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Objective To assess the availability and gaps in data for measuring progress towards health-related sustainable development goals and other targets in selected low- and middle-income countries. Methods We used 14 international population surveys to evaluate the health data systems in the 47 least developed countries over the years 2015-2020. We reviewed the survey instruments to determine whether they contained tools that could be used to measure 46 health-related indicators defined by the World Health Organization. We recorded the number of countries with data available on the indicators from these surveys. Findings Twenty-seven indicators were measurable by the surveys we identified. The two health emergency indicators were not measurable by current surveys. The percentage of countries that used surveys to collect data over 2015-2020 were lowest for tuberculosis (2/47; 4.3%), hepatitis B (3/47; 6.4%), human immunodeficiency virus (11/47; 23.4%), child development status and child abuse (both 13/47; 27.7%), compared with safe drinking water (37/47; 78.7%) and births attended by skilled health personnel (36/47; 76.6%). Nineteen countries collected data on 21 or more indicators over 2015-2020 while nine collected data on no indicators; over 2018-2020 these numbers reduced to six and 20, respectively. Conclusion Examining selected international surveys provided a quick summary of health data available in the 47 least developed countries. We found major gaps in health data due to long survey cycles and lack of appropriate survey instruments. Novel indicators and survey instruments would be needed to track the fast-changing situation of health emergencies. Objectif Evaluer les donnees disponibles et les lacunes dans la mesure des progres effectues pour atteindre les objectifs de developpement durable lies a la sante et d'autres objectifs dans une serie de pays a faible et moyen revenu. Methodes Nous nous sommes bases sur 14 enquetes internationales menees au sein de la population afin d'analyser les systemes de donnees sur la sante dans 47 pays figurant parmi les moins developpes entre 2015 et 2020. Nous avons egalement passe en revue le materiel d'enquete pour determiner s'il contenait des outils pouvant servir a mesurer 46 indicateurs sanitaires, tels que definis par l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante. Enfin, nous avons recense le nombre de pays possedant des donnees sur les indicateurs issus de ces enquetes. Resultats Nous avons identifie des enquetes dans lesquelles 27 indicateurs etaient mesurables. Les deux indicateurs relatifs aux urgences sanitaires etaient impossibles a evaluer a l'aide des enquetes existantes. Les pourcentages les plus bas de pays recourant a des enquetes pour recolter des donnees entre 2015 et 2020 s'appliquaient a la tuberculose (2/47; 4,3%), a l'hepatite B (3/47; 6,4%), au virus de l'immunodeficience humaine (11/47; 23,4%), au stade de developpement des enfants et a leur maltraitance (tous deux 13/47; 27,7%). A l'autre extremite se trouvaient l'acces a l'eau potable (37/47; 78,7%) et les accouchements assistes par du personnel qualifie (36/47; 76,6%). Dix-neuf pays ont recueilli des donnees sur minimum 21 indicateurs durant la periode comprise entre 2015 et 2020, tandis que neuf n'en ont collecte sur aucun d'entre eux; entre 2018 et 2020, ces chiffres sont passes a 6 et 20 respectivement. Conclusion Lexamen d'une selection d'enquetes internationales nous a fourni un bref apercu des donnees disponibles dans les 47 pays les moins developpes. Nous avons decele des lacunes considerables dans les donnees liees a la sante, en raison des longs cycles d'enquete et du manque de materiel adequat. De nouveaux outils et indicateurs seraient necessaires pour suivre l'evolution rapide de la situation en cas d'urgence sanitaire. Objetivo Evaluar la disponibilidad y las carencias de datos para medir el progreso hacia los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible relacionados con la salud y otras metas en paises seleccionados de ingresos bajos y medios. Metodos Se utilizaron 14 encuestas internacionales de poblacion para evaluar los sistemas de datos sanitarios en 47 paises menos desarrollados durante los anos 2015 a 2020. Se revisaron los instrumentos de las encuestas para determinar si incluian herramientas que se pudieran aplicar para medir 46 indicadores de salud que establece la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud. Se registro el numero de paises con datos disponibles sobre los indicadores de estas encuestas. Resultados Las encuestas que se seleccionaron permitieron medir 27 indicadores, pero no fue posible medir los dos indicadores de emergencias sanitarias mediante las encuestas actuales. El porcentaje de paises que aplicaron encuestas para recopilar datos entre 2015 y 2020 fue el mas bajo para la tuberculosis (2/47; 4,3 %), la hepatitis B (3/47; 6,4 %), el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (11/47; 23,4 %), el estado de desarrollo infantil y el maltrato infantil (ambos 13/47; 27,7 %), en comparacion con el agua potable (37/47; 78,7 %) y los partos a cargo de personal sanitario cualificado (36/47; 76,6 %). Diecinueve paises recopilaron datos sobre 21 o mas indicadores entre 2015 y 2020, mientras que 9 no recopilaron datos sobre ningun indicador; entre 2018 y 2020 estas cifras disminuyeron a 6 y 20, respectivamente. Conclusion El analisis de encuestas internacionales seleccionadas proporciono un breve resumen de los datos sanitarios disponibles en los 47 paises menos desarrollados. Se encontraron importantes carencias en los datos sanitarios debido a los largos ciclos de las encuestas y a la falta de instrumentos de encuesta adecuados. Se necesitarian nuevos indicadores e instrumentos de encuesta para hacer un seguimiento de las situaciones de emergencia sanitaria, que cambian muy rapido. [phrase omitted], Introduction The United Nations (UN) Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is a global plan shared by Member States for a far healthier, more prosperous world. (1,2) [...]

Objective: The standard method of generating disorder‐specific disability scores has lay raters make rankings between pairs of disorders based on brief disorder vignettes. This method introduces bias due to differential rater knowledge of disorders and inability to disentangle the disability due to disorders from the disability due to comorbidities. Methods: We propose an alternative, data‐driven, method of generating disorder‐specific disability scores that assesses disorders in a sample of individuals either from population medical registry data or population survey self‐reports and uses Generalized Random Forests (GRF) to predict global (rather than disorder‐specific) disability assessed by clinician ratings or by survey respondent self‐reports. This method also provides a principled basis for studying patterns and predictors of heterogeneity in disorder‐specific disability. We illustrate this method by analyzing data for 16 disorders assessed in the World Mental Health Surveys (n = 53,645). Results: Adjustments for comorbidity decreased estimates of disorder‐specific disability substantially. Estimates were generally somewhat higher with GRF than conventional multivariable regression models. Heterogeneity was nonsignificant. Conclusions: The results show clearly that the proposed approach is practical, and that adjustment is needed for comorbidities to obtain accurate estimates of disorder‐specific disability. Expansion to a wider range of disorders would likely find more evidence for heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the study: To explore short-form versions of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-OLD) with acceptable psychometric properties, which was developed for older adults by the WHOQOL research group, containing 24 items initially. Design and Methods: We randomly sampled two-thirds of respondents from the data of WHOQOL-OLD field study (N = 5,566), as a developmental sample, and the remaining third as a validation sample. Three approaches (item response theory [IRT] and regression analysis [REG], classical test theory [CTT] and REG, and CTT and IRT and REG) were performed to develop three short-form scales with six items each using the developmental sample. The reliability and criterion validity of the three short-form scales were evaluated using the validation sample. Results: The version 1 of short-form scales contained items 6, 11, 12, 16, 20, and 21; version 2 contained items 2, 6, 11, 12, 17, and 22; and version 3 contained items 4, 6, 17, 19, 20, and 24. The correlation coefficient between the total scores of the three versions and WHOQOL-OLD were 0.918, 0.925, and 0.922, respectively. The internal consistency reliability coefficients of the three versions were 0.681, 0.678, and 0.649, respectively. Implications: The three versions of short-form WHOQOL-OLD contained the best items of the original module, much shorter, and with good internal consistency and criterion validity as a whole.

Prevalence of dementia and cognitive impairment increase creating the need for identifying modifiable risk factors to reduce their burden. The aim of this study was to identify latent groups following similar trajectories in cognitive performance assessed with the verbal fluency test, as well as their determinants. Data from English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) were studied. Latent groups of similar course through a 6-year period in the outcome variable (verbal fluency) were investigated, along with their determinants, using Group Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM). Four latent groups of verbal fluency trajectories were revealed. Education was the strongest predictor for a favorable trajectory, while cardiovascular disease and depression symptoms were associated with lower within each trajectory. Cardiovascular diseases and depressive symptoms are associated with a worse course of verbal fluency through aging, implying that they might serve as targets for interventions to prevent cognitive decline in the aging population. Contrarily, higher level of education is associated with a more favorable course through aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the associations between health and how people evaluate and experience their lives. Methods We analysed data from nationally-representative household surveys originally conducted in 2011-2012 in Finland, Poland and Spain. These surveys provided information on 10 800 adults, for whom experienced well-being was measured using the Day Reconstruction Method and evaluative well-being was measured with the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Health status was assessed by questions in eight domains including mobility and self-care. We used multiple linear regression, structural equation models and multiple indicators/ multiple causes models to explore factors associated with experienced and evaluative well-being. Findings The multiple indicator/multiple causes model conducted over the pooled sample showed that respondents with younger age (effect size, (β = 0.19), with higher levels of education (β = -0.12), a history of depression (β = - 0.17), poor health status (β = 0.29) or poor cognitive functioning (β = 0.09) reported worse experienced well-being. Additional factors associated with worse evaluative well-being were male sex (β = -0.03), not living with a partner (β = 0.07), and lower occupational (β = -0.07) or income levels (β = 0.08). Health status was the factor most strongly correlated with both experienced and evaluative well-being, even after controlling for a history of depression, age, income and other sociodemographic variables. Conclusion Health status is an important correlate of well-being. Therefore, strategies to improve population health would also improve people's well-being. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Objectif Etudier les associations entre la sante et la maniere dont les personnes evaluent et ressentent leur vie. Methodes Nous avons analyse les donnees tirees des enquetes sur les menages representatifs a l'echelle nationale qui ont ete menees en 2011-2012 en Finlande, Pologne et Espagne. Ces enquetes ont fourni des informations sur 10 800 adultes, dont le bien-etre a ete mesure en utilisant la methode de reconstruction de la journee et le bien-etre evaluatif a ete quantise avec l'echelle de Cantril (Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale). L'etat de sante a ete evalue par des questions dans huit domaines, y compris la mobilite et le fait de prendre soin de soi-meme. Nous avons utilise des modeles d'equation structured a regression lineaire multiple et des modeles a indicateurs eta causes multiples pour etudier les facteurs associes au bien-etre ressenti et evaluatif. Resultats Le modele a indicateurs et a causes multiples applique sur l'echantillon groupe a montre que les repondants jeunes (ampleur de l'effet [β] = 0,19), avec un niveau d'education plus eleve (β = -0,12), des antecedents de depression (β = -0,17), un mauvais etat de sante (β = 0,29) ou de faibles facultes cognitives (β = 0,09) avaient signale le plus faible bien-etre ressenti. Des facteurs supplementaires associes avec la plus mauvaise evaluation de bien-etre etaient: etre de sexe male (β = -0,03), ne pas vivre avec un partenaire (β = 0,07), un statut professionnel inferieur (β = -0,07) ou des niveaux de revenus plus faibles (β = 0,08). L'etat de sante etait le facteur le plus correle a la fois avec le bien-etre ressenti et evaluatif, meme apres controle des antecedents de depression, de l'age, des revenus et des autres variables sociodemographiques. Conclusion L'etat de sante est un facteur de correlation important du bien-etre. Par consequent, les strategies d'amelioration de la sante de la population devraient egalement ameliorer le bien-etre des personnes. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Objetivo Examinar la relation entre la salud y como las personas evaluan y experimentan sus vidas. Metodos Se analizaron datos de encuestas a hogares representatives a nivel national realizadas inicialmente entre 2011 y 2012 en Finlandia, Polonia y Espana. Estas encuestas proporcionaron information sobre 10 800 adultos, para quienes el bienestar experiential se midio con el metodo de reconstruction de dfa y el bienestar evaluativo se midio con la escala Cantril. Se evaluo el estado de salud mediante preguntas de ocho ambitos, que incluian la movilidad y el cuidado personal. Se emplearon modelos de regresion lineal multiple y ecuaciones estructurales, asi como modelos de causas multiples/indicadores multiples a fin de examinar los factores asociados con el bienestar experiential y evaluativo. Resultados El modelo de causas multiples/indicadores multiples realizado en la muestra combinada mostro que los encuestados de menor edad (tarnaho del efecto [β] = 0,19), con niveles superiores de education (β = -0,12), antecedentes de depresion (β = -0,17), mal estado de salud (β = 0,29) o mal funcionamiento cognitivo (β = 0,09) presentaron menor bienestar experiencial. Otros factores asociados con menor bienestar evaluativofueron el sexo masculino (β = -0,03), no vivir en pareja (β = 0,07) y un nivel ocupacional β = -0,07) o de ingresos inferior (β = 0,08). El estado de salud fueel factor que mas se correlaciono tanto con el bienestar experiencial como evaluativo, incluso despues de examinar los antecedentes de depresion, la edad, los ingresos y otras variables sociodemograficas. Conclusion El estado de salud guarda una correlation importante con el bienestar. Por lo tanto, las estrategias para mejorar la salud de la poblacion podrian asimismo mejorar el bienestar de las personas., Introduction Many national surveys are in progress to evaluate well-being as an indicator of societal progress that goes beyond traditional indices, such as gross domestic product (GDP). These surveys inform [...]