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Abstract: This paper analyzes the potential of using measures of social function as health indicators in dental research. It discusses existing methodologies and presents findings from a cross section of studies that adopt a social function perspective in the investigation of oral health status. While the literature in this area is small, much of the research concerns disability days associated with dental problems, The United States National Health interview Survey reported in 1981 than 4.87 million dental condition caused 17.7 million days of restricted activity. 6.73 million days of bed disability, and 7.05 million days of work loss. Other reports suggest that these data may be underestimates due to the National Health Surveys definition of disability days. Several other studies have found work loss to affect from 15 per ¢ to 33 per ¢ of samples studied resulting in many more work loss days than reported by the National Health Surveys. Our study concludes that traditional measures of oral health status such as decayed, missing, and filled teeth and the periodontal index--should be linked to measures of social outcome in order to place dental conditions within the broader context of health status in terms that are relevant to policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the uses of some health status indices in measuring equity of access to medical care. Empirical examples are provided using data from national surveys of the U.S. population conducted from 1964 through 1976. A simple indicator, mean number of physician visits, suggests that between 1963 and 1976 the poor improved their position relative to the rest of the population and, indeed, currently enjoy the highest level of access. However, a second measure, the use-disability ratio indicates that the poor may still receive less care relative to their need. A third measure, the symptoms-response ratio suggests how norms of appropriate behavior might be incorporated into an access measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present analysis examined sample attrition in a one-year longitudinal health survey that made use of telephone follow-up interviews (N = 1210). Overall, respondent attrition had little impact on the sociodemographic and health status characteristics of the sample at the final interview. However, certain subgroups were statistically less likely to participate in the follow-up interviews, including younger respondents, the non-employed, people from the lower socioeconomic groups, and those who initially rated their health as fair or poor. Reports of physical illness and disability obtained at the initial interview were unrelated to rates of sample attrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postneonatal mortality among neonatal survivors and the distribution of age at death among infant deaths were examined for births occurring in upstate New York, 1968-1979. Postneonatal mortality rates increased among infants weighing 501-1500 grams. Infants weighing 1501- 2000 grams experienced an increase in postneonatal mortality during the mid-1970s later returning to the level of 1968. Among infants 2001-- grams. postneonatal mortality declined throughout the study period. Among all levels of birthweight, the proportion of infant deaths occurring as postneonatal deaths increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire survey of the 50 state CHP agencies and a case study of a single state CHP agency were conducted to contrast the concept of comprehensive health planning with the practice of health planning at the state level. Both the survey and the case study evidenced a substantial disparity between concept and practice. For example, the survey indicated that the following tasks had not been completed by the following percentages of the responding agencies: defining the system of interest (64%), ranking problems (50%), setting targets (74%), thoroughly analyzing intervention alternatives (71%), selecting criteria and procedures for intervention evaluations (57%). The state CHP agencies were found to be lacking in the following areas: (a) technical analyses, (b) explicitness, (c) priority setting, (d) attention to health status indices and preventive interventions, and (e) integration of planning activities. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The health status of 239 Ethiopian refugees in the United States was evaluated. Over 70 per ¢ were males 15-30 years old. Positive PPDs (purified protein derivative of tuberculin) were observed in 72 per ¢ and 3.4 per ¢ had abnormal chest x-rays. One patient had active tuberculosis. Other laboratory abnormalities included: intestinal parasites (36.7 per ¢) anemia (14.9 per ¢), eosinophilia (14 per ¢), positive syphilis serology (7.5 per ¢}, and hepatitis B surface antigenemia (9.4 per ¢}, The moat prevalent intestinal parasites were Giardia lamblia, Trichuris trichiura and Schistosoma mansori (Am J Public Health 1987: 77:1542-1543.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]