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Socio-demographic and other characteristics in persons 50 years and older with HIV/AIDS in five countries
- Authors:
- NOKES Kathleen M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Global Ageing, 4(2), August 2006, pp.5-13.
This article describes socio-demographic and HIV-related characteristics of people aged 50 and older living with HIV/AIDS in Columbia, Norway, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and the United States. The article is based on findings from a small cross-national study where participants completed an extensive socio-demographic survey. The sample consisted of 175 people from the United States, 10 from Puerto Rico, 17 from Taiwan, 19 from Norway and 9 from Colombia.
Prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms among veterans home elders in Eastern Taiwan
- Authors:
- KU Yan-Chiou, LIU Wen-Chien, TSAI Yun-Fang
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(12), December 2006, pp.1181-1186.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Depression in the elderly has become a serious health care issue worldwide. However, no studies have determined the prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms among a representative sample of veterans home elders in Taiwan. The aim was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms among veterans home elders in eastern Taiwan. Elderly veterans (n = 947) were recruited from four veterans homes in eastern Taiwan. The prevalence of depressive tendency was 35.5%. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that depressive status in this sample was significantly predicted by poorer functional status, dissatisfaction with living situation, poorer perceived health status, and lower education level. The risk factors for depressive symptoms identified in this study need to be considered when assessing the health of elderly veterans. In addition, strategies to improve elderly veterans' perception of health status, physical function and living situation should be considered in interventions to reduce their depressive symptoms.
Religious involvement and health outcomes among older persons in Taiwan
- Author:
- YEAGER D. M.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 63(8), October 2006, pp.2228-2241.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The authors use data from a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of older Taiwanese to examine the relationship between religious involvement—including religious affiliation, religious attendance, beliefs, and religious practices—and self-reported measures of overall health status, mobility limitations, depressive symptoms, and cognitive function; clinical measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum interleukin-6, and 12-h urinary cortisol; and 4-year mortality. Frequency of religious attendance shows the strongest, most consistent association with health outcomes. But, with only one exception, this relationship disappears in the presence of controls for health behaviors, social networks, and prior health status. Religious attendance remains significantly associated with lower mortality even after controlling for prior self-assessed health status, but the coefficient is substantially reduced. Other aspects of religiosity are only sporadically associated with health and, in all cases, private religious practices and stronger beliefs are associated with worse health; again, this relationship disappears after controlling for prior health status. These results suggest that reverse causality may partly account for both the positive and negative correlations between religiosity and health. We find no significant associations between religious involvement and biological markers. Notably, even after controlling for prior health, participation in social activities has a more robust effect on health than religious attendance. Consequently, we question whether the purported health benefits are attributable to religion or to social activity in general.