Women at Midlife: Women's Perceptions,Physicians' Perceptions

Research and assessment of the well-being of women at midlife, for the most part, focuses on assumptions based on stereotypes and myths that hinder our ability to realistically appraise women's experiences. Women's reproductive role, manifested in the centrality of menopause, predominates in the health literature. This paper looks at how physicians and midlife women view the experiences of midlife women. Attribution theory is used to offer explanations for different perceptions that may hinder appropriate health care. Suggestions to mitigate these differences in the future are offered.     

人口流动、老龄化对农村居民消费的影响

利用中国1%人口抽样调查和人口普查的省域数据,从四个截面考察人口外流、农村人口老龄化对农村居民消费的影响,研究结果发现,农村人口老龄化对农村居民消费倾向具有显著的正向影响,农村老年人口的生活来源与健康状况是其中的影响因素;人口流动通过直接与间接效应对农村居民消费也表现出显著的正向影响。人口外流与老龄化均不同程度刺激、助长了农村居民消费。完善农村的社会养老及医疗保障体系、适度发展老年产业、规范和鼓励农村人口流动为现时期应对农村人口老龄化和促进农村居民消费提供了重要切入点。     

Aging in a Foreign Country: Voices of Iranian Women Aging in Canada

ABSTRACT

Older Iranian women, who immigrated to Canada in later adulthood, experience unique issues as they age. In order to better understand this experience, in-depth, personal and semi-structured interviews were conducted with five immigrant/refugee Iranian women who immigrated to Canada in their later life. Analysis revealed that although each woman's story conveyed individual differences and idiosyncrasies, all the stories highlighted the critical interweaving of the aging experience and the immigration experience: neither experience could be understood in isolation of the other; each aspect gave meaning to the other experience. Two interrelated messages dominated the women's stories: first was the importance of each woman's immigration story for grounding her experience of the aging process in Canada. Second, each woman's personal story suggested that the immigration experiences were accorded priority for accounting for her experiences in Canada. Specifically, cultural identity (i.e., social class, education, religious affiliation and immigration status) offered a valuable cloak for overshadowing the force of the aging process and the aging process emerged as an elusive force that lurked in the background without ever being fully acknowledged or given power in their lives. The implications of these findings in relation to theory development on intersectionality and professional practice are discussed.     

Focus Groups Identified Women's Perceptions of Dairy Foods

ABSTRACT

Focus groups were conducted with 39 Caucasian women (ages 30–55 years) to gain insight regarding their thoughts and feelings toward dairy foods. Women resided in Virginia; all had at least a high school education. Themes characterizing the group discussions were identified. Women knew that dairy foods were a good source of calcium and discussed it in relation to osteoporosis. Although many knew the risk factors related to osteoporosis, most were confused about measures to prevent it. Many used calcium supplements or vitamin/mineral supplements to help meet calcium requirements. Most thought dairy foods were high in fat. Women also discussed the sensory attributes of dairy foods as well as convenience and cost of dairy foods in relation to their dairy food choices.     

中国高龄老年人精神失调状况及其影响因素分析

为分析中国高龄老年人的精神失调状况,探讨中国高龄老年人是否健康的度过晚年,本文利用了2000年中国长寿老年人的健康状况的调查数据,从中随机抽取了1006个样本,用logistic回归方法进行了分析。结果显示中国高龄老年人表现出精神失调症状的占48.9%,老年人的心态,人格,婚姻状况,经济状况对老年人精神失调症状都有显著影响,并且发现年龄,性别,对精神失调的影响不显著。中国长寿老年人的精神健康状况需要引起重视。负向心态,离婚,独居和跟家人在一起对精神失调症状影响非常显著;正向心态,自评健康状况好,有偶,住养老机构相比较而言更有利于缓解长寿老人的精神失调症状。     

论我国农村老年贫困人口与“温饱型老龄化”问题

文章在对我国农村老年贫困人口数量规模、空间分布、贫困程度等状况分析的基础上,提出了“温饱型老年化”概念,并对提倡和实现“温饱型老年化”的必要性、路径措施进行了分析。认为在我国解决农村贫困问题,实现“温饱型老年化”,是新农村建设与和谐社会建构中的重要主题之一,是实践健康老年化、积极老年化的必不可少的基础和前提。     

Formerly Homeless,Older Women's Experiences with Health,Housing, and Aging

The perspectives of formerly homeless, older women are absent in the academic literature on aging and homelessness. In this study, a group of formerly homeless women, aged 45 years and older were surveyed (N = 15) and interviewed (n = 11) about their experiences with health, housing, and aging. The qualitative themes to be explored include the women's perceptions of their current health, coping with low incomes, dealing with addictions to alcohol and drugs, and the importance of supportive housing and other community services. The female participants' views on adapting to home, planning for their elderly years, and views on growing older are also explored.     

Indicators of Preclinical Disability: Women's Experiences of an Aging Body

This paper is derived from a larger multimethod longitudinal study of women's bodily experiences and coping practices before the onset of disability. Twelve women participated in repeated performance measures, in-depth interviews of daily life and physically challenging events, and observations of daily activities conducted over 18 months. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of textual data showed that women's bodies provided multiple indicators or symptoms of preclinical disability. These indicators informed the women that their body was out of synch with their environment; conspicuous during social activities; and vulnerable to becoming dependent on others, technology, or assistive devices to accomplish daily activities. Greater attention to bodily indicators or symptoms may offer a practical method for clinicians to identify preclinical disability.     

Aging women and men in the medical profession: The effect of gender and marital status on successful aging and retirement intent in Australian doctors

Despite increasing interest from the medical profession in aging and retirement, we know little about effects of gender, marital status, and cohort on aging within the profession. We surveyed 1,048 Australian doctors from “younger” (55–64) and “older” (65–89) cohorts, investigating gender and marital effects on perceptions of successful aging, career, and retirement intent. Women intend to retire earlier. Younger cohort and married women more frequently viewed their career as a calling, while women in general, and single women more frequently, endorsed personal successful aging more than men. Broader understanding of the different experiences of aging for men and women doctors is needed.     

Informal Support Networks of Low-Income Senior Women Living Alone: Evidence from Fort St. John,BC

Within the context of an aging Canadian rural and small-town landscape, there is a growing trend of low-income senior women living alone. While there is a perception that rural seniors have well-developed social networks to meet their daily needs, some research suggests that economic and social restructuring processes have impacted the stability of seniors' support networks in small places. While much of the research on seniors' informal networks focuses upon small towns in decline, booming resource economies can also produce challenges for low-income senior women living alone due to both a higher cost of living and the retrenchment of government and service supports. Under such circumstances, an absence of informal supports can impact seniors' health and quality of life and may lead to premature institutionalization. Drawing upon a household survey in Fort St. John, British Columbia, we explore informal supports used by low-income senior women living alone in this different context of the Canadian landscape. Our findings indicate that these women not only have a support network that is comparable to other groups, but that they are also more likely to draw upon such supports to meet their independent-living needs. These women rely heavily on family support, however, and greater efforts are needed to diversify both their formal and informal sources of support as small family networks can quickly become overwhelmed.     

人口老龄化对农村养老保险制度的影响及其政策建议——基于福建省的数据

人口老龄化是社会经济发展的必然趋势.我国目前实施的新农保制度就是为了解决农村老年人口养老问题的一个重要举措.但是,由于受制度设计以及社会经济发展条件等方面的影响,新农保基金的运行情况存在着一定风险.根据对福建省新农保基金收支情况的预测,未来一段时期内福建省新农保基金收入、支出都会呈现出增长的趋势,但支出速度大于收入速度,将会出现缺口.为实现新农保制度的可持续发展,可以从以下几个方面进行政策完善:适时、适度地调整生育政策,优化人口结构,保证新农保参保人数的可持续性;拓展新农合基金的缴费渠道,实现新农合基金运行的可持续性;拓宽新农保基金的增殖渠道,实现新农保基金的保值增值.     

农村妇女生育意愿影响因素分析

低生育水平不代表我国农村社会生育意愿已经完成了从传统型向现代型的转变,因为生育意愿的变化受到社会和家庭多种因素的影响。借助莱宾斯坦孩子"成本-效用"理论,通过农村妇女边际孩子的选择对农村妇女生育意愿的影响因素进行分析。结果发现,性别偏好、孩子的经济成本以及抵御家庭风险、扩大家庭规模的效用在影响妇女生育意愿中起着较为明显的作用。了解农村妇女生育意愿影响因素,对建设先进生育文化有重要意义。     

A comparison of three physical activity programs for health and fitness tested with older women: Benefits of aerobic activity,aqua fitness,and strength training

ABSTRACT

Inactivity has been associated with decreased quality of life of older people, and many physical activity programs are encouraged. However, the heterogeneity of the different exercise programs available is well recognized. The objective was to compare three physical activity programs (strength training, aqua fitness, and aerobic exercise) to discern the differences in the benefits achieved by each of them in older women over a period of 6 months. For that, a double-blind randomized trial sorted 347 women over 50 years old into three groups of exercise programs; they completed three sessions of evaluation that included the measurement of weight and body mass index and used the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) and SF-12 questionnaire. A t-test for related samples compared the evolution of each group, and ANOVA statistic was used to compare the effect of the different exercise programs. The results showed that women should consider performing aerobic activity up to age 60. After that age, aerobic activity or strength training can provide greater benefits.     

农村“妇小贷”政策满意度模型构建的实证研究--基于PCA和Delphi赋权法

正式试点实施已逾六年的妇女小额担保贷款（以下简称“妇小贷”）政策以其显著的经济和社会效益倍受广大妇女特别是农村妇女的高度称赞,然而学界围绕农村“妇小贷”的研究并不深入和全面。本研究以626户借贷农妇的调研数据为依托,基于主成份分析（PCA）和德尔菲法（Delphi）主客观结合确定指标权重的方法,构建起了“妇小贷”农妇满意度模型;以期为该政策及其它基于性别视角下的公共政策深入研究工作提供参考。     

农村人口老龄化的特殊性分析

我国人口老龄化问题日益突出,而农村人口老龄化不仅规模大且在具体问题上也有别于城市。本文分析了农村人口老龄化的成因及农村人口流动、社会保障、人口分布、农村收入水平引起的人口老龄化问题,最后提出解决相应问题的一些具体措施。     

农村妇女就业现状和就业对策研究—以成都为例

实践经验表明,农村女性在劳动就业市场上面临诸多限制,就业弱势地位十分明显,促进农村妇女就业是社会就业政策的重要组成部分。本文通过对成都市10个区（市、县）2000份调查问卷表的分析,结合座谈和实地调查感悟,对成都市在城乡综合配套改革试验区建设中农村妇女的就业现状、就业障碍和就业意愿等进行了详细分析,在此基础上提出促进成都市农村妇女充分就业的三大政策、制度和工作举措。     

Historical,Economic, and Political Contexts of Aging in African America

ABSTRACT

This article is an attempt to present some of the historical and political contexts of older women in general and to communicate pieces of the lives of African American older women, in particular. It presents some of the present day distortions as well as a sense of the historical, economic, and political realities of older African American lives, while trying to limit the use of the usual comparison approach to this topic.     

Because We Don't Take Better Care of Ourselves: Rural Black Women's Explanatory Models of Heart Disease

Introduction: Among women aged 45–54, Black women are 2.5 to 3 times more likely than White women to die from coronary heart disease (CHD) and less likely to exercise. This study explored Black women's beliefs about the causes and risks of heart disease. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 20 Black women aged 40–58 years with at least one risk factor for CHD. Results: Participants identified 11 causes of heart disease within three factors: Lifestyle, Physiologic Causes, and Going to Get It. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings provide a focus for educational interventions to decrease risk for CHD in this population.     

Stress and Resilience in the Oral Histories of Rural Older Women

Oral history research has seldom focused on the reflections of rural older women. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify: (a) stresses associated with major historical events that affected the lives of rural older women, and (b) strategies they used to deal with those stresses. Oral histories were gathered from a cross-section of 25 older women living in a small rural Midwestern community and analyzed using the method of constant comparison (Glaser & Straus, 1967 Glaser, B. and Strauss, A. 1967. The discovery of grounded theory, Chicago: Aldine.  [Google Scholar]). Content analysis revealed that economic hardship, disruption of family life, and fears and uncertainties were stressors associated with the Great Depression and world wars of the 20th century. Resilience was demonstrated by frugality, reliance on social supports, and acceptance. Implications for intervention with rural older women are discussed.