Health, overall status

Those unemployed had poorer mental health, overall, than those with jobs. But after taking into account a range of factors with the potential to influence the results, such as educational attainment and marital status, the mental health of those who were jobless was comparable to, or often better than, that of people in poor quality jobs. 

Studies examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and health have also been carried out comparing various US states, e.g. comparing the degree of household income inequality and state-level variation in all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In an independent study, Kaplan et al. (1996a) examined the association between income inequality and state-level and household-level variations in total mortality rates. In all cases, increased steepness of inequality was associated with higher death rates overall. 

The goals of therapy are to prevent disease progression, relieve symptoms, improve exercise tolerance, improve overall health status, prevent and treat exacerbations, prevent and treat complications, and reduce morbidity and mortality. 

The role of inhaled corticosteroids in COPD is controversial. Major clinical trials have failed to demonstrate any benefit from chronic treatment in modifying long-term decline in lung function. However, other important benefits have been observed in some patients, including a decrease in exacerbation frequency and improvements in overall health status. 

Access to health care can be defined in many ways, including by insurance status, number of physician visits in the last year, and treatment interventions once an individual is in the health care system. Furthermore, access can relate to whether the patient s health care is satisfactory, comprehensive, and meeting the overall needs of the patient from a social, cultural, spiritual, or other perspective. 

Abuse. We have all heard the terms substance abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, cocaine abuse, and so on. In one sense, any illicit use of a substance is abuse. For example, from the legal point of view, whenever someone smokes crack (even if it is the only time), (s)he has broken the law and abused cocaine. Likewise, if you borrow a prescription sedative or pain reliever from a friend, then you have similarly abused that medication. That is an appropriate use of the term in many cases, but this is not customarily the way that mental health specialists use the term. From our perspective, substance abuse involves a pattern of repeated use over time that results in problems in one or more areas. These include compromised physical health and well-being, legal proceedings, job status, and relationships as well as overall day-to-day functioning. 

Hip fracture has been reported to increase in two studies, respectively after 4 years [104] and 7 years [105] of exposure to fluoridated water. However, other studies have shown either no effect after 6 years [106] or 10 years [107], or a reduction in incidence [108,109]. The problem with such studies is that there may be bias due to lack of ability to control such variables as age, race, poverty, activity levels or overall health status. 

Individuals with higher intakes of dairy have been hypothesized as more likely to be better educated and participate in physical activity more frequently, although few studies have tested this theory. Because overall health is largely influenced by level of education, socioeconomic status (Adler and Newman, 2002), and level of physical activity (Warburton... 

Estimates of disease due to smoking do not include the contribution of smoking to overall poor health status. Poor general health may decrease survival for many diseases, including those not caused by smoking, and may limit the treatment options available to the patient. For example, a smoker with emphysema may not be a safe candidate for a surgery needed to treat another medical problem. 

Examples of commonly used clinical tools or tests that may be appropriate for children s health issues are summarized in Table 8. This table underscores the utility in evaluating children s overall health status rather than restricted focus on specific organ systems, except for circumstances when a particular exposure or health concern exists for a defined study population. 

Infant mortality, another measure of the health status of a nation, stated as the number of deaths per live births, was 7.2 per 1000 live births in 1997 compared to 9.9 per 1000 live births for 1988. Overall, these figures are comparable to those of the major, industrialized nations of the world. 

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