The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50795

V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder, PhD, Directora de Salud Comunitaria y Bienestar Social, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Av. Universidad 655;, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, (01152-777) 329-3919, nsnyder@correo.insp.mx

Elderly people in Mexico and the U.S. have not received sufficient nor adequate attention from the health authorities in terms of improving their quality of life and responding to the satisfaction of their health needs, in both countries there is an almost total lack of studies addressing the needs of rural inhabitants, of marginal urban inhabitants, and of ethnic groups. Most health-related research deals with easily accessible population samples. Mexican elderly living in impoverished conditions may manifest more health-related problems because people with lower incomes and education tend not to perceive health problems as incapacitating, not to request help, and not have a health plan. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the quality of life, the self perceived health status, -through self-report- the most frequent illnesses conditions that they suffer, and use of health care facilities and services among two groups of Mexican rural elderly people: immigrants in the U.S., and inhabitants of rural “sending” communities in Mexico. The qualitative component involves conducting focus groups and in-depth interviews with 30 elderly males and females to develop a social representation model of aging in poverty in two different cultural settings. The quantitative component consists of the administration of 400 surveys to an equal number of male and female elderly participants in Texas (n=200) and Jalisco (n=200) living in the following three settings: living with spouse, living under the care of a family member, and living alone. Data for this study is currently being collected and results will be available in November.

Learning Objectives:

• To learn about the health status and needs of the elderly poor, and to obtain a better understanding at old age and illness.
• To learn that the problems faced by the participants in the study may not be unique to them since international migration is inherent to the concept of globalization, and characterizes the current social and economic scene of many countries in the world. Additionally, many developing countries in the world are currently facing a fast demographic and epidemiological transition similar to the one taking place in Mexico. This study this could facilitate sharing experiences and methodologies to best approach the interplay of aging, poverty and health among other elderly groups around the globe.
• To encourage private and public funding to prioritize research and intervention projects that are carried out in remote areas with underprivileged groups. Health services cannot continue being a luxury item accessible only to the younger, urban, more educated sector of the population. Health is not an accessory that can wait indefinitely to be acknowledged, particularly among the elderly poor.

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.