Association between impairment and self-rated heath: a brazilian population study considering type, origin, and degree of limitation.

BACKGROUND: Perceived health is a well-known, low-cost measure in public health, and has been used in several studies on individuals with impairment. Although many studies have related impairment to self-rated health (SRH), few have considered the origin and degree of limitation of the impairment. This study examined whether physical, hearing, or visual impairments-when analyzed according to origin (congenital or acquired) and degree of limitation (with or without)-are associated with the SRH status. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data of 43,681 adult individuals from the Brazilian National Health Survey (NHS, 2013). The outcome SRH was dichotomized into poor (including the regular, poor, and very poor responses) or good (including the good and very good responses). Crude and adjusted (for socio-demographic characteristics and chronic diseases history) prevalence ratios (PR) estimates were evaluated using Poisson regression models with the robust variance estimator. RESULTS: Poor SRH prevalence was estimated at 31.8% (95%CI:31.0-33.0) among the non-impaired population, 65.6% (95%CI:60.6-70.0) among individuals with physical impairment, 50.3% (95%CI:45.0-56.0) for people with hearing impairment, and 55.3% (95%CI:51.8-59.0) for the visually impaired. Individuals with congenital physical impairment-with or without limitations-presented the strongest association with the poorest SRH status. Participants with non-limiting, congenital hearing impairment showed a protective factor to poor SRH (PR = 0.40 95%CI: 0.38-0.52). Individuals with acquired visual impairment with limitations demonstrated the strongest association with poor SRH (PR = 1.48 95%CI:1.47-1.49). Among the impaired population, middle-aged participants showed a stronger association with poor SRH than older adult participants. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment is associated with poor SRH status, especially among people with physical impairment. The origin and degree of limitation of each type of impairment differently impacts SRH among the impaired population.

Frequency and associated factors for swallowing impairment in community-dwelling older persons: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Swallowing impairment (SI) is an underdiagnosed dysfunction frequently seen as an expected condition of aging. However, SI can lead to health complications and considerable social impact. METHODS: The objective of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the frequency and associated factors with SI in community-dwelling older persons. Searches were performed in 13 electronic databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE (from inception to September 18, 2021). Data extraction and methodological quality assessment of included studies were performed by two independent reviewers. Meta-analysis of proportions with 95% confidence interval (CI) and prediction interval (PI) was used to pool estimates. Subgroup analysis by Country and Assessment Method was performed. General meta-analysis was used to pool measures of association between potential risk factors and SI occurrence (odds ratio [OR] or prevalence ratio [PR]). RESULTS: The worldwide estimated frequency of SI in community-dwelling older persons was 20.35% (95%CI 16.61-24.68%, 95%PI 4.79-56.45, I2 99%, n = 33,291). This estimation varied across assessment methods and by country. The main factors associated with SI were a dry mouth (OR 8.1, 95%CI 4.9-13.4), oral diadochokinesis (OR 5.3, 95%CI 1.0-27.3), ≥ 80 years old (OR 4.9, 95%CI 2.6-9.2), genetic factor (SNPrs17601696) (OR 4.8, 95%CI 2.7-8.3), and partial dependence (OR 4.3, 95%CI 2.0-9.3). And the main factors associated with SI estimated by PR were dry mouth sensation (PR 4.1, 95%CI 2.6-6.5), oral sensorimotor alteration (PR 2.6, 95%CI 1.4-4.9), osteoporosis (PR 2.51, 95%CI 1.2-5.3), and heart diseases (PR 2.31, 95%CI 1.1-5.0). CONCLUSION: One in five older adults worldwide are expected to experience SI and factors associated with this underdiagnosed dysfunction included biological and physiological changes related to aging, physical and psychological conditions, and poor oral health. Early assessment is paramount for the prevention of future clinical complications and should be a high priority in health care practices.

Swallowing impairment in older adults: association with sensorimotor peripheral nerve function from the Health, Aging and Body Composition study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine whether impairments in sensorimotor peripheral nerve function are associated with a higher likelihood of swallowing impairment in older adults. METHODS: Health, Aging and Body Composition participants (n = 607, age = 75.8 ± 2.7 years, 55.8% women, 32.3% black) underwent peripheral nerve testing at Year 4 and 11 with swallowing difficulty assessed at Year 4 and 15. Nerve conduction amplitude and velocity were measured at the peroneal motor nerve. Sensory nerve function was assessed with the vibration detection threshold and monofilament (1.4-g/10-g) testing at the big toe. Symptoms of lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and difficulty swallowing were collected by self-report. Data analysis was performed using a hierarchical approach. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using non-conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: At Year 15 108 (17.8%) participants had swallowing impairments. In fully adjusted models, the peripheral nerve impairments associated with swallowing impairment were numbness (OR 4.67; 95%CI 2.24-9.75) and poor motor nerve conduction velocity (OR 2.26; 95%CI 1.08-4.70). Other peripheral nerve impairments were not related to swallowing. CONCLUSIONS: The association between slow motor nerve conduction velocity and numbness and a higher likelihood of swallowing difficulties a decade later in our prospective study identifies an important area for further investigation in older adults.

Associations between occupational factors and self-rated health in the national Brazilian working population.

BACKGROUND: The literature remains seldom on the topic of self-rated health (SRH) among the national working populations of emerging countries. The objectives of the study were to examine the associations of occupational factors with SRH in a national representative sample of the working population in Brazil. METHODS: This study relied on a cross-sectional sample of 36,442 workers, 16,992 women and 19,450 men. SRH was the studied health outcome. Sixteen occupational factors related to four topics were studied: employment characteristics, working time/hours, psychosocial work factors and physical and chemical work exposures. The associations between occupational factors and SRH were studied using logistic regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics (age, ethnicity and marital status). The analyses were performed for each gender separately and using weights. RESULTS: The prevalence of poor SRH was 26.71%, this prevalence being higher among women (29.77%) than among men (24.23%). The following risk factors for poor SRH were found among men and women: working as a self-employed worker, clerk/service worker, manual worker, part-time (≤ 20 h/week), exposure to work stress, exposure to high physical activity and exposure to sun. The risk factors for poor SRH among women only were: working as a domestic worker and exposure to noise, and among men, working in the agriculture sector. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that occupational factors related to both physical and psychosocial work environment may be associated with SRH in the working population in Brazil. Improving working conditions may be beneficial for health at work in Brazil.

Caries experience in caregiver-intellectual deficient pair: Influence of caregiver's psychological morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate how determinants of psychological morbidity were associated with dental caries experience in the caregiver-intellectual deficient pair. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 299 pair, who had their oral health status assessed using the DMFT index (decayed, missing and filled teeth). Symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, quality of sleep, and socioeconomic variables were measured in caregivers. Adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression with the caregiver and children's caries index as outcome. RESULTS: The average prevalence of DMFT/dmft was 7.48 (SD ± 3.9) for students with ID and DMFT was 14.7 (SD ± 8.1) for their caregivers. For the caregiver's oral health, the following psychic comorbidities were associated with worse oral health condition: anxiety (PR = 1.48; 95%CI 1.07-2.06), depression (PR = 1.39; 95%CI 1.05-1.85), high level of stress (PR = 1.58; 95%CI 1.17-2.13) and sleep disorders (PR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.18-2.14). For people with ID, the caregiver's psychic comorbidities also showed association with a worse oral health condition, including anxiety (PR = 1.31; 95%CI 1.03-1.74), depression (PR = 1.28; 95%CI 1.01-1.67) and high level of stress (PR = 1.63; 95%CI 1.14-2.32), as well as mother's high level of DMFT (PR = 1.96; 95%CI 1.28-3.03). CONCLUSION: Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were associated with higher levels of dental caries experience for caregivers and for people with intellectual disabilities.

Development of a simplified dysphagia assessment by dentists in older persons.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a simplified clinical examination of swallowing by dentists and the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), when compared with the diagnosis provided by a speech pathologist (gold standard). METHODS: Three dentists and 1 speech pathologist clinically evaluated 265 older persons in southern Brazil, 123 were residents in long-term care and 142 were community-dwelling, all able to respond to the research protocol independently. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (+PV and -PV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios (+LR and -LR) were calculated according to standard methods. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 73.5 (±8.9) years and most of them were women (N = 157, 59.2%). The prevalence of dysphagia as diagnosed by a speech pathologist was 45.3%. The accuracy of diagnosis was 0.84 for the clinical examination of swallowing by dentists. Furthermore, sensitivity was 0.77, specificity was 0.89, +PV was 0.85, -PV was 0.83, +LR was 7.02 and -LR was 0.25. The accuracy of EAT-10 was 0.72, the sensitivity was 0.45, specificity was 0.94, +PV was 0.87, -PV was 0.67, +LR was 8.31 and -LR was 0.57. CONCLUSIONS: Simplified clinical examination of swallowing by dentists was found to be an accurate method to screen dysphagia in older persons.

[Thinking about health related professions humanized practice]. / Humanização das práticas do profissional de saúde: contribuições para reflexão.

This article intends to contribute with some reflections about contemporary clinical approach concerning humanized health assistance based on the review of literature indexed and published in Brazil at BVS and Scielo between 1987 and 2007, including some authors referred in these studies and published in the same period, when considered essential to consubstantiate the discussions presented. Matters are also discussed regarding humanized health care based on public policies and health related professional practices, as well as the possibilities for extending discussions related to the need of inclusion of theses principles in various stages of the health professional background, from undergraduate studies. In addition, some propositions are presented to contribute with the education of the healthcare professional, as well as subsidies for the reflection related to curricular proposals and opportunities offered by university professors, who may strongly influence the professional education and, further, with the health assistance and health services practices.

[Breastfeeding in premature babies: speech-language and audiology performance based on education for health promotion concepts]. / Aleitamento materno em prematuros: atuação fonoaudiológica baseada nos pressupostos da educação para promoção da saúde.

This paper reports an experience of a speech-language and audiology (SLP) team based on health promotion and education to contribute for the maintainance of exclusive breastfeeding in premature newborns in a high-risk maternity. In the process, a multiprofessional group and individual strategies were combined, producing dialogic settings along with puerperals and their families. Exclusive breastfeeding increased comparing with the last three years before these approach and greater participation of the team and relatives involved in these activities since the pregnant admission until discharge. The analysis of the strategies used allowed the team to identify the most effective actions to improve longer lasting exclusive breastfeeding and those that ought to be reformulated. From a theoretical and methodological point of view, this experience also allowed to observe the limits and possibilities of the actions that are related to closer areas of scientific knowledge and the effective promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in transdisciplinary activities. Considering health promotion and education as a discipline, it means that the efforts are highly directed to act on the people knowledge and self-care, mainly to contribute to the development of critical judgment and ability to decide what would be better and possible in health care and in managing of their own lives.

[Characteristics of Family Health Program users sample in Campo Bom (RS), Brazil during the year of 2006]. / Características de um grupo de usuários do Programa Saúde da Família na cidade de Campo Bom (RS), Brasil em 2006.

This study aims to describe the characteristics of Family Health Program (FHP) users sample in a Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Campo Bom, southern of Brazil. Based on data collected from the handbook of the first 200 patients attended in a specific BHU in January 2006, we analyzed sex, age, average number of medical and nursing consultations in the last twelve months and the reasons for requiring a BHU attendance. In this sample, 68% were female. Children represented 30.5% of the sample and 35.5% of the patients self-declared as married. In addition to that, 59% had not finished basic school. Almost half (42%) of the citizens presented some chronic disease as a complaint to go to a BUH and 17% were looking for preventive health care. In 2005, 17% of the sample had, at least, one nursing consulting and 46.5% of these had from one to four medical consultations. Chronicle diseases and its symptoms or complications represented a significant percentage of the sample and might be associated to the demands for BHU health assistance. Data collected shows the necessity of more investments to prevent complications and/or incapability. Based on a deep understanding of BHU patients' profile, family health teams can improve effectiveness of their health promotion actions focusing on community demands.