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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Lynne Kotranski, PhD, Research and Evaluation, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, 260 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 985-2552, lynne@phmc.org and Abdullahi Beraima, PhD, Information System Design Division, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, 260 S. Broad St., Phila, PA 19102.
The impact of living arrangement on health status and health behaviors is complex, reflecting differing social contexts that may facilitate or impede compliance with provider directives and recommended health promotion and disease prevention behaviors. This presentation examines variations in selected health status and health behavior indicators among older adults who live alone, those who live with a spouse/partner and those living with relatives. Differences are also examined separately for men and women. Data for this presentation are from a representative community survey of over 10,000 households conducted in 2000 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. A total of 2,174 adults (65+) were interviewed, representing 527,700 older adults. The survey instrument contains questions about demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, physical and mental health status, use of health services, access to care, health screening, and health behaviors. The results show that elderly living alone are less likely to have received dental care, colorectal or (for women) mammography exams in the past year; are more likely to report eating less because of cost; and are twice as likely to report being depressed as elderly living with a spouse. Females living alone are twice as likely as males to not have filled a prescription because of cost. No significant differences were found between older adults living alone and those living with a spouse on a number of key indicators (e.g., self-reported health status, presence of chronic conditions, and immunization status). The implications of these findings for provider/patient monitoring, communication, and education are discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Aging, Health Promotion
Related Web page: phmc.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.