaviors and developing health education programs.

Relación del apoyo social, las estrategias de atontamiento y los factores clínicos y sociodemográficos en pacientes oncológicos / Relationship Between Social Support, Coping Strategies, Clinical and Socio Demographic Factors in Cancer Patients / Relação do apoio social, estratégias de afrontamento, fatores clínicos e sócio-demográficos em pacientes oncológicos

Objetivo. Describir las relaciones entre las variables sociodemográficas y clínicas, el apoyo social percibido y las estrategias de afrontamiento en una muestra de pacientes con cáncer. Método. Investigación transversal de enfoque cuantitativo, en la que se evaluaron 82 pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer, seleccionados mediante muestreo no probabilístico, a conveniencia. Como instrumentos se utilizaron la Escala de Estrategias de Coping Modificada (EEC-M) y el Cuestionario MOS para Apoyo Social. Los datos médicos y sociodemográficos fueron recolectados por medio de un cuestionario diseñado para el estudio. Se llevó a cabo un análisis de correspondencias múltiples. Resultados. Se halló que las variables médicas y sociodemográficas están fuertemente relacionadas con los puntajes de los cuestionarios. En la muestra se observó, como tendencia particular, que los datos se agruparon con algunas características sociodemográficas y clínicas. Conclusión. Las variables sociodemográficas y clínicas están relacionadas con la percepción del apoyo social y las estrategias de afrontamiento en pacientes con cáncer; esta información resulta relevante para el diseño de programas de intervención psicológica en pacientes oncológicos.

Objective. To describe the relationship between socio demographic and clinical variables and perceived social support and coping strategies in a sample of patients with cancer. Method. A transversal research quantitative approach was applied, in which 82 patients were evaluated; subjects were selected by non-probability sampling, as the Scale Strategies Modified Coping and the MOS Questionnaire for Social Support were used, medical and socio demographic data were collected through a questionnaire designed for the study. It conducted an analysis of multiple correspondences. Results. It was found that medical and socio demographic variables are strongly correlated with the scores on the questionnaires, and the same trends were found in the sample evaluated, the data was grouped according to certain socio demographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusion. Clinical and socio demographic variables are correlated with the perception of social support and coping strategies in patients with cancer. The importance of taking into account the socio demographic and clinical variables in their relationship with social support and coping strategies for designing psychological intervention programs in cancer patients is discussed.

Escopo. Descrever as relações entre as variáveis sócio-demográficas e clínicas, o apoio social percebido e as estratégias de afrontamento numa amostra de pacientes com câncer. Metodologia. Pesquisa transversal de enfoque quantitativo, na que foram avaliados 82 pacientes com diagnóstico de câncer, selecionados por amostragem não probabilística, a conveniência. Como instrumentos foram utilizados a Escada de Estratégia de Coping Modificada (EEC-M) e o Questionário M05 para Apoio Social. Os dados médicos e sócio-demográficos foram recoltados com um questionário desenhado para o estudo. Foi feita uma análise de correspondências múltiplas. Resultados. Foram encontrado que as variáveis médicas e sócio-demográficas estão fortemente relacionadas com as pontuações dos questionários. Uma tendência particular na amostra foi que os dados foram agrupados em algumas características sócio-demográficas e clínicas. Conclusão. As variáveis sócio-demográficas e clínicas estão relacionadas com a percepção do apoio social e as estratégias de afrontamento em pacientes com câncer, sendo crítica esta informação para o desenho de programas de intervenção psicológica em pacientes oncológicos.

Diferencias entre la sensibilidad paterna según variables sociodemográficas / Differences in Fatherhood Sensitivity According to Socio-demographic Variables

Resumen Durante décadas, diversas investigaciones sostuvieron que la función del padre era la de proveedor económico. No obstante, con los cambios históricos que fueron sucediendo en las últimas décadas, muchos psicólogos se interesaron en conocer cuáles eran las funciones del padre y qué le ocurría durante la gestación de su hijo. Igualmente, se ha comprobado que las características socioculturales y sociodemográficas del padre influyen en el ejercicio y la transición hacia la paternidad. Por ello, esta investigación se centró en analizar si existen diferencias entre los sentimientos, las emociones y las reacciones de los padres durante la gestación y el nacimiento de su hijo con las variables sociodemográficas: edad paterna, niveles de estudio, estado civil, situación laboral, cantidad de hijos, edad de su hijo y sexo de su hijo. La muestra de este estudio estuvo compuesta por 170 padres con hijos menores de dos años de edad. El diseño de estudio fue no experimental, de tipo descriptivo. Los instrumentos que se utilizaron fueron: cuestionario de sensibilidad paterna y una encuesta sociodemográfica diseñada para dicha investigación. Los resultados demuestran que existen diferencias entre la sensibilidad del padre con respecto a la edad del padre, la edad del hijo y el nivel de estudios paternos, y no se encontraron diferencias entre esta y el estado civil, situación laboral, cantidad de hijos y sexo de los hijos. A modo de conclusión, la construcción y el desarrollo de la paternidad dependen de diversas variables tales como el contexto social y cultural, su situación actual, entre otros y la conjunción de todas determinan la manera en que el padre se vincule con su hijo.

Abstract For decades, various researchers were in agreement that the role of the father was only as an economic provider. Nevertheless, with the historical changes during the last decades, many psychologists became interested in discovering what are the father´s roles and what happens to the father during a child´s gestation. It has been shown that a father´s sociocultural and socio-demographic characteristics influence his role and transition to paternity. Thus, this study aims to analyze the differences between the dimensions of the Fatherhood Sensitivity Questionnaire and socio-demographic variables such as: father´s age, academic level, civil status, work status, number of children, children´s ages and gender. A sample of 170 fathers with children below 2 years of age was tested, using a descriptive design. The instruments used were the Fatherhood Sensitivity Questionnaire and an ad hoc socio-demographic questionnaire. Results show that there are differences between fatherhood sensitivity and father´s age, the child´s age and the parental education level, however no differences were found between sensitivity and marital status, employment situation, quantity of children and their sex. In conclusion, fatherhood building and development depends on several variables such as: social and cultural context, current situation, among others, and their mix will decide the way that the father will bond with his child

Psicologia da era virtual: estrutura das atitudes frente ao Facebook / Psychology of virtual era: attitudes toward Facebook / Psicología de la era virtual: la estructura de las actitudes hacia Facebook

O site de relacionamento social com maior número de usuários em todo o mundo é o Facebook. Nesse site se relacionam milhares de pessoas. Estudar as atitudes frente ao Facebook pode ser muito importante para melhor entender o comportamento dos seus usuários a partir da psicologia social. Portanto, decidiu-se propor uma Escala de Atitudes frente ao Facebook, assim como verificar as relações dessas atitudes com variáveis sociodemográficas. Contou-se com uma amostra de 300 participantes que faziam parte do site de relacionamento social. Os principais resultados atestam para uma medida válida, breve e precisa para mensurar atitudes frente ao Facebook. Verificaram-se também relações com variáveis sociodemográficas, como mais atitudes favoráveis frente ao site por parte dos homens. Conclui-se que novas pesquisas devem ser realizadas para trazer novas evidências de validade e precisão para a medida proposta assim como para se aprofundar nas relações com variáveis sociodemográficas.

The social network website with the largest number of users worldwide is Facebook. On this website, thousands of people develop relationships. Studying attitudes towards Facebook can be very important to understand the behavior of its users in a better way, from a social psychology perspective. Therefore, it was decided to propose the Attitudes Towards Facebook Scale, as well as examine the relationships of these attitudes with socio demographic variables. We relied on a sample of 300 participants who were part of this social network website. The main results point out to a valid, brief and reliable scale to measure attitudes towards Facebook. There were also relationships with socio demographic variables, such as more favorable attitudes towards this website by men. It is concluded that further research should be undertaken to provide new evidence of the validity and reliability for the measure proposed, as well as to deepen the relationship with socio demographic variables.

El sitio de relacionamiento social con más usuarios en todo el mundo es Facebook. Este sitio relaciona a miles de personas. Estudiar las actitudes frente a Facebook puede ser muy importante para entender mejor el comportamiento de sus usuarios desde la psicología social. Por lo tanto se decidió proponer una Escala de Actitud frente a Facebook, como también verificar la relación de estas actitudes con las variables socio-demográficas. Se contó con una muestra de 300 participantes que hacen parte de esta red social. Los principales resultados anuncian una medida válida, breve y precisa para determinar las actitudes en torno a Facebook. Examinan también las relaciones con las variables sociodemográficas, como las actitudes más favorables frente a Facebook por parte de los hombres. Se concluye que nuevas investigaciones deben llevarse a cabo para entregar nuevas pruebas de validez y fiabilidad de la medida propuesta, así como para profundizar las relaciones con variables sociodemográficas.

Análisis de las creencias epistemológicas de estudiantes colombianos según variables sociodemográficas y educativas / Epistemological beliefs of Colombian students according to educational and socio-demographic variables / Análise das crenças epistemológicas de estudantes colombianos segundo variáveis sociodemográficas e educativas

El objetivo principal del presente estudio es analizar y caracterizar la influencia de las variables educativas y sociodemográficas sobre el grado de desarrollo de las creencias epistemológicas (CE) en estudiantes universitarios y de último año de bachillerato. Para conseguir este objetivo se administró un instrumento llamado EQEBI, que mide las CE a una muestra de 1.387 alumnos en Bogotá (Colombia). La metodología utilizada fue cuantitativa y no experimental. Para comparar las CE de acuerdo con los grupos conformados según las variables analizadas, se utilizaron las pruebas estadísticas no paramétricas de Mann-Whitney y Kruskal-Wallis. Los resultados indican diferencias significativas en las CE por sexo, nivel socioeconómico y nivel educativo de los estudiantes y de sus padres. Sin embargo, no se encontraron diferencias según el entorno de procedencia (rural o urbano), ni por la repetición de curso. Este estudio tiene implicaciones para el diseño de programas educativos específicos, según las características de los alumnos, que favorezcan el desarrollo de las CE.

The main goal of the present study is to analyze and characterize the influence of educational and socio-demographic variables on the Epistemological Beliefs (EB) of senior year and university students. With this aim, an instrument that measures EB, called EQEBI, was applied to a sample of 1387 students in Bogota-Colombia. The methodology used was quantitative, non experimental, and the nonparametric statistics tests of Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were used to compare the EB according to the groups formed by the variables analyzed. Results indicate significant differences in EB by sex, socioeconomic status and educational level of students and his parents, but no differences according to the environmental background (rural or urban) and grade repetition. This study has implications for the design of specific educational programs, according to the characteristics of students, to encourage the development of EB.

O objetivo principal do presente estudo é analisar e caracterizar a influência de variáveis educativas e sociodemográficas sobre o grau de desenvolvimento das crenças epistemológicas (CE) em estudantes universitários e do último ano do ensino médio. Para atingir esse objetivo, administrou-se um instrumento chamado EQEBI, que mede as CE a uma amostra de 1.387 alunos em Bogotá (Colômbia). A metodologia utilizada foi quantitativa e não experimental. Para comparar as CE de acordo com os grupos formados segundo as variáveis analisadas, utilizaram-se as provas estatísticas não paramétricas de Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-Wallis. Os resultados indicam diferenças significativas nas CE por sexo, nível socioeconômico e nível educativo dos estudantes e de seus pais. Contudo, não se encontraram diferenças segundo o ambiente de procedência (rural ou urbano) nem pela repetição de curso. Este estudo tem implicações para o desenho de programas educativos específicos, conforme as características dos alunos, que favoreçam o desenvolvimento das CE.

Associação do sobrepeso com variáveis sócio-demográficas e estilo de vida em universitários / Association of overweight with socio-demographic variables and lifestyle among Brazilian university students

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação do sobrepeso com variáveis sociodemográficas e estilo de vida de calouros de uma universidade pública brasileira. PARTICIPANTES: 685 calouros avaliados em Abril de 2008. MÉTODOS: O sobrepeso foi verificado pelo índice de massa corporal. O estilo de vida e as variáveis sociodemográficas foram estabelecidos através de um questionário auto administrado. RESULTADOS: apresentaram sobrepeso 16 por cento dos calouros e 5,1 por cento estilo de vida inadequado. Universitários do sexo masculino (OR=2,69; 95 por centoIC: 1,64-4,42), com idade > 20 anos (OR=2,01; 95 por centoIC: 1,25-3,25), casados (OR=2,44; 95 por centoIC: 1,11-5,40), que reportaram estar mais de 2 kg acima do peso saudável (OR=17,05; 95 por centoIC: 7,73-37,63) e que reportaram ingerir bebidas com cafeína mais de duas vezes por dia (OR=1,66; 95 por centoIC: 1,00-2,75), tiveram mais chance de sobrepeso. CONCLUSÃO: O estudo evidencia a necessidade de orientação do universitário para um estilo de vida saudável e da oferta de programas de atividades físicas no campus que vise à redução do excesso de peso, com atenção especial aos universitários do sexo masculino, mais velhos e casados.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of overweight with socio-demographic variables and lifestyle among freshmen of a Brazilian public university. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 685 students were evaluated in April 2008. METHODS: Overweight was determined based on body mass index. Lifestyle and socio-demographic variables were established using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Overweight was observed in 16 percent of the students and lifestyle was inadequate in 5.1 percent. The incidence of overweight was higher among male students (OR=2.69; 95 percentCI: 1.64-4.42), students aged > 20 years (OR=2.01; 95 percentCI: 1.25-3.25), married students (OR=2.44; 95 percentCI: 1.11-5.40), and students who reported being more than 2 kg above healthy weight (OR=17.05; 95 percentCI: 7.73-37.63) and ingesting caffeine-containing beverages more than twice a day (OR= 1.66; 95 percentCI: 1.00-2.75). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the need for guidance of university students regarding a healthy lifestyle and for physical activity programs on the campus aimed at reducing excess weight, with special attention to male, older and married students.