The changing role of a Vaidya (non-codified traditional doctor) in the community health of Kerala, Southern India: comparison of treatment-seeking behaviours between the Vaidya's patients and community members.

Background: This study aimed at exploring the roles of a Vaidya - an uncodified traditional doctor - in a community in Kerala State, India. Special attention was paid to the characteristics of the Vaidya's patients in comparison with the treatment-seeking behaviour of the community members.

Methods: Both qualitative and quantitative data about the Vaidya, 97 of his patients, and 31 community members were gathered via participatory fieldwork and open-ended interviews.

Factor structures of a Japanese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale and its correlation with the quality of life and functional ability.

We investigated the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) with regard to its factors and, reproducibility, as well as its relationship to activities of daily living, social factors, medical conditions, and quality of life for community-dwelling elderly people in Japan. The study population consisted of 736 community-dwelling elderly participants aged 65 or older. Exploratory factor analysis of the data and correlation coefficients between factors and activities of daily living, quality of life, social factors, and medical conditions were calculated for two consecutive years.