| Learning Objective #1: Identify factors that influence entry into care for hypertension in Korean-American elderly | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe strategies to promote hypertension care among hypertensive Korean-American elderly |
Objective: To identify predictors of entry into care for hypertension (HTN) in Korean American elderly (KAE) with HTN.
Design: Cross-sectional, correlational.
Population, Sample, Setting, Years: Data on 146 hypertensive KAE („d 60 years) who participated in a larger assessment study of cardiovascular risk factors (N=205) were analyzed. The sample consisted of 56 males and 90 females ages 60 to 89 years (mean=69.8, SD=6.6). Data were collected between May and July in 1999 at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
Variables: Sociodemographics, cultural factors, and health care utilization.
Methods: Bilingual research assistants conducted face-to-face interviews. Following translation and back-translation, the Korean version of the instruments were pilot-tested on 12 Korean Americans. Feedback from this pilot study was incorporated into the final version of the instruments.
Findings: Only 33.6% of the sample reported taking antihypertensive medication. Using logistic regression, seeing a Korean doctor as well as participation in ethnic social group activities were identified as statistically significant predictors of receiving HTN treatment. KAE who had access to Korean doctors were 2.7 times as likely to report having been on HTN treatment as those who reported no access (95% CI: 1.071-6.811). In addition, KAE who were members of a Korean senior center were 5 times as likely as non-members to report having been on treatment (95% CI: 1.925-13.017). The variables that were not significant included knowledge about HTN, gender, marital status, years of education, age, and length of stay in the U.S.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that providing linguistically and culturally relevant screening and referral services through ethnic community centers may be most effective approach for this hypertensive ethnic elderly group.
Implication: Future studies are warranted to find the mechanisms that account for the delayed entry into care as well as to develop tailored intervention for people with multiple barriers.
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Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003