Sociodemographic and health profile of institutionalized people aged 65 and over

Introduction: Accommodation for people aged 65 and over in social institutions is often the only opportunity for their physical survival. Revealing the specific characteristics of elderly people living in institutions will help the understanding and satisfaction of their different needs, and hopefully will increase their quality of life.Aim: The aim of this study is to reveal the sociodemographic and health profile of institutionalized people aged 65 and over.Materials and Methods: Sociodemographic and health information for age, gender, education, marital status, diagnosed diseases and mobility for all 175 people aged 65 and over, living in four residential homes in Varna and Provadia was extracted from their records.Results: The most prevalent group among the studied participants is women, and those in the age group 81–85 years. Most of the residents are widowers with upper secondary education. The leading diagnosis among the institutionalized elderly are those from ICD class IX: Diseases of the Circulatory System. Most of the people have limited mobility and use assistive technology (AT). People with normal and limited mobility have an almost equal share, as the first group is 44% and the second—46.3%. The remaining nearly 10% are severely disabled (unable to leave the bed).Conclusion: The sociodemographic and health profile of institutionalised elderly people provides necessary information to health professionals for the health needs of that specific group of the population

Socio-Medical Problems Related to the Institutionalization of Persons Aged 65 Years and Over // Социално-медицински проблеми, свързани с институционализацията на лицата на възраст 65 и повече години

Population ageing is a demographic trend typical of European as well as other developed countries around the world. The dissertation aims to study the main socio-medical problems of persons aged 65 years and over placed in social institutions and to outline opportunities for prevention of institutionalization. For the purpose of the research, the following methods were applied: documentary, sociological - semi-structured and in-depth interview, observation and statistical methods. The statistical processing was done with the program IBM SPSS, ver. 19. Statistically significant differences were accepted at p <0.05. There are 81 state-owned and almost twice as many in the country - 147 private retirement homes for elderly people. By marital status, the majority of the respondents are widowed - 113 (64%) and divorced - 31 (18%), with 147 children (87.9%) and 131 grandchildren (56.0%). The more educated are accommodated in a private retirement home for elderly people. Diseases of the circulatory system have the largest share - 116 (66.3%). 154 (88.0%) did not use a social service provided in the community before institutionalization. 105 (60.0%) and 51 (29.1%) noted that they were on good terms with only some residents. The most popular entertainment is watching television - 145 (82.4%). 150 (86%) have no difficulty staying in the retirement home for the elderly, and only 25 (14%) face difficulties.Застаряването на населението е демографска тенденция, типична за европейските, както и за други развити страни по света. Целта на дисертационния труд е да се проучат основните социално-медицински проблеми на лицата на възраст 65 и повече години, настанени в социални институции и да се очертаят възможности за превенция на институционализацията. За целта на изследването са приложени следните методи: документален, социологически - полуструктурирано и дълбочинно интервю, наблюдение и статистически методи. Статистическата обработка е направена с програмата IBM SPSS, ver. 19. Статистически достоверни различия са приети при р<0,05. В страната има общо 81 държавни и почти два пъти повече - 147 частни ДСХ. По семейно положение по-голямата част от изследваните са вдовци – 113 (64%) и разведени – 31 (18%), като деца имат 147 (87,9%), а внуци - 131 (56,0%). По-образованите са настанявани в частен ДСХ. Най-голям дял имат заболяванията на органите на кръвообращението - 116 (66,3%). 154 (88,0%) не са ползвали социална услуга, предоставяна в общността, преди институционализацията. 105 (60,0%), а 51 (29,1%) отбелязват, че са в добри отношения само с някои от обитателите. Най-масовото развлечение е гледането на телевизия - 145 (82,4%). 150 (86%) не срещат затруднения при пребиваването си в дом за стари хора и едва 25 (14%) се сблъскват с трудности

Nutrition Transition in Europe: East-West Dimensions in the Last 30 Years—A Narrative Review

International audienceThe current review aims to summarize published research on nutrition transition patterns (depicting changes in dietary consumption) in European populations over the last three decades (1990–2020), with a focus on East-West regional comparisons. Pubmed and Google-Scholar databases were searched for articles providing information on repeated dietary intakes in populations living in countries across Europe, published between January 1990 and July 2021. From the identified 18,031 articles, 62 were found eligible for review (17 from Eastern and 45 from Western European populations). Overall, both in Eastern and Western Europe, there have been pronounced changes in dietary consumption patterns over the last three decades characterized by reductions in average reported intakes of sugar, carbohydrates and saturated fats and increases in reported fruit and vegetable consumption. There has also been a tendency toward a reduction in traditional foods, such as fish, observed in some Mediterranean countries. Overall, these data suggests that European countries have undergone a nutrition transition toward adopting healthier dietary behaviors. These processes occurred already in the period 1990–2000 in many Western European, and in the last decades have been also spreading throughout Eastern European countries. Firm conclusions are hampered by the lack of standardized methodologies depicting changes in dietary intakes over time and the limited coverage of the full variety of European populations. Future studies based on standardized dietary assessment methods and representative for the whole range of populations across Europe are warranted to allow monitoring trends in nutrition transition within and among European countries

Nutrition Transition in Europe: East-West Dimensions in the Last 30 Years-A Narrative Review

The current review aims to summarize published research on nutrition transition patterns (depicting changes in dietary consumption) in European populations over the last three decades (1990-2020), with a focus on East-West regional comparisons. Pubmed and Google-Scholar databases were searched for articles providing information on repeated dietary intakes in populations living in countries across Europe, published between January 1990 and July 2021. From the identified 18,031 articles, 62 were found eligible for review (17 from Eastern and 45 from Western European populations). Overall, both in Eastern and Western Europe, there have been pronounced changes in dietary consumption patterns over the last three decades characterized by reductions in average reported intakes of sugar, carbohydrates and saturated fats and increases in reported fruit and vegetable consumption. There has also been a tendency toward a reduction in traditional foods, such as fish, observed in some Mediterranean countries. Overall, these data suggests that European countries have undergone a nutrition transition toward adopting healthier dietary behaviors. These processes occurred already in the period 1990-2000 in many Western European, and in the last decades have been also spreading throughout Eastern European countries. Firm conclusions are hampered by the lack of standardized methodologies depicting changes in dietary intakes over time and the limited coverage of the full variety of European populations. Future studies based on standardized dietary assessment methods and representative for the whole range of populations across Europe are warranted to allow monitoring trends in nutrition transition within and among European countries