Concepts of health and illness in entering medical students; first part of a prospective study.

The objective of this prospective study is to assess curriculum-related factors which might influence both concepts of health and illness and health behaviour. A representative sample of 546 freshmen enrolled at the University of Berne, entering medical students and a control group of freshmen in other faculties, were surveyed on their subjective concepts of illness and health. The questionnaire described as "Health and illness concept Scales" (HICS) was mailed out shortly before the beginning of school, and was returned by 70%. The prospective medical view of health and illness before entering professional training, contrary to the hypothesis of "anticipatory socialisation". Their general concept of illness and health was found to be distinctly naturalistic rather than psychosocial in nature. While psychosocial factors were considered to be rather irrelevant by both cohort of students, individual health behaviour and the ability to recognize warning signs of impending hazard to one's health were given high priority.

[Determinants in decisions for the utilization of an ambulatory medical service]. / Determinanten der Entscheidung für die Inanspruchnahme einer ambulanten ärztlichen Einrichtung.

The purpose of this research is to know more about the factors determining the decision to see a doctor. Especially the influence of characteristics of the delivery system (e.g. differences between urban and rural regions) and characteristics of users (e.g. social class) are investigated. In this article the conceptual frame of the study is described. The model is based on assumptions of the action-decision-theory. It structures the process of decision and action into four phases: the first two, perception and interpretation, are summarized as "process of attention"; the subsequent ones, coping and evaluation, as "process of acting". The model describes the social system (the total of demographic, socio-structural and socio-economic variables) and the memory system (contained within the individual life history) as mediating factors influencing the decision to act.

[Social behavior of 5 to 7-year-old children at risk as newborn infants with special reference to parental child-rearing behavior]. / Das Sozialverhalten ehemaliger Risikoneugeborener im Alter von 5-7 Jahren unter Berücksichtigung des elterlichen Erziehungsverhaltens.

A questionnaire was used to investigate the social behaviour of 168 5-7 year olds, who as neonates had been at risk for developing psychomotor disturbances, and the educational behaviour of their parents. 52 six year olds with an uneventful perinatal period formed the control group. Sociodemographic data did not differ between the two groups. The basic tendency of the children's temperament ( liveliness vs. calmness ) during the first year was similar in both groups. Achievement of developmental milestones (gross motor activity, language, bladder and bowel control) was reached at similar age. The parents' educational behaviour did not differ. The social behaviour of the children at risk, as judged by the inhibited or aggressive behaviour, was also equal to the controls. The psychomotor development of the same population of children had been found to be normal in most cases at age 3-42 (mean 15) months ( Schweiz . med. Wschr . 109, 215 [1979]). According to the present study, this risk population of newborns also showed normal social behaviour.