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Health beliefs and GP consultations by older people: a secondary analysis of the British health and lifestyle survey
- Authors:
- PENDRY Elizabeth, BARRETT Geraldine, VICTOR Christina
- Journal article citation:
- Health Care in Later Life, 3(4), 1998, pp.237-251.
In the UK, the general practitioner (GP) is the main health service contact for older people. The increasing number of older people and a rise in reported morbidity among this group suggest that expenditure on GP services is set to increase. Using the Health and Lifestyle Survey, carried out in the UK in 1991/2, this study aims to examine who consults GPs and why. This analysis looks at the effect of older people's health beliefs on GP consultation rates, in conjunction with health and symptom experience. The findings do not indicate and 'inappropriate' use of GP services by older people. Concludes with the suggestion that it is not merely the presence of symptoms that prompts a consultation but it is the impact these symptoms on the individual's ability to function that is significant.
Typologies of loneliness, living alone and social isolation, and their associations with physical and mental health
- Authors:
- SMITH Kimberley J., VICTOR Christina
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 39(8), 2019, pp.1709-1730.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The relationship between living alone, loneliness and social isolation, and how they are associated with health remain contentious. We sought to explore typologies based on shared experiences of loneliness, social isolation and living alone using Latent Class Analysis and determine how these groups may differ in terms of their physical and mental health. We used Wave 7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 7,032; mean age = 67.3) and responses to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale, household composition, participation in social/societal activities plus frequency of contact with friends, family and relatives for the Latent Class Analysis. The optimal number of groups was identified using model-fit criteria. The socio-demographic characteristics of groups and health outcomes were explored using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. We identified a six-cluster typology: Group 1, no loneliness or isolation; Group 2, moderate loneliness; Group 3, living alone; Group 4, moderate isolation; Group 5, moderate loneliness, living alone; and Group 6, high loneliness, moderate isolation (with high likelihood of living alone). Groups experiencing loneliness and/or isolation were more likely to report poorer physical and mental health even after adjusting for socio-demographic confounders, this was particularly notable for Group 6. Our results indicate that different typologies of living alone, loneliness and isolation can be identified using data-driven techniques, and can be differentiated by the number and severity of issues they experience. (Edited publisher abstract)
Health and health care in later life
- Author:
- VICTOR Christina
- Publisher:
- Open University
- Publication year:
- 1991
- Pagination:
- 190p.,tables,diags.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Milton Keynes
Looks at the health status and at the health beliefs and behaviour of older people. Goes on to describe current patterns of health and social care utilization by older people and concludes with a discussion of how these may be affected by recent policy changes in Britain.