AIMS: To learn how the elderly people in our health area see their own state of health (AS) in relation with certain variables. DESIGN: Transverse. Survey of socio-economic and health characteristics. LOCATION: Community oriented primary care. PATIENTS OR OTHERS PARTICIPANTS: 232 psychically capable people aged 65 or over, selected at random among those attended by three general medical groups of the Rekaldeberri Primary Care Unit (Bilbao). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 41.4% considered their health to be good or very good. The association between AS and various variables is worked out by odds ratio calculation using logistic regression. Age and sex ar not significantly associated with AS. The variables most closely associated to negative AS were the number of illnesses affecting daily life, the number of symptoms, the number of pharmaceutical products consumed and functional incapacity of any degree. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' perception of their own health varies widely between the different studies. As is an easy parameter to obtain, summarizes both subjective and objective aspects, and is useful in assessing an elderly person's overall state of health.
AIMS: To learn how the elderly people in our health area see their own state of health (AS) in relation with certain variables. DESIGN: Transverse. Survey of socio-economic and health characteristics. LOCATION: Community oriented primary care. PATIENTS OR OTHERS PARTICIPANTS: 232 psychically capable people aged 65 or over, selected at random among those attended by three general medical groups of the Rekaldeberri Primary Care Unit (Bilbao). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 41.4% considered their health to be good or very good. The association between AS and various variables is worked out by odds ratio calculation using logistic regression. Age and sex ar not significantly associated with AS. The variables most closely associated to negative AS were the number of illnesses affecting daily life, the number of symptoms, the number of pharmaceutical products consumed and functional incapacity of any degree. CONCLUSIONS:Patients' perception of their own health varies widely between the different studies. As is an easy parameter to obtain, summarizes both subjective and objective aspects, and is useful in assessing an elderly person's overall state of health.
Authors: M Azpiazu Garrido; A Cruz Jentoft; J R Villagrasa Ferrer; J C Abanades Herranz; N García Marín; C Alvarez De Mon Rego Journal: Aten Primaria Date: 2003-03-31 Impact factor: 1.137