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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Armine Lulejian, MPH, University of California, Los Angeles, 12821 Covello Street, North Hollywood, CA 91605, 818-590-7899, alulejian@yahoo.com
Little or no information is available on the health status of Armenian elderly populations living in the United States. This is a particularly vulnerable group as majority of Armenian American elderly have emigrated from countries where there is little or no emphasis on health prevention. Additionally, immigration, lack of English proficiency, cultural practices and beliefs may negatively impact the health of Armenian American elderly. Demographic, cultural and behavioral characteristics may also play a key role in determining health attitudes and behaviors in this population. The purpose of this study was to determine demographic characteristics, health status and health related behaviors, including comorbidity, health care access, and preventive behaviors among a low-income Armenian elderly population. Surveys were administered as face-to-face interviews to 51 females and 29 males. The average age of the population was 72 years. Participants reported being sick for an average of 23 days in the past month and 93% rated their general health as fair to poor. More than half of the participants reported having heart problems (53.8%), hypertension (71.2%), arthritis (82.5%), and high cholesterol (62.5%). Few participants were knowledgeable about preventive methods including blood stool test, sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy, and mammograms. This study was one of the first health-related research projects among Armenian American elderly, and provides some insight into the health-related needs of Armenian. The findings of this study provide supportive evidence of the poor health status of American Armenian elderly and the need for interventions in this population.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Elderly, Health
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.