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Research
project
Dr
Brendan Goodger
BSW(Hons),
GradDipHlthSocSci(MedSocSci), PhD
Doctoral
Thesis: Social support, health status and health
care utilisation in women aged 70-76 years
Supervisors: Associate
Professor Julie Byles & Dr Gita Mishra
University: Centre for
Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, The University
of Newcastle
This substudy involved a two-year prospective survey (with
annual follow-up) of those older women with low and higher
levels of social support who responded to the ALSWH baseline
survey. Out of the 840 participants selected for this substudy,
573 completed surveys at all three time periods. The overall
response rate was 71%. This study had three major aims. Firstly,
to identify changes in social support among older women. Secondly,
to assess the effects of social support on health-related
quality of life, and thirdly to investigate the potential
for social support to moderate the relationship between quality
of life and the number of visits to general practitioners.
Multivariate statistical techniques were used with adjustment
for the effect of potential confounding among the many variables
considered in the study.
Of participants classified as having high support at Survey
1, only 4% changed to low support after two years. However
of those with low support at Survey 1, 57% still had low support
two years later with a further 22% improving to “fair
support”. Women with low support at Survey 1 had significantly
worse physical and mental related quality of life scores than
those with high support and this persisted over all time points
of this substudy. Among all older women in this study with
a higher number of visits to general practitioners (four or
more), those with low support had mean physical and mental
functioning scores that were significantly lower than those
with high support. This research suggests that low social
support has adverse consequences on the health of older women.
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