[Health status of rural elderly with migrant children and associated factors].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of children migration on the health of rural elderly in Sichuan province, and to provide reference for the subsequent research and health policy making. METHODS: Data used in the analysis were extracted from the expanded database for Western China collected in the Fourth National Health Survey in Sichuan province. The prevalence of acute illness in two weeks and the prevalence of chronic illness in the rural elderly were analysed and compared between those with different demographic characteristics and those with and without migrant children using a bivariate multi-level regression model. RESULTS: The prevalence of acute illness in two weeks and the prevalence of chronic illness in the rural elderly with migrant children were 44.0% and 44.5% respectively, significantly higher than the average level of elderly population in western rural China. No significant differences in the prevalence of two-week acute illness and the prevalence of chronic illness were observed in spite of the differences in the rank orders of diseases between whose with and without migrant children. Gender, children migration and living arrangements had a significant influence on the prevalence of acute illness in two weeks and the prevalence of chronic illness of the rural elderly. The influence of children migration differed between those who shared houses with other children and those who did not (alone or with spouse/grandchildren). CONCLUSION: Rural elderly with migrant children have poorer health than those without migrant children, especially those who live alone or with spouses and grandchildren only. The elderly with migrant children bear a greater burden of spinal disk disease perhaps because of their heavier physical workload. Greater attention needs to be paid to the health of the rural elderly with migrant children.

[One family investigation and risk factors analysis of developmental dysplasia of the hip].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical manifestations and risk factors of the patients from developmental dysplasia of the hip(DDH) family. METHODS: Detailed epidemiology investigation, physical examination, functional movement assessment, lab test and X-ray examination were applied to the whole members of a DDH family. RESULTS: In the family with 9 generations and 218 persons, the incidence of DDH was 31.03% in 145 survivors. Patients mainly manifested bilateral knee and hip joint pain, flexion contracture of hip, limitation in internal and external rotation of hip; a few had arthritic functional disorder, deformation, and limp. The radiography illustrated shallow acetabulum with increased inclination, which encompassed the femoral head badly. Deformation of the femoral head, narrow joint space and osteophyte were also found by X-ray examination. The main risk factors of DDH were genetic factors, gender, birth season etc. The son or daughter with one or two DDH parents had a higher risk for developing DDH than those with no DDH parents. Furthermore, first-degree relatives of the DDH patients also had a greater chance to develop DDH than second-degree relatives and third-degree relatives. The incidence among females was higher than males, and the family member who was given birth in winter had a highest risk for developing DDH. However, there was no difference between incidence of DDH in children and youths and in adults; the incidence of DDH in the immigrants with no blood relationship also did not differ from the incidence of DDH in the family member. CONCLUSION: The genetic factors play an important role in the development of DDH, so do the environmental factors.

[Quantitative assessment of risks for coronary heart diseases in urban residents in Sichuan].

OBJECTIVE: To set a quantitative criteria for determining risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) so that potential risk of an individual dying from CHD can be identified and to lay a foundation for predicting individual risk of CHD. METHODS: Data of case-control and cohort studies published during 1978 to 2002, as well as data of surveillance of behavior exposure in Sichuan province, were collected by retrieval of literatures. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and relative risks (RR) of all risk factors for CHD were estimated using various statistical models with software for meta-analysis, and attributable risk fractions of varied levels of risk factors could be converted. RESULTS: A risk score conversion table (quantitative criteria for assessment) of main risk factors for CHD were developed for men and women aged 15 - 69 at an interval of five years, including smoking, passive smoking, hypertension, high blood cholesterol level, body mass index, lack of physical activity, alcohol drinking, past history of diabetes, and family history of CHD and hypertension. Individuals with all these risk factors had a risk score beyond 1.00, and risk score for those without them was equal to or below 1.00, which would increase with rise in one's risk level. CONCLUSIONS: Estimation of risk of dying from CHD was based on risk score conversion table of risk factors for CHD, which could be used to predict individual potential risk of dying from CHD in the following 10 years. It lays a foundation for health education to persuade people to change their unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors, and could be used in community health services.

[Quantitative assessment of risks on cerebral vascular diseases in urban residents in Sichuan].

OBJECTIVE: To set a quantitative criteria for determining the risks on cerebral vascular disease (CVD) so to identify that potential risk of an individual dying from CVD and to predict the individual risk of CVD. METHODS: Data on case-control and cohort studies published during 1978 to 2003 was collected through retrieval of literatures, and data on surveillance of behavior exposure was provided by Chengdu Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and relative risk (RR) of all risk factors for CVD were estimated using software for meta-analysis to enable the varied levels of risk factors be converted into risk fractions by statistical models. RESULTS: A risk score conversion table (quantitative criteria for assessment) of main risk factors for CVD was developed for men and women aged 35 - 69 at an interval of five years, including smoking, passive smoking, hypertension, high blood cholesterol levels, body mass index, lack of physical activity, alcohol drinking, dietary fat consumption, milk intake, oral contraceptive use, past history of diabetes and CVD, family history of CVD etc. Individuals with all these risk factors had a risk score beyond 1.00, but was equal to or below 1.00 when without. The risk score would increase along with the rise of one's risk level. CONCLUSION: Estimation of risk of dying from CVD was based on risk score conversion table of risk factors for CVD, which could be used to predict individual potential risk of dying from CVD in the following 10 years. Our data provides evidence that education to be strengthened to persuade people to change their unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors.