RESUMO
Information on the clinical utility of neuropsychological tests in non-North-American samples is limited. We examined the diagnostic efficacy of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery in Jamaican men and women age 65 and older. A total of 72 elders were diagnosed as normal and 12 were demented based on history, physical, and neurological examination, participants were tested with the CERAD battery. Normal controls scored significantly better than dementia patients on all tests in the CERAD battery. A discriminant function found that a combination of Word List Learning Sum Recall and Boston Naming Test correctly classified a total of 81 percent of the cases (83 percent of the dements and 81 percent of the normal controls). This study is the first to demonstrate thr clinical utility of the CERAD neuropsychological battery in the differential diagnosis of memory disorders of the aged in a non-North-American sample.(Au)
Assuntos
Idoso , Estudo Comparativo , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Transtornos Cognitivos/diagnóstico , Testes Neuropsicológicos , JamaicaRESUMO
This is a cross-sectional study of elderly persons living in institutional, rural and urban settings. It was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression among the elderly and to determine the factors which may act as protective mechanisms against depression. Elderly males and females were chosen from three senior citizen clubs and the Golden Age Home in Kingston and St Andrew. The study revealed that the highest prevalence of depression was in the institutional setting followed by urban and then rural areas. Elderly persons less than 69 years old, those with no income, and those with financial troubles in the previous year were more likely to have depression symptoms. The elderly who had close contact with children and who possessed enough privacy were likely not to have depressive symptoms. These findings disclosed that there is a significant level of depression among the elderly, and that programmes need to be developed to cope with their emotional and economic needs. (AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , Idoso , Masculino , Feminino , Depressão/epidemiologia , Idoso/psicologia , JamaicaRESUMO
10.2 percent of 1318 people aged 60 to 97 years old interviewed in a community based survey in Jamaica reported that they had type II diabetes mellitus, and this was confirmed by appropriate blood and urine tests. The disease occurred more frequently in females (12.6 percent) of 669 interviewed than in males (7.8 percent of 649 interviewed), and was detected in an additional 2.96 percent of the study group who were not aware that they had the disease. Among the group of diabetics, 60.25 percent also reported that they were hypertensive, 63.1 percent were taking oral anti-diabetic tablets, and 20.4 percent reported having the disease for more than 20 years. 89.5 percent of the entire study group, and 88 percent of the diabetic population, were functionally independent.
Assuntos
Feminino , Humanos , Idoso , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Fatores de Tempo , Fatores Sexuais , Prevalência , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Hipertensão/complicações , Jamaica/epidemiologiaRESUMO
10.2 percent of 1318 people aged 60 to 97 years old interviewed in a community based survey in Jamaica reported that they had type II diabetes mellitus, and this was confirmed by appropriate blood and urine tests. The disease occurred more frequently in females (12.6 percent) of 669 interviewed than in males (7.8 percent of 649 interviewed), and was detected in an additional 2.96 percent of the study group who were not aware that they had the disease. Among the group of diabetics, 60.25 percent also reported that they were hypertensive, 63.1 percent were taking oral anti-diabetic tablets, and 20.4 percent reported having the disease for more than 20 years. 89.5 percent of the entire study group, and 88 percent of the diabetic population, were functionally independent. (AU)
Assuntos
Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Idoso , Prevalência , Fatores Sexuais , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Hipertensão/complicações , Jamaica/epidemiologia , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Jamaica, although a developing country, has an aging population and is facing the many issues confronting aging. A community-based study using the Folstein minimental screening tool identified 2.3 percent of the over-60 population as severely impaired and 11.8 percent as questionable. The family was identified as the main source of support, and female relatives the main carepersons. Mentally impaired persons were less likely than physically impaired persons not to have a support syustem or careperson needed (AU).
Assuntos
Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Cuidadores , Doença de Alzheimer/epidemiologia , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Apoio Social , Mulheres , Fatores Etários , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Atitude Frente a Saúde , Estudos Transversais , Família , Jamaica/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fatores SexuaisRESUMO
Although the rates of HIV are increasing among female populations in developing countries, there is little information available about factors influencing sexual risk taking among working class women. This paper describes some of the issues discussed by two groups of 58 women working in Jamaica: Informal Commerical Importers and women working in the Free Zone. These women discuss their economic vulnerability, expectations about the role of men as provides, multiple partners, perception of children as resources and concern about physical abuse as factors that could influence decisions about condom use. The implications of these findings are discussed for their impact of intervention programs targeting working class women in Jamaica.(AU)
Assuntos
Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Assunção de Riscos , Comportamento Sexual/etnologia , Mulheres Trabalhadoras/psicologia , Tomada de Decisões , Dependência Psicológica , Infecções por HIV/etnologia , Infecções por HIV/prevenção & controle , Infecções por HIV/transmissão , Relações Interpessoais , Jamaica , Motivação , Poder Psicológico , Papel (figurativo) , Estudos de Amostragem , Parceiros Sexuais , Valores Sociais/etnologia , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
This study is a preliminary effort to document the role of drugs in motor vehicle accidents as it examines the presence of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in blood samples of thirty-one motor vehicle fatalities. The study identified that males (90.3 percent) and pedestrians (41.9 percent) were killed most often. Evidence of alcohol intake was found in 77.5 percent of the fatalities and 35.5 percent had alcohol levels above the legal acceptable limits. Traces of marijuana were found in 22.5 percent and a combination of alcohol and marijuana in 22.5 percent of the victims (AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adolescente , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Acidentes de Trânsito/mortalidade , Acidentes de Trânsito/estatística & dados numéricos , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/efeitos adversos , Drogas Ilícitas/efeitos adversos , Etanol/sangue , Drogas Ilícitas/sangue , JamaicaRESUMO
The past two decades have witnessed the growth of the over-60,"elderly" population both in numbers and life expectancy. Similarly, there has been a shift in overall morbidity from acute to chronic causes and associated lifestyle factors. The increasing elderly population provides health care planners with new challenges at a time of decreasing resources. The public health approach, which equally stresses the responsibility of the individual, the family, the community and health care providers, is suggested as the starting point for addressing the issue. (AU)