A random sample of 580 people aged between 50 and 89 yr completed a questionnaire containing two measures of dental fear and anxiety. One of these was Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the other a scale derived from the Structured Interview for Assessing Dental Fear (SIADF). The mean score on the DAS was 7.8, and 8.4% of subjects were classified as dentally anxious. There were no differences in mean DAS scores by sex but significant differences by age, with younger individuals having higher scores (P less than 0.0001). The edentulous had significantly higher scores than the dentate (P less than 0.001). Scores on the SIADF scale were higher among younger individuals (P less than 0.0001), the edentulous (P less than 0.01) and women (P less than 0.05). Older adults who were dentally anxious were less likely to report a regular source of dental care and a dental visit in the previous year and more likely to report having avoided or delayed dental treatment. Possible explanations of higher dental anxiety scores among younger persons and the edentulous are reviewed.
Often the goal of health and social development agencies is to assess communities and work with them to improve community capacity. Particularly for health promoters working in community settings and to ensure consistency in the definition of health promotion, the evaluation of health promotion programmes should be based on strengths and assets, yet existing information for planning and evaluation purposes usually focuses on problems and deficits. A model and definition of community capacity, grounded in community experience and focusing on strengths and assets, was developed following a 4-year, multi-site, qualitative, action research project in four Toronto neighbourhoods. There was significant community involvement in the four Community Advisory Committees, one for each study site. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews and focus groups were conducted with 161 residents and agency workers identified by the Community Advisory Committees. The data were analyzed with the assistance of NUDIST software. Thematic analysis was undertaken in two stages: (i) within each site and (ii) across sites, with the latter serving as the basis for the development of indicators of community capacity. This paper presents a summary of the research, the model and the proposed indicators. The model locates talents and skills of community members in a larger context of socioenvironmental conditions, both inside and outside the community, which can act to enable or constrain the expression of these talents and skills. The significance of the indicators of community capacity proposed in the study is that they focus on identifying and measuring the facilitating and constraining socioenvironmental conditions.
From Bristol Royal Hospitalfor Sick Children, Bristol Burman, D. (1972). Archives of Disease in Childhood, 47, 261. Haemoglobin levels in normal infants aged 3 to 24 months, and the effect of iron. From the age of 3 to 24 months, capillary Hb levels were measured on normal term infants who received no medicinal iron from any source. The mean and standard deviations are recorded at 3-monthly intervals. Females had a higher Hb than males when considered as an overall trend throughout the period. There was no effect of social class or weight gain from birth in either sex. Birthweight was significantly related to Hb at 3 months in males only and at no other age. There was no relation between illness and Hb.Compared with earlier series in England, the level of Hb in infants is generally higher now than previously, particularly in the second year of life. Infants were given either 10 mg iron in the form of colloidal ferric hydroxide daily, or a placebo. Iron raised the Hb in males of social classes I and II, those with a birthweight below 3 18 kg, and those who gained most weight. Iron made no difference to the incidence of infection. In the absence of a proven relation between a low Hb and morbidity in an affluent community, the routine administration of iron or other haematinics to normal term infants cannot be justified.
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