Clausen F, Sandberg E, Ingstad B, Hjortdahl P
Section of General Practice, University of Oslo, Norway.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000 Jan;54(1):58-63. doi: 10.1136/jech.54.1.58.
To evaluate the health status among the elderly in a village in Botswana and their pattern of health care utilisation.
A descriptive study where all persons 60 years and older were invited to participate, including a medical examination, laboratory testing and a questionnaire aiming at gathering sociodemographic data.
Mmankgodi village of Botswana.
419 persons were identified as elderly in the village, out of which 337 were included.
The general medical examination also included eye status, vision and hearing tests, nutritional status, blood pressure and registering of physical disabilities. Laboratory tests included haemoglobin, blood glucose, HIV antibodies and serum lipids. The questionnaire contained questions regarding family and civil status, self assessed general health, health problems experienced during the previous month, and health care utilisation. Questions also pertained to smoking, taking snuff, and alcohol consumption.
A majority (75%) of the elderly experienced good or only somewhat reduced health, while one quarter suffered more serious health problems. The most frequent health problems were related to the musculoskeletal system. Eye diseases, including cataract and blindness, were also common. The concentration of serum lipids is lower than the one found in the elderly population of Norway. Nutritional status indicated a relatively high prevalence (7%) of malnutrition. The majority of men were still married (87%), while most women were widowed (71%). Women reported more health problems than men, and they also reported more worries regarding their own life situation. There is a tendency for the elderly to seek assistance from the established clinics and other health facilities for their health problems. Worries are either kept to themselves or advice is sought from relatives. Traditional healers were not often consulted for health problems or worries.
Major health problems were identified among the elderly in this geographical area of Botswana. There is presently no health programme in Botswana aimed at the elderly. Some of the diseases and conditions found in this study could easily be identified and treated in the present health system through a health care programme.
评估博茨瓦纳一个村庄老年人的健康状况及其医疗保健利用模式。
一项描述性研究，邀请所有60岁及以上的人参与，包括医学检查、实验室检测以及一份旨在收集社会人口统计学数据的问卷。
博茨瓦纳的曼科戈迪村。
该村庄共识别出419名老年人，其中337人纳入研究。
一般医学检查还包括眼部状况、视力和听力测试、营养状况、血压以及身体残疾登记。实验室检测包括血红蛋白、血糖、艾滋病毒抗体和血脂。问卷包含有关家庭和婚姻状况、自我评估的总体健康状况、前一个月经历的健康问题以及医疗保健利用情况的问题。问题还涉及吸烟、吸鼻烟和饮酒情况。
大多数（75%）老年人健康状况良好或只是稍有下降，而四分之一的老年人患有更严重的健康问题。最常见的健康问题与肌肉骨骼系统有关。眼部疾病，包括白内障和失明，也很常见。血脂浓度低于挪威老年人群中的水平。营养状况表明营养不良患病率相对较高（7%）。大多数男性仍已婚（87%），而大多数女性丧偶（71%）。女性报告的健康问题比男性多，她们也报告对自己的生活状况更担忧。老年人倾向于就其健康问题向既定的诊所和其他卫生设施寻求帮助。担忧要么自己默默承受，要么向亲属寻求建议。很少就健康问题或担忧咨询传统治疗师。
在博茨瓦纳的这一地理区域，老年人中发现了一些主要的健康问题。博茨瓦纳目前没有针对老年人的健康项目。本研究中发现的一些疾病和状况可通过医疗保健项目在当前卫生系统中轻松识别和治疗。
