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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2014)

Objective

The death or illness of a spouse negatively affects a partner's health, but little is known about the effect on blood glucose (glycemic) levels. This study investigates the extent to which a spouse's declining health or death is associated with changes in the glycemic levels of older adults.

Method

Data come from a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 597 Taiwanese (aged 54 to 90). We use changes in spousal health and death of a spouse to predict changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels over a 6-year period.

Results

A decline in spousal health is associated with increased HbA1c levels for women, but not for men. The death of a healthy spouse is associated with increased HbA1c levels for both genders.

Discussion

Stressful life transitions may compromise the glycemic levels of older adults. Taking on a caregiving role may erode some of the benefits of marriage and interfere with women's maintenance of their own health.
    Cover page: Increases in Blood Glucose in Older Adults
    • Article
    On-Line Working Paper Series (2008)

    Greater educational attainment is consistently associated with lower mortality rates and better health behaviors in the US, a pattern known as the social gradient in health. However, recent research suggests that Mexican-origin adults in the US have weak or flat gradients, in contrast to steep gradients for non-Hispanic whites. In this study we evaluate one possible explanation for this finding: that the relative weakness of education gradients in health behaviors observed among Mexican-origin adults in the US is due to weak gradients in the sending population. We test this “imported gradients” hypothesis with data from two large nationally-representative datasets: the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Mexican National Health Survey (ENSA 2000). We compare the education gradients in smoking and obesity for recentlyarrived Mexican immigrants in the US to the corresponding gradients in high-migration regions of Mexico. Results partially support the imported gradients hypothesis and have implications for health education and promotion programs targeted to immigrant populations to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health in the US.

      Cover page: Do Mexican Immigrants “Import” Social Gradients in Health Behaviors to the US?
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC San Francisco Previously Published Works (2023)
      BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the burden of postacute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (PASC) in low- and middle-income countries. We sought to characterize PASC with self-reported questionnaires and clinical examinations of end-organ function in Lima, Peru. METHODS: From January to July 2021, we recruited participants at least 8 weeks after COVID-19 diagnosis from a case registry in Lima, Peru. We evaluated participants for PASC with questionnaires, neuropsychiatric evaluations, chest X-ray, spirometry, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram. We used multivariable models to identify risk factors for PASC. RESULTS: We assessed 989 participants for PASC at a median 4.7 months after diagnosis. Clinically significant respiratory symptoms were reported by 68.3% of participants, particularly those who had been severely ill during acute COVID-19, and were associated with cardiac findings of ventricular hypertrophy or dilation on echocardiogram. Neuropsychiatric questionnaires were consistent with depression in 20.7% and cognitive impairment in 8.0%. Female sex and older age were associated with increased risk of respiratory (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.36 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.69-3.31] and aOR, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.03], respectively) and neuropsychiatric sequelae (aOR, 2.99 [95% CI, 2.16-4.18] and aOR, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.03], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 survivors in Lima, Peru, experienced frequent postacute respiratory symptoms and depression, particularly among older and female participants. Clinical examinations highlighted the need for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation among persons with severe COVID-19; psychosocial support may be required among all COVID-19 survivors.
        Cover page: Respiratory, Cardiac, and Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Postacute Sequelae of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Lima, Peru.
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