Examinando por Autor "Ayala, Salvador"

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    Association between the home-to-healthcare center distance and hearing aid abandonment among older adults
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2024-03) Fuentes-López, Eduardo; Galaz-Mella, Javier; Ayala, Salvador; De la Fuente, Carlos; Luna-Monsalve, Manuel; Nieman, Carrie; Marcotti, Anthony
    Background: Access to audiology services for older adults residing in sparsely populated regions is often limited compared to those in central urban areas. The geographic accessibility to follow-up care, particularly the influence of distance, may contribute to an increased risk of hearing aid abandonment. Objective: To assess the association between the home-to-healthcare-calibration-center distance and hearing aid abandonment among older adults fitted in the Chilean public health system. Methods: 455 patients who received hearing aids from two public hospitals in two regions were considered. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models with robust variance estimation were used to analyze the association between the geographical distance and hearing aid abandonment, accounting for confounding effects. Results: Approximately 18% of the sample abandoned the hearing aid, and around 50% reported using the hearing aid every day. A twofold increase in distance between home and the hearing center yielded a 35% (RR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04–1.74; p = 0.022) increased risk of hearing aid abandonment. Also, those in the second quintile had a 2.17 times the risk of abandoning the hearing aid compared to the first quintile (up to 2.3 km). Under the assumption that patients reside within the first quintile of distance, a potential reduction of 45% in the incidence of hearing aid abandonment would be observed. The observed risk remained consistent across different statistical models to assess sensitivity. Conclusion: A higher distance between the residence and the healthcare center increases hearing aid abandonment risk. The association may be explained by barriers in purchasing supplies required to maintain the device (batteries, cleaning elements, potential repairs, or maintenance).
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    Spatial distribution of particulate matter on winter nights in Temuco, Chile: Studying the impact of residential wood-burning using mobile monitoring
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022-10-01) Blanco, Estela; Rubilar, Francisco; Quinteros, Maria Elisa; Cayupi, Karen; Ayala, Salvador; Lu, Siyao; Jimenez, Raquel B.; Cárdenas, Juan Pablo; Blazquez, Carola A.; Delgado Saborit, Juana Maria; Harrison, Roy M.; Ruiz Rudolph, Pablo
    Temuco, a medium-sized city in the south of Chile, is heavily impacted by residential wood-burning particularly in winter, which causes strong episodes of air pollution. We spatially characterized the distribution of particulate matter (PM) during winter nights in Temuco using mobile measurements. In winter 2016 (June 8-July 15th), continuous monitors for PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles <0.1 μm (UFP) were deployed in a vehicle along with a positioning system during 20 nights (20:00 to 2:00) in assigned routes that crossed the city and additional sampling was conducted at a central site. Measurements were expressed as concentrations and ratios to central site concentrations and collapsed by spatial grids of 50, 100, 200, and 400 m. Average PM2.5 concentrations were ∼100 μg m−3, while UFP ∼30,000 counts cm−3. Some neighborhoods had concentrations of PM2.5 nearly double those measured at a centrally located site, while other neighborhoods had less than half the measured level. We identified hotspots and cold spots of PM2.5 and UFP throughout the urban area—and observed some neighborhoods in which over 20% of the area was categorized as a hotspot for one of the pollutants (14 for PM2.5 and 11 for UFP out of 34). Using mobile monitoring—a relatively simple and inexpensive methodology— we characterized the spatial distribution of pollutants and likely clusters for the time period, which may guide future spatial campaigns and help targeting local interventions aimed at air pollution mitigation. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd