Relationship between functional fitness, medication costs and mood in elderly people

Objective: to verify if functional fitness (FF) is associated with the annual cost of medication consumption and mood states (MSt) in elderly people. Methods: a cross-sectional study with 229 elderly people aged 65 years or more at Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Coimbra, Portugal. Seniors with physical and psychological limitations were excluded, as well as those using medication that limits performance on the tests. The Senior Fitness Test was used to evaluate FF, and the Profile of Mood States - Short Form to evaluate the MSt. The statistical analysis was based on Mancova, with adjustment for age, for comparison between men and women, and adjustment for sex, for comparison between cardiorespiratory fitness quintiles. The association between the variables under study was made with partial correlation, controlling for the effects of age, sex and body mass index. Results: an inverse correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness and the annual cost of medication consumption was found (p < 0.01). FF is also inversely associated with MSt (p < 0.05). Comparisons between cardiorespiratory fitness quintiles showed higher medication consumption costs in seniors with lower aerobic endurance, as well as higher deterioration in MSt (p < 0.01). Conclusion: elderly people with better FF and, specifically, better cardiorespiratory fitness present lower medication consumption costs and a more positive MSt

Cuidadores informais de idosos em pós-operatório de cirurgia de fêmur proximal: prevenção de novas quedas

The objectives of this study were to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics of informal caregivers of elderly persons who had undergone surgery for hip fractures caused by a fall, explore the level of caregiver's knowledge regarding fall prevention, and assess the relationship between this knowledge and the use of preventative measures in practice. This investigation consists of a cross-sectional study using nonprobability sampling methods conducted over a period of 12 months and involving 89 caregivers. The majority of caregivers were female (76.4%) and sons or daughters of the patients (64%). Environmental modification was the predominant preventative measure used by caregivers (88.2%). 58.1% of caregivers believed it was possible to prevent falls in the elderly and there was a significant association (p = 0,002) between believing it was possible to prevent falls and carrying out modifications in the home and/or to the daily routine of the older person. Informal caregivers with wide or partial knowledge of fall prevention put preventative measures into practice. These findings demonstrate that the number of falls among older persons could be significantly reduced if health care programmes widened their actions to include the guiding principles of the WHO falls prevention model.Os objetivos foram caracterizar sociodemograficamente os cuidadores informais de idosos vítimas de queda seguida por fratura de fêmur proximal e verificar o conhecimento mínimo que possuíam acerca da prevenção de novas quedas, assim como caracterizar a relação entre esse conhecimento e o emprego de medidas preventivas. Trata-se de estudo transversal, com amostragem intencional, realizado em 12 meses, incluindo 89 cuidadores. Predominaram cuidadores do sexo feminino (76,4%) e filhas(os) (64%). A modificação ambiental foi a medida preventiva predominante apontada por eles (88,2%). Houve associação significativa (p = 0,002), entre os 58,1% dos cuidadores que achavam ser possível prevenir quedas e os relatos sobre mudanças na casa e/ou rotina do idoso. Observou-se que cuidadores informais que apresentavam conhecimento sobre prevenção de quedas em idosos, mesmo que incompletos, empregavam medidas de prevenção para novos eventos. Esses achados sinalizam que o número de quedas entre idosos pode ser reduzido significantemente se os programas de atenção à saúde ampliarem suas ações apoiando-as no modelo de prevenção de quedas da Organização Mundial de Saúde.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Departamento de Enfermagem, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (FMB), Distrito de Rubião Júnior snº, Centro. 18618-970, Botucatu SP BrasilUniversidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Departamento de Cirurgia e Ortopedia, FBM, Unesp.Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Departamento de Enfermagem, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (FMB), Distrito de Rubião Júnior snº, Centro. 18618-970, Botucatu SP BrasilUniversidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Departamento de Cirurgia e Ortopedia, FBM, Unesp

Challenges in Survey Research

While being an important and often used research method, survey research has been less often discussed on a methodological level in empirical software engineering than other types of research. This chapter compiles a set of important and challenging issues in survey research based on experiences with several large-scale international surveys. The chapter covers theory building, sampling, invitation and follow-up, statistical as well as qualitative analysis of survey data and the usage of psychometrics in software engineering surveys.Comment: Accepted version of chapter in the upcoming book on Contemporary Empirical Methods in Software Engineering. Update includes revision of typos and additional figures. Last update includes fixing two small issues and typo