The present paper objective was to identify, describe and compare the prevalence of older adult's abuse and neglect studies developed in Greece. Through international databases and reports from Non Governmental Organisations a relevant lack of data on older adult's abuse and neglect was encountered. The only study found aimed at communitarian setting, identifying a prevalence value of 16.4%. Psychological abuse was prevalent, especially through verbal offensive mistreatment. The major findings related to characteristics of victims and perpetrators came across what has already been found in international literature. Women appeared as a vulnerable group, as well as those older adults aged 70 years or under. The perpetrators were mostly men and were related to the victims, comprehending adult children the majority of the cases. Finally, older person's abuse and neglect in Greece should be more consistently address, so more recent values and the dynamics of the phenomenon can be known. ; Daphne III, University of ...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how qualitative approaches can improve a prevalence study on older adults' violence. The paper describes how qualitative data can help frame a complex and multidimensional problem, such as older adults' violence, within the culture where it happens and therefore prevent two risks present in prevalence studies: underestimation and overestimation.
Design/methodology/approach – To adequately measure violence and violent behaviours the authors first conducted four focus groups with the target population – older adults aged 60 and over – and 13 in-depth interviews with older adult victims of violence. Through content analysis of focus groups and in-depth interviews the authors sought to understand how violence is perceived, defined and limited by the general population and by victims.
Findings – By employing qualitative methods the authors were able to operationalise violence, decide upon and select specific behaviours to measure, rephrase questions and develop strategies to approach the general population through telephone interviews.
Research limitations/implications – The qualitative approaches helped reduce participants bias in the prevalence study and therefore to minimise the risks of underestimation and overestimation.
Originality/value – The study exemplifies how assessing quantitatively to a sensitive subject requires taking into account the perspective of the target population through a qualitative approach.
Introduction: The metabolic syndrome consists of a set of factors that, when associated, are associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, and is thus an important public health problem. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of this syndrome in the Portuguese population, and to evaluate possible associations with demographic and socioeconomic determinants. Material and Methods: Based on the 1st National Health Survey with Physical Examination of 2015, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted on a representative sample of the Portuguese population (n = 4797) aged between 25 and 74 years old. The prevalence was estimated for the total population and each gender, stratified by age group, health region, type of urban area, marital status, education, professional status, and risk of poverty. The magnitude of the associations was measured with adjusted prevalence ratios. Results: In the Portuguese population the estimated prevalence was 33.4% [95% CI, 31.7 - 35.1] [35.6% in men (95% CI, 31.9 - 39.2) and 31.3% in women (95% CI, 28.5 - 34.2)]. In both genders, the highest prevalence was significantly associated with increasing age, widowed/married/de facto partners and those with lower levels of education. There was no association with gender, health region, type of urban area, professional status or risk of poverty. Discussion: This syndrome was present in a third of the Portuguese population. The knowledge of its epidemiology enables the identification of population groups with higher cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome was independently associated with specific groups. This knowledge reinforces the importance of a holistic assessment of the health determinants associated with the metabolic syndrome.
Purpose Psychological elder abuse (PEA) assessment is described with different thresholds. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the prevalence of PEA and the phenomenon's characterisation varied using two different thresholds.
Design/methodology/approach Participants from the cross-sectional population-based study, Aging and Violence (n=1,123), answered three questions regarding PEA. The less strict measure considered PEA as a positive response to any of the three evaluated behaviours. The stricter measure comprised the occurrence, for more than ten times, of one or more behaviours. A multinomial regression compared cases from the two measures with non-victims.
Findings Results show different prevalence rates and identified perpetrators. The two most prevalent behaviours (ignoring/refusing to speak and verbal aggression) occurred more frequently (>10 times). Prevalence nearly tripled for "threatening" from the stricter measure (>10 times) to the less strict (one to ten times). More similarities, rather than differences, were found between cases of the two measures. The cohabiting variable differentiated the PEA cases from the two measures; victims reporting abuse >10 times were more likely to be living with a spouse or with a spouse and children.
Research limitations/implications Development of a valid and reliable measure for PEA that includes different ranges is needed.
Originality/value The study exemplifies how operational definitions can impact empirical evidence and the need for researchers to analyse the effect of the definitional criteria on their outcomes, since dichotomization between victim and non-victim affects the phenomenon characterisation.
Introduction: Health surveys constitute a relevant information source to access the population's health status. Given that survey errors can significantly influence estimates and invalidate study findings, it is crucial that the fieldwork progress is closely monitored to ensure data quality. The objective of this study was to describe the fieldwork monitoring conducted during the first Portuguese National Health Examination Survey (INSEF) regarding protocol deviations and key performance indicators (KPI). Methods: Data derived from interviewer observation and from the statistical quality control of selected KPI were used to monitor the four components of the INSEF survey (recruitment, physical examination, blood collection and health questionnaire). Survey KPI included response rate, average time distribution for procedures, distribution of the last digit in a specific measure, proportion of haemolysed blood samples and missing values. Results: Interviewer observation identified deviations from the established protocols, which were promptly corrected. During fieldwork monitoring through KPI, upon implementation of corrective measures, the participation rate increased 2.5-fold, and a 4.4-fold decrease in non-adherence to standardized survey procedures was observed in the average time distribution for blood pressure measurement. The proportion of measurements with the terminal digit of 0 or 5 decreased to 19.6 and 16.5%, respectively, after the pilot study. The proportion of haemolysed samples was at baseline level, below 2.5%. Missing data issues were minimized by promptly communicating them to the interviewer, who could recontact the participant and fill in the missing information. Discussion/Conclusion: Although the majority of the deviations from the established protocol occurred during the first weeks of the fieldwork, our results emphasize the importance of continuous monitoring of survey KPI to ensure data quality throughout the survey. ; Introdução: Os inquéritos de saúde constituem uma importante fonte de informação para conhecer o estado de saúde da população. Visto que os erros associados aos inquéritos podem afetar significativamente as estimativas, invalidando as suas conclusões, é crucial monitorizar o progresso do trabalho de campo. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever a monitorização do trabalho de campo realizado durante o primeiro Inquérito Nacional de Saúde com Exame Físico (INSEF) referente a desvios ao protocolo e principais indicadores de desempenho (KPI). Métodos: Dados resultantes da observação dos entrevistadores e do controlo estatístico de qualidade de alguns dos KPI foram utilizados para monitorizar as quatro componentes do inquérito (recrutamento, exame físico; colheita de sangue e questionário de saúde), durante a implementação do trabalho de campo. Os KPI selecionados incluíram a taxa de resposta, distribuição do tempo médio de realização dos procedimentos, proporção do último dígito para medidas específicas, proporção de amostras de sangue hemolisadas e dos valores omissos. Resultados: A observação dos entrevistadores permitiu identificar e corrigir atempadamente desvios ao protocolo. Após a implementação de medidas corretivas, com base na monitorização dos KPI, a taxa de participação aumentou 2,5 vezes e foi observada uma redução de 4,4 vezes na não adesão aos procedimentos padronizados para a medição da pressão arterial. Após o estudo piloto, a proporção de medições com o dígito terminal de 0 ou 5 diminuiu para 19,6% e 16,5%, respectivamente. A proporção de amostras hemolisadas foi inferior a 2,5%. A proporção dos valores omissos foi minimizada comunicando-os imediatamente ao entrevistador, que poderia recontactar o participante e completar a informação. Discussão/Conclusão: Embora a maioria dos desvios ao protocolo tenha ocorrido durante as primeiras semanas do trabalho de campo, os resultados mostram a importância da sua monitorização continua nos inquéritos de saúde de forma a garantir a qualidade dos dados recolhidos. ; INSEF was developed as part of the predefined project of the Public Health Initiatives Program, "Improvement of Epidemiological Health Information to Support Public Health Decision and Management in Portugal. Towards Reduced Inequalities, Improved Health, and Bilateral Cooperation," that benefited from a EUR 1,500,000 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and the Portuguese government. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
