Psychometric evaluation of health related quality of life among rural-to-urban migrants in China

Effects of Living Conditions, Subjective Integration, and Social Networks on Health-Related Quality of Life among the Migrant Elderly Following Children in Jinan, China

With accelerated urbanization in China, an increasing number of the migrant elderly following children (MEFC) have appeared. This study aims to explore the effects of living conditions, subjective integration, and social networks on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of MEFC in Jinan, China. HRQOL was assessed by the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, which included the mental component summary (MCS) and the physical component summary (PCS). Univariate analyses and binary logistic regression were used to investigate the association between the above indicators and HRQOL. A total of 656 MEFC were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling, 25.2% and 25.0% of whom were defined as poor MCS and poor PCS, respectively. Those who understood the local dialect, could trust others, and connected with friends were more likely to have good MCS; those with a nanny, faulty elevator, and no support from their spouse were the reverse. MEFC who were trans-city, had no elevator or a faulty elevator, and went to the hospital alone were more likely to have poor PCS; those who approved of living conditions in their hometowns were the reverse. Results indicated that better living conditions, stronger subjective integration, and wider social networks led to higher HRQOL of MEFC. Implications of the government, communities, and families of MEFC were given to improve their HRQOL.

Health-related quality of life in Chinese rural-to-urban migrants: Investigating the roles of working conditions and job satisfaction

The existing research aims to explore the relationships between working conditions, job satisfaction and health-related quality of life (HRQL) of Chinese rural-to-urban migrants. Both probability and nonprobability sampling methods were done in four randomly chosen jurisdictions of Nanjing (N = 712). Results reveal that the working environment has the strongest and positive correlation with job satisfaction. In addition, job satisfaction is negatively correlated with the number of working days per week, and affects the physical and psychological health status of Chinese rural-to-urban migrants. This study highlights the importance to improve working conditions for migrants and their HRQL and recommends government policies to provide services to Chinese migrants and protect their human rights, as well as promote awareness of their working conditions and HRQL.

Reliability and Validity of the Diet Quality Index for 7-9-year-old Indian Children

PURPOSE

This study verified the reliability and validity of the Diet Quality Index for Indian children (DQIIC).

METHODS

The study sample included 100 school going boys and girls (7-9 years). The dietary behavior of children was studied using a questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. The DQIIC comprises 21 items which aimed to assess the diet of Indian children on the basis of variety, adequacy of consumption of dietary components, and moderation in the amount of nutrients that are associated with diseases and dietary habits. The reliability of the DQIIC was assessed using the split half method, Cronbach's alpha, and test retest reliability. Content validity was evaluated using content validity ratio (CVR).

RESULTS

The intake of iron was found to be less than the recommended dietary allowances. There was frequent consumption of empty calorie packaged foods and higher than the recommended amount of sodium. Reliability of the DQIIC was 0.85 by split half method and the correlation coefficient for test retest reliability was 0.87. Cronbach's alpha was 0.62 and CVR was 0.85 for this index. Most of the children fell in the moderately healthy category.

CONCLUSION

The DQIIC is a reliable and valid tool to assess the diet quality of Indian children between 7-9 years.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention on Quality of Life and Craving in Methadone-treated Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background

Quality of life (QOL) is always considered as a final consequence of clinical trials, interventions, and health care. The results of studies indicate that addiction leads to lower QOL. However, studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on improving QOL. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) on QOL and craving in methadone-treated patients.

Methods

This study was conducted in Qom, Iran, in 2017. A sample of 70 methadone-treated patients were randomly selected and assigned to two groups (intervention and control). Participants in both groups completed the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) QOL Questionnaire and Craving Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ) at the beginning of the study (pre-test), 8 weeks after the study (post-test), and two months after the study (follow up). In this study, the experimental group received 8 training sessions on mindfulness prevention, while the control group did not receive general information about addiction and did not receive any psychological intervention. Finally, data of 63 patients were analyzed with the SPSS software, chi-square test, t-test, and repeated-measures ANOVA.

Findings

The results of repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference between intervention and control groups in the pre-test, but MBRP in the intervention group significantly increased the scores of QOL and decreased the scores of craving, significantly (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The findings of present study indicate that MBRP training can increase the psychological and physical health in dependent methadone-treated patients and decrease craving. These findings suggest that mindfulness training can be used as an effective intervention for improving QOL and reducing craving.

Quality of life among migrant construction workers in Bangalore city: A cross-sectional study

Context

The construction industry is one of the oldest industries in India, which employs a large number of workers of poor socioeconomic status. Bangalore has seen significant rise in the number of migrants from various parts of the country to work in construction industry. These workers suffer from lack of good accommodation, basic sanitation, health facilities, stressful working conditions, and poor social life. Quality of life (QoL) among a population is an essential step to understand and improve health status, well-being, and mental health of the population.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was done to assess QoL among migrant construction workers in Bangalore. We interviewed 400 workers using questionnaire containing sociodemographic profile and WHOQOLBREF scale. Factors associated with QoL were tested using independent "t" test and Chi-square test and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results

The mean age of the workers was 26.38 + /4.3 years and majority of them were men (95.2%). The smokers had higher mean score in psychological domain with a significant P value. Those who lived in huts had higher mean score (60.4+/9.71) in the social domain as compared with those who lived in pucca houses (59.7 + /12.5). Those who were married, worked as nonlaborers, lived in pucca houses, earned higher income had higher mean scores in the environmental domain compared with those who were unmarried, laborers, lived in huts, and earned lower income.

Conclusion

Migrant construction workers had poor physical, social, and psychological QoL, whereas QoL in environmental domain is better compared with studies done across the country and it was significantly associated with higher income, education, better accommodation, and type of work. We recommend strategies to improve their physical, social and psychological well-being of this vulnerable population through strict legislations.

Should the poor have no medicines to cure? A study on the association between social class and social security among the rural migrant workers in urban China

Background

The rampant urbanization and medical marketization in China have resulted in increased vulnerabilities to health and socioeconomic disparities among the rural migrant workers in urban China. In the Chinese context, the socioeconomic characteristics of rural migrant workers have attracted considerable research attention in the recent past years. However, to date, no previous studies have explored the association between the socioeconomic factors and social security among the rural migrant workers in urban China. This study aims to explore the association between socioeconomic inequity and social security inequity and the subsequent associations with medical inequity and reimbursement rejection.

Methods

Data from a regionally representative sample of 2009 Survey of Migrant Workers in Pearl River Delta in China were used for analyses. Multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the impacts of socioeconomic factors on the eight dimensions of social security (sick pay, paid leave, maternity pay, medical insurance, pension insurance, occupational injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance) and the impacts of social security on medical reimbursement rejection. The zero-inflated negative binomial regression model (ZINB regression) was adopted to explore the relationship between socioeconomic factors and hospital visits among the rural migrant workers with social security.

Results

The study population consisted of 848 rural migrant workers with high income who were young and middle-aged, low-educated, and covered by social security. Reimbursement rejection and abusive supervision for the rural migrant workers were observed. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between socioeconomic factors and social security. ZINB regression showed that there were significant associations between socioeconomic factors and hospital visits among the rural migrant workers. Also, several dimensions of social security had significant associations with reimbursement rejections.

Conclusions

This study showed that social security inequity, medical inequity, and reimbursement inequity happened to the rural migrant workers simultaneously. Future policy should strengthen health justice and enterprises’ medical responsibilities to the employed rural migrant workers.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12939-017-0692-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Quality of life and self-care in elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases: The effect of a Traditional Chinese Medicine health educational intervention

AIMS

To explore the effects of a Traditional Chinese Medicine health educational intervention on the quality of life and self-care agency of elderly patients living with chronic cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The secondary prevention and treatment for chronic cardiovascular disease emphasize the importance of lifestyle modification. However, behavior-changing is difficult and individual choices are influenced by broader environmental factors. The lifestyle intervention for the purpose of self-care enhancing should be considered the driving force from the cultural element.

METHODS

The study was conducted from April 2014 to October 2014. Ninety-eight community dwelling individuals with chronic cardiovascular disease were recruited from Shaoxing and randomized. 48 participants were in the intervention group with a 6-month Traditional Chinese Medicine health education and 50 participants were in the control group with routine care. The main measurements included health-related quality of life and self-care agency, which was assessed by the Short Form-36 Chinese version and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale respectively, and were measured at the baseline and post intervention (6months after baseline).

RESULTS

After 6months of intervention, the quality of life and self-care agency in the intervention group were significantly improved.

CONCLUSIONS

The traditional Chinese medicine health education is an effective method for promoting quality of life and self-care agency in cardiovascular disease patients. It could be applied as adjunctive care for cardiovascular disease patients self-care supporting.

Health-related quality of life as measured with the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis

BACKGROUND

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) has a poor therapeutic outcome and a severe impact on women and their partners, both physically and psychologically. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is significantly affected in patients with RVVC; however, little is known about HRQOL in patients with this disease. In this study, we aim to identify the clinical and mycological characteristics of women with RVVC and the effects of RVVC on women's HRQOL.

METHODS

We designed this study as a comparative cross-sectional study. The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to measure HRQOL in 102 patients with RVVC and 101 women seeking general health care (controls). RVVC was defined as four or more episodes of proven VVC in the previous 12-month period. VVC was defined as vulvar itching, burning, erythema, vaginal discharge, pseudohyphae or blastoconidia on a wet 10 % potassium hydroxide (KOH)-treated vaginal slide and a positive Candida culture. Group comparisons were conducted with independent samples t test. Correlation analysis was performed on the variables.

RESULTS

The mean age at first diagnosis of the patients with RVVC was 30.96 years (SD 5.38), and the mean age of the controls was 29.75 years (SD 5.83; p > 0.05). The duration of the patients' complaints varied from 6 months to 10 years, with a mean duration of 22.28 (±21.75) months. The most common complaints were increased vaginal discharge (102 cases, 100 %), itching (97 cases, 95.1 %), dyspareunia (65 cases, 63.7 %), burning (79 cases, 77.5 %) and erythema (25 cases, 24.5 %). C. albicans was the predominant Candida species (86 strains, 84.3 %) in the patients, followed by C. glabrata (12 strains, 11.8 %). C. parapsilosis (1 strain, 0.9 %), C. tropicalis (1 strain, 0.9 %), C. krusei (1 strain, 0.9 %) and C. lusitaniae (1 strain, 0.9 %). The mean SF-36 dimension scores for physical function, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health were significantly lower in the patients with RVVC than in the controls (85.20, 61.39, 77.79, 54.95, 53.17, 67.89, 52.48 and 59.17 vs. 90.20, 80.87, 87.08, 67.38, 59.69, 79.86, 68.01 and 65.38). The physical composite and mental composite scores of the patients with RVVC were 63.06 and 64.87, respectively, which were lower than those of the controls (75.01 and 74.87; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly all of the patients with RVVC had clinical symptoms. In our sample, RVVC was mainly caused by C. albicans. RVVC has negative effects on women's HRQOL, as indicated by lower physical and mental composite scores among the RVVC group compared with controls.