Browsing by Subject "SF-36"
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Item Open Access An Assessment of Health Outcomes Among Orphans in the Positive Outcomes for Orphans Study in Rural Settings of Kenya and Tanzania(2011) Achwoka, Dunstan EugineObjectives: To compare measures of health and health quality between Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in different living arrangements-- institutional and community care; and to correlate different measures of OVC health and health quality using clinical, laboratory and quality of life instruments.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Two rural districts (sites) in East Africa, Bungoma in Kenya, and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Participants: 77 male and 45 female OVC aged 16-18 years (N=122). Participants, who had attained a minimum age of 16 at the date of interview, were selected from the larger sample of OVC in the Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) study. POFO, a longitudinal study in five less wealthy countries that started in 2006, obtained its sample through cluster randomization.
Methods: To obtain self-ratings of OVC physical health, OVC responded to an interviewer administered SF-36 questionnaire, a multipurpose generic measure of health status. A neutral examiner then measured OVC physical health using 4 clinical variables: a physical health examination, body mass index, hemoglobin level, and the Harvard physical fitness score.
Main Outcome Measures: SF-36 scores presented as a two component score- the physical health and mental health composite sub-scores. For physical health, normal findings for age were considered as meeting the threshold for good physical health.
Results: Of the 122 OVC, 89 (73%) lived in the community while 33 (27%) lived in institutional settings. For the SF-36, the mean physical composite score for the entire study population was 50.6 (SD=6.2). Mean body mass index (BMI) was 19.3 (SD=2.4). Mean hemoglobin was found to be 13.2g/dl (SD=1.8). The average Harvard physical fitness score was found to be 40.7(SD=16.9). Pearson's correlations between SF-36 Physical Functioning and hemoglobin, BMI, and the Harvard Step-Test fitness score were 0.1, 0.1, and -0.1 respectively. There was no evidence that self-rating of OVC health outcomes differed by living arrangement. Using paired t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables, no significant p- values were obtained at the 95% level. Using a threshold of vision 20/20 for normal vision, 91.0% of community OVC and 78.8% of OVC in institutions had normal vision (p=0.07).
Conclusion: Although this study did not detect significant differences in self-reported measures of health among OVC in different living arrangements, physical examination revealed a slightly high incidence of poor vision among those living in institutions. In this sample, the correlations between SF-36 physical functioning sub-score and 3 physical health outcomes of BMI, hemoglobin, and the Harvard Step-test fitness score were weak.
Item Open Access Physical Activity Counseling Promotes Physical and Psychological Resilience in Older Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.(Mental health and physical activity, 2016-10) Hall, Katherine S; Gregg, Jeffrey; Bosworth, Hayden B; Beckham, Jean C; Hoerster, Katherine D; Sloane, Richard; Morey, Miriam CIndividuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have elevated rates of morbidity, and a sedentary lifestyle can cause and aggravate the physical health needs of adults with PTSD. The primary aim of this paper was to explore the impact of physical activity (PA) counseling (vs. usual care) on physical and psychological outcomes among individuals with PTSD. A secondary aim was to compare these arm effects between those with and without PTSD.Methods
Older (>60 years) overweight veterans with impaired glucose tolerance were randomly assigned to an intervention or a usual care control arm. Of the 302 participants who underwent randomization, 67 (22%) had PTSD. Participants in the intervention arm received one in-person activity counseling session followed by regular PA telephone counseling over 12 months. Physical and psychological outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3, and 12 months.Results
Primary Aim (intervention vs. usual care among those with PTSD): PA increased on average from 80 minutes/week to 161 minutes/week among participants in the intervention arm (p=0.01). Large, clinically meaningful improvements in six-minute walk test and psychological health were observed over the course of the intervention (p<0.01). Secondary Aim (PTSD/No PTSD, intervention/usual care): participants with PTSD responded equally well to the intervention compared to participants without PTSD, though we observed significantly greater improvements in vitality and six-minute walk compared to participants without PTSD (p<0.05).Conclusions
Given the epidemic of comorbid psychological illness and lifestyle-related disease among persons with PTSD, our findings support development and implementation of targeted PA interventions in this high-risk population.