Search

Background: Little is known about depressive symptoms in podoconiosis despite the independent contribution of depression to worse health outcomes and disability in people with other chronic disorders. Method: Two-hundred and seventy-one individuals with podoconiosis and 268 healthy neighbours (individuals from the nearest household in any direction) were investigated for depressive symptoms using a validated Amharic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) tool was used to measure disability. Logistic regression and zero inflated negative binomial regression were used to identify factors associated with elevated depressive symptoms, and disability, respectively. Results: Among study participants with podoconiosis, 12.6% (34/269) had high levels of depressive symptoms (scoring 5 or more points on the PHQ-9, on two assessments two weeks apart) compared to 0.7% (2/268) of healthy neighbours (p<0.001). Having podoconiosis and being older were significantly associated with increased odds of a high PHQ-9 score (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] 11.42; 95% CI 2.44-53.44 and AOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.00- 1.08, respectively). Significant predictors of a higher disability score were having podoconiosis (WHODAS II multiplier value: 1.48; 95% CI 1.39-1.58) and having a high PHQ-9 score (1.07; 95% CI 1.06-1.08). Conclusion: We recommend integrating evidence-based treatments for depression into podoconiosis interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on research conducted to determine the levels of physical activity and to determine the factors related to the physical activity behavior of adults with multiple sclerosis by use of the Physical Activity for People With a Disability (PAD) model. Researchers evaluated 106 people with multiple sclerosis. They found that the the individuals that they evaluated spent an average of 30 hours per week on activities with metabolic equivalents of two on the Expanded Disability Status Scale score. They also found that people with multiple sclerosis were less active if their disease was more severe, if they received a disability pension or had children to care for. INSET: The Bottom Line.

The article discusses the use of Internet resources in disability studies. Teachers can improve a student's understanding of disability studies by incorporating Internet resources into their curriculum. Some students can be intimidated by areas of a library where disability studies resources are kept and many libraries are not open at night whereas the Internet can be used at any time and is both a familiar and friendly atmosphere for students. The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress hosts the Veterans History Project which is a collection of veterans' histories.

Background and Purpose Although a criterion reference of 10,000 steps per day is recommended for health benefits, a literature search yielded no normative standard for daily steps. Therefore, a meta-analysis was used in estimate the number of pedometer-documented steps that adults take daily. Methods Studies were retrieved using electronic databases and cross-referencing from retrieved studies. A random-effects model and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used tor all analyses of daily step data. Results Seventy-one outcomes, representing 6,199 subjects from 42 studies, met the inclusion criteria. Excluding Amish subjects, the daily step count averaged 9,448 (95% CI=8,899-9,996) and was greater in subjects younger than 65 years of age (mean=9,797, 95% CI=9,216-10,377) compared with subjects 65 years of age or older (mean=6,565, 95% CI=4,897-8,233). Discussion and Conclusion This study provides an estimate of the number of daily steps taken by adults. The number is less than the recommended 10,000 steps per day and is especially low in adults 65 years of age or older. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]