Because migration is such a widespread phenomenon, studies of the effects of accompanying life change on the health and well-being of the migrant have special significance in areas like California that support large migrant communities. Previous studies have shown that increased weight and elevated blood pressure may be linked to changes in diet, exercise habits, and the altered sociocultural milieu of the migrant.
Menopause, according to contemporary American and European understanding, signifies the end of menstruation, a universal experience among human females. This definition of menopause is recent in origin, and is not one which is widely accepted, comparatively speaking. Research has shown that meanings and subjective experience, including symptoms, associated with menopause vary cross-culturally. Menopause may not be recognized as a concept, or alternatively is not closely associated with the end of menstruation, nor is it usually considered a difficult time.
The health (self-reported health conditions) and nutritional status (food and nutrient intake, nutritional biochemistry, anthropometry) of 189 elderly Greeks living in Melbourne, Australia were described and compared with 104 elderly Greeks living in a rural town in Greece (Spata) using a validated health and food frequency questionnaire. Spata was chosen because the traditional diet is maintained by the community and may act as a 'surrogate' measure of diets prevalent in Greece prior to the Melbourne sample's migration to Australia in the 1960s.
To identify protective dietary predictors amongst long-lived elderly people (N= 785), the "Food Habits in Later Life "(FHILL) study was undertaken among five cohorts in Japan, Sweden, Greece and Australia. Between 1988 and 1991, baseline data on food intakes were collected. There were 785 participants aged 70 and over that were followed up to seven years.
In searching for different patterns of practice, lifestyle, and environment supportive of optimal health, we look to our elders around the world, who in the wisdom that has sustained them, we learn from with careful attention. Thirty-seven elders who live by their traditions participated in the present study. They assisted in the refinement of the methodology and collections and preparation of these data. These participants are well-respected, representative elders and traditional healers of their regions.
The incidence of schizophrenia, as well as the symptoms, course, and outcomes for people so diagnosed seem to vary across some cultural contexts. The mechanisms by which cultural variations may protect one from or increase one's risk of developing schizophrenia remain unclear.
When compared to suicide rates in the general population, it may be expected that elderly suicide rates would be lower in Catholic and Orthodox societies than in non-Catholic or non-Orthodox countries because of religious affiliations and extended family traditions. National suicide rates in the general population were compared with rates in the sub-population of those aged over 75 years. Proportionately, there are significantly higher suicide rates in elderly men in Catholic and Orthodox countries, compared to rates in other countries, with a trend for similar findings among women.
PURPOSE: This study explored differences in end-of-life (EOL) decisions and respect for patient autonomy of religious members versus those only affiliated to that particular religion (affiliated is a member without strong religious feelings). METHODS: In 2005 structured questionnaires regarding EOL decisions were distributed in six European countries to ICUs in 142 hospital ICUs. This sub-study of the original data analyzed answers from Protestants, Catholics and Jews. RESULTS: A total of 304 physicians, 386 nurses, 248 patients and 330 family members were included in the study.
In 2008, Alberta Roman Catholic Bishops' discouraged in-school HPV vaccination because: "a school-based approach to vaccination sends a message that early sexual intercourse is allowed, as long as one uses 'protection.'" The publicly funded Calgary Catholic School District Board voted against in-school HPV vaccine administration. In 2009, vaccine uptake was 70% in Calgary public schools and 18.9% in Calgary Catholic schools.
Karo Batak ceremonial curing practices in urban Indonesia take place in a disputed zone of acts and meanings, in which neither social nor cultural coherence can be presumed by the analyst.
