Child health care in Charles County, Maryland: a needs assessment.

In response to the perception of community leaders in Charles County, Maryland, that more health care services should be available for disadvantaged infants and young children in the county, an informal needs assessment was carried out. First, available public health statistical data were used to estimate the number of children under 10 years of age residing in low-income households without health insurance. Next, a household survey and a physician survey were used to determine community and professional attitudes regarding unmet child health care needs, barriers to care, and possible solutions.

Functional screening of lower-limb amputees: a role in predicting rehabilitation outcome?

The Functional Independence Measure (FIM), a single-score instrument used to measure independent functioning in six areas of basic self-care skills, was used to evaluate 68 patients following lower-limb amputation. Patients in a rehabilitation hospital were assessed with the FIM upon admission and discharge. Admission scores averaged 52.

Is childhood obesity associated with high-fat foods and low physical activity?

Childhood obesity is a major health problem with serious long-term health implications. Efforts to determine risk factors beyond genetic predisposition have been equivocal. Common notions of overeating and under-exercising as causes have not been supported by prior research.

Physical findings in a psychiatric outpatient clinic.

To determine the frequency of previously undiagnosed, positive physical findings in a psychiatric outpatient clinic population, the authors examined the case records of 910 consecutively admitted patients who had been given screening physical examinations including urinalyses. They found that 20.4% of the patients had some medical abnormality that was previously undiagnosed, and they encourage psychiatrists to make the physical examination a routine part of their total psychiatric evaluation.