Suchergebnisse

Aim: Due to the steady increase in health care costs, a greater focus on maintaining wellness and preventing health issues has been established. Historically, Asian martial arts were closely associated with maintaining healthfulness. Thus, the aim of this investigation was to determine if people who practice Asian martial arts gain any health-related quality of life benefits compared to the general population. Subject and methods: Therefore, 343 martial artists practicing 8 varieties of martial arts answered the German standardized questionnaire 36 in a controlled setting at 24 martial arts schools (3 schools per martial art) between February 2008 and July 2008. These participants were not given information regarding the purpose of the study. Additionally, between July 2008 and December 2008, 2,512 martial artists completed an online version of the German standardized questionnaire 36. Results: The results of those completing the questionnaire in person differed from those responding to the online questionnaire. Compared to the general public, both martial arts groups rated their health-related quality of life to be better. Of the parameters evaluated, the greater differences were observed for physical aspects of health than for psychological aspects. Conclusion: Thus, these results indicate that participation in martial arts provides health-related quality of life benefits associated with the prevention of health problems. However, further studies are needed to understand the complex relationship between the practice of martial arts and improved health.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of primary family caregivers in comparison to the reference values of the average population. Subjects and methods: Data collection took place in the Werra-Meißner district in 2009 with a response rate of 102 primary family caregivers of frail elderly people. The health-related quality of life was measured with the Short Form 36 health survey (SF 36) and compared with the German reference values. Results: Compared to the health values of the normative sample, primary caregivers show significantly lower rates in all dimensions of health-related quality of life. In particular, caregivers between the ages of 53 to 61 report extremely low health values. Caregiving women compared to non-caregiving women have highly significant differences in all subscales of the SF 36. Caregiving men also report highly significant differences to non-caregiving men in all dimensions of the SF 36 except for Physical Functioning and General Health (p < 0.01). Caregivers in general and especially caregiving women aged 53 to 61 (midlife) were identified as at-risk groups for poor health. The latter report lower vitality and well-being, which may be a consequence of both social isolation and social impacts from multiple role demands. Conclusion: The identified high-risk groups of family caregivers, caregivers in midlife and especially caregiving women in midlife, should be supported by social measures, e.g., training courses for family caregivers, particularly in their home setting, and various types of respite care in order to sustain their health.

Dieses Kapitel befasst sich mit Fragen der Gesundheit, der Sozialpolitik und der gesundheitlichen Chancengerechtigkeit im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie und darüber hinaus. In Anbetracht aktueller und künftiger Krisen im Bereich der öffentlichen Gesundheit werden die folgenden zentralen Erkenntnisse hervorgehoben: Die Bewältigung künftiger Krisen und die Stärkung der Gesundheit der Bevölkerung kann durch eine sektorübergreifende Zusammenarbeit mit gemeinsamen Zielen und Synergien zwischen dem Gesundheitssektor und anderen Sektoren erleichtert werden. Krisen- und Resilienzpläne sollten alle Versorgungsebenen einbeziehen, um insbesondere auch Menschen zu erreichen, die sozial benachteiligt sind. Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat gezeigt, dass etablierte Beteiligungsstrukturen - unter Berücksichtigung unterschiedlicher Interessenlagen und auch nach Maßgabe von Transparenz und Nachvollziehbarkeit - in Krisensituationen förderlich sind, um rasche Austausch- und Abstimmungsprozesse einzuleiten.