Using Participation in Voluntary Organizations to Improve the Self-rated Health of Diabetics at Vancouver's Mid-main Community Health Centre
Year: 2007
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study examines why certain diabetic patients rate their health higher than that of others.Using original survey data from diabetic patients receiving treatment at Vancouver's Mid-Main Community Health Centre, the study shows that almost 60 per cent of Mid-Main's diabetic patients self-rate their health as Very Good or Good.Moving further, logistic regression analysis indicates that diabetic patients with higher self-rated health scores tend not to speak English at home, not to have mobility problems, not to require emergency room visits, but more frequently participate in voluntary organizations.Taking into account this information and Mid-Main's capacity to directly influence those variables found to be significant, this study recommends Mid-Main can best improve self-rated health scores among its diabetics by having associated doctors advise their diabetic patients to participate in voluntary organizations during individual appointments. Executive SummarySeveral studies have demonstrated that self-rated health is a strong predictor of mortality regardless of context.This finding is especially troubling for individuals of low socioeconomic status as they often do not rate their health as well as those of higher socioeconomic status.Individuals who suffer from chronic health conditions are also more likely to rate their health less well than individuals who do not.If these individuals do not have access to programs that improve self-rated health, then their mortality rates will likely be higher than that of individuals without these characteristics.One type of organization that administers programs aimed at improving the self-rated health of patients with chronic conditions and of low socioeconomic status is a community health centre (CHC).CHCs are locally governed, not-for-profit organizations that often operate in neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic status which have a history of delivering innovative programs for their patients.To better understand why some patients suffering from chronic disease might self-rate their health higher than others, this study examines the determinants of self-rated health among diabetic patients receiving treatment at a Vancouver's Mid-Main CHC.Located at 24th and Main in Vancouver, the Mid-Main CHC is an ideal location for this study as it recruits a variety of patients from a low socioeconomic status area who also suffer from diabetes.A survey of 84 diabetic patients receiving treatment at the Mid-Main CHC contained questions pertaining to four different groups of independent variables, including patient demographic variables, health status variables, variables measuring participation in Mid-Main's unique diabetic programs, and variables measuring participation in voluntary organizations and sense of belonging.The results from the survey show that while almost 60 per cent of Mid-Main's diabetic patients rate their health as Very Good or Good.Logistic regression analysis further demonstrates that patients who rate their health as Very Good or Good tend not to speak English at home, not to have mobility problems, not to require emergency room visits, but participate in voluntary organizations at a higher frequency than those not rating their health as Very Good or Good.These findings are then used to develop policy alternatives that Mid-Main could implement to improve the self-rated health of the 40 per cent of its diabetic patients who do not rate their health as Very Good or Good.This study bases these alternatives on the capability of Mid-Main to directly influence significant variables.Five alternatives are initially considered, including: the Status Quo; doctors discussing participation in voluntary organizations with patients during individual doctor appointments; inviting a representative of a voluntary organization to speak to the diabetic support group; developing a volunteer program for Mid-Main; and administering a patient participation package for diabetic patients.This study then evaluates the feasibility of each alternative with three criteria: operating cost, implementation cost, and patient uptake.Doctors discussing participation in voluntary organizations with patients is the recommended policy alternative as it entails low operating costs, could be easily implemented, and targets most diabetic patients who do not currently participate in voluntary organizations.My gratitude to the following individuals: Irene Clarence, for offering your time, feedback and insight whenever I asked, and for allowing me to conduct this study at Mid-Main.Kennedy Stewart, for your guidance throughout this capstone and your optimism that I could complete it on schedule.Doug McArthur, for your analysis of my capstone and your thorough questioning during
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Neil Edward Ralph Braun
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2118960295