The purposes of this study were to evaluate the mental health status of Japanese medical students and to examine differences based on gender, as well as on university type and location, using the results of a nationwide survey. Between December 2006 and March 2007, we conducted a questionnaire survey among fourth-year medical students at 20 randomly selected medical schools in Japan. The data f...

PURPOSE This study describes the development of a short version of the Expectations Regarding Aging Survey (ERA-38), a 38-item survey measuring expectations regarding aging. DESIGN AND METHODS In 1999, surveys containing the ERA-38 were mailed to 588 adults aged > or = 65 years who were recruited through physicians; 429 individuals (73%) returned completed surveys. The mean age of participant...

BACKGROUND Research has suggested a significant burden for patients with asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS). However, few studies have studied this population in the People's Republic of China, a region in the midst of rapid epidemiological change with respect to respiratory disease. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ACOS and its asso...

Background: One of the most important indicators for assessing the validity of a scale is the determination of the construct validity of that scale. Since no standard gold test exists to measure the upper limb function in patients with stroke, the study of the construct validity of the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) is of particular importance. Objectives: To evaluate the construct validity o...

OBJECTIVE To propose a short version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. METHODS Two samples were used to test the results obtained in the analyses in two distinct scenarios. One of the studies was composed of 230 low income families from Pelotas, RS, Southern Brazil, and the other was composed of 15,575 women, whose data were obtained from the 2006 National Survey on Demography and Healt...