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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to discuss the relationships between social support, faith community support and sustaining health for ethnically diverse elders.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify themes that describe how ethnically diverse community dwelling elders manage health challenges.
Over the next decades, healthcare providers and policy makers will be called to address the healthcare gap created by the increasing health promotion needs of community dwelling elders living with chronic illness and simultaneously decreasing resources to meet those needs.
Method
Mixed methods research study examined 350 participants’ relationships between social engagement resources (SER) (social support and faith community support) and health across four ethnically diverse groups (African-American, African-Caribbean, European-American, Hispanic/Latino) A theoretical model adapted from Koenig and colleagues was used. The model depicts predictors (SER, Lubben Social Support Scale, Spiritual Perspective Scale, religious participation), health outcomes (immediate self-reported health using SF-36, four-month follow up self-report), and age-related morbidity indicators (C-reactive protein, gait speed, number of co-morbidities) that served as controlling factors. In addition, 4 participants from each ethnic group were randomly selected for a story theory-guided interview to explore the health challenges faced.
Findings/ Implications
Key descriptive statistics will be shared and inferential statistics that tested relationships proposed in the study model. Findings from the study contribute to understanding the experience of living with chronic illness, evaluating the importance of SER as related to health, and describing unique ethnic distinctions affecting the SER-health relationship. This research creates a foundation for developing a health promotion intervention that emerges within faith community support systems and is sensitive to the ethnic uniqueness of community dwelling elders living with chronic illness. An intervention of this nature has strong potential for contributing to closing the healthcare needs/resources health care gap.