Unraveling the Impact of Widowhood Duration on Depression: Does Time Heal All Wounds?

China's aging population has witnessed a surge in widowed older adults, raising concerns about their mental health. Losing a spouse is a profoundly distressing experience with enduring effects on well-being. Despite the proverbial belief in time's healing power, existing studies often neglect the potential decline in depressive symptoms during widowhood.

Midwives as Drivers of Contraceptive Uptake: Evidence From Indonesia Demographic and Health Surveys.

Midwives play an important role in maternal and child health in developing countries, but they are rarely involved in providing family planning services, except in Indonesia. This article underscores midwives' crucial role in supplying modern contraceptive methods in Indonesia. Data for this analysis came from eight waves of the Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS).

Productive engagement of older adults in China: A multilevel analysis.

Aim: This study investigates how the personal characteristics and behavior, and health status of older adults in China influenced their productive engagement in paid and unpaid jobs.

Methods: Data for this analysis came from 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). We used a random intercept multilevel multinomial logit model to analyze data from 3208 older adults aged 65 from the 2002 wave, which decreased to 1385 in 2011.

Utilization of Private Sector Family Planning Services in Malaysia.

Background: The private sector is playing an increasingly important role in family planning services globally. The active participation of private providers is associated with a higher contraceptive prevalence rate.

Objectives: To examine the differentials and determinants of the utilization of private providers for family planning services.

Contraceptive use in Cambodia: does household decision-making power matter?

In Cambodia, the growth of family planning services and socio-economic development have resulted in a spectacular rise in contraceptive prevalence rate and an equally remarkable reduction in contraceptive use differentials. With rising educational levels and increased participation in the modern labour market, Cambodian women are playing an increasingly pivotal role in household decision-making. This study used data from three rounds of Cambodia Demographic and Health Surveys to elucidate trends and patterns of contraceptive use.

Ethnic differences in the prevalence, socioeconomic and health related risk factors of knee pain and osteoarthritis symptoms in older Malaysians.

Knee pain is often underreported, underestimated and undertreated. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, burden and further identify socioeconomic factors influencing ethnic differences in knee pain and symptoms of OA among older adults aged 55 years and over in Greater Kuala Lumpur (the capital city of Malaysia). The sample for the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) was selected using stratified random sampling, by age and ethnicity from the electoral rolls of three parliamentary constituencies.

Effects of selected leisure activities on preventing loneliness among older Chinese.

This study examined three types of leisure activities (playing cards/mahjong, watching TV/listening to the radio, and participation in social activities) among the older segment of the Chinese population, and the effects of these activities in preventing the feelings of loneliness. Data came from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), conducted in 2005, 2008, and 2011. The males, those who were educated, the young-old (aged between 65 and 74 years), urban dwellers, and living in institutions were more likely to participate in all three activities frequently.

AGE AT MENARCHE AND SEXUAL DEBUT AMONG YOUNG FILIPINO WOMEN.

There has been a secular decline in age at menarche since the 19th century. Early-maturing women are more likely to have their sexual debut at a younger age, which in turn gives rise to a host of reproductive health and social problems. This study used data from five waves of National Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in the Philippines between 1993 and 2013 to examine the trends and socioeconomic differentials in age at menarche and sexual debut.

Understanding ageing: fear of chronic diseases later in life.

Objectives Ageing is often associated with deteriorating mental and physical health and the need for long-term care, creating a fear of ageing. We investigated what people fear most in terms of disabling chronic diseases and their concerns regarding having long-term illnesses. Methods Data were obtained from an online survey of 518 respondents aged 40 years and older residing in Malaysia, which was based on a convenience sample collected in May 2015 to January 2016.

What matters for life satisfaction among the oldest-old? Evidence from China.

Objective: The world population is aging rapidly and the well-being of older people is of great interest. Therefore, this study investigates the determinants of life satisfaction among the oldest-old (i.e.

The debilitating effects of chronic diseases among the oldest old in China.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess the current sharp rise in chronic diseases and disabilities with advancing age, and to examine the debilitating effects of chronic diseases among the oldest old in China.

Study Design And Outcome Variables: This study used data from four waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Health and Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. The sample comprised 2137 older adults who were interviewed in 2002 and re-interviewed in the following waves.

Aging in Multi-ethnic Malaysia.

Multiethnic Malaysia provides a unique case study of divergence in population aging of different sociocultural subgroups within a country. Malaysia represents 3 major ethnicities in Asia-the Malay, Chinese, and Indian. The 3 ethnic groups are at different stages of population aging, as they have undergone demographic transition at different pace amidst rapid social and economic changes.

Family support and loneliness among older persons in multiethnic Malaysia.

This study investigates factors affecting older persons' state of loneliness in multiethnic Malaysia using data from the 2004 Malaysian Population and Family Survey, the first nationally representative sample in Malaysia. The study sample was extracted to include Malays, Chinese, Indians and other Indigenous groups aged 60 and above, and who had children (n = 1791). Cross tabulations and ordinal logistic regression methods were used in the analysis.

Ethnic and gender differentials in non-communicable diseases and self-rated health in Malaysia.

Objectives: This paper examines the ethnic and gender differentials in high blood pressure (HBP), diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), arthritis and asthma among older people in Malaysia, and how these diseases along with other factors affect self-rated health. Differentials in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among older people are examined in the context of socio-cultural perspectives in multi-ethnic Malaysia.

Methods: Data for this paper are obtained from the 2004 Malaysian Population and Family Survey.

Correlates of and barriers to the utilization of health services for delivery in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The high maternal and neonatal mortality rates in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa can be attributed to the lack of access and utilization of health services for delivery. Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania show that more than half of the births in these countries were delivered outside a health facility. Institutional delivery was closely associated with educational level, family wealth, place of residence, and women's media exposure status, but it was not influenced by women's work status and their roles in decision-making (with the exception of Nigeria).

Medical students' attitudes toward abortion education: Malaysian perspective.

Background: Abortion is a serious public health issue, and it poses high risks to the health and life of women. Yet safe abortion services are not readily available because few doctors are trained to provide such services. Many doctors are unaware of laws pertaining to abortion.

Teacher Reporting Attitudes Scale (TRAS): confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses with a Malaysian sample.

The Teacher Reporting Attitude Scale (TRAS) is a newly developed tool to assess teachers' attitudes toward reporting child abuse and neglect. This article reports on an investigation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the short form Malay version of the TRAS. A self-report cross-sectional survey was conducted with 667 teachers in 14 randomly selected schools in Selangor state, Malaysia.

Proximate determinants of fertility in peninsular Malaysia.

The continuing decline in fertility despite a contraction in contraceptive use in Peninsular Malaysia since the mid-1980s has triggered considerable interest in the reasons behind this phenomenon, such as increase in abortion, sterility, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Fertility decline has been attributed to rapid socioeconomic development, which can only influence fertility through the intermediate variables. Application of vital statistics, population census, and survey data of Peninsular Malaysia on Bongaarts's model vindicates that marriage postponement and contraceptive use are the 2 most important proximate determinants of fertility, but the effects are not uniform across the ethnic groups.

Perceived health status and daily activity participation of older Malaysians.

This article investigates the influence of perceived health status on the daily activity participation of older Malaysians. Data from the Survey on Perceptions of Needs and Problems of the Elderly, which was conducted in 1999, were used. The negative binomial regression results show that older persons with good perceived health status reported more varieties of daily activity participation, especially among the uneducated and those with below-average self-esteem.