 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jie Hu, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, UNCG PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, 336-256-1025, jie_hu@uncg.edu
Purpose: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) reflects the consequences of disease in an individual°¯s life (Maille, et al, 1996). The impact of disease on physical, psychological, and social functioning (American Thoracic Society, 1999) is the focus of HRQOL. The purpose of this study is to describe factors related to HRQOL in African-American older adults with chronic disease.
Method: A correlational design was used to better understand HRQOL in African-American older adults with chronic disease. The study sample consisted of 34 African-American older adults with chronic disease living in senior residential centers. The subjects were tested using Symptom Distress Scale, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationships among symptom status, functional status, depression and HRQOL.
Results: The mean age of subjects was 74(SD=8.60)years. Fifteen percent of subjects had heart disease, 17% had diabetes, 26% had arthritis, 36% had hypertension, and 6% had chronic obstructive lung disease. Fifty-nine percent of the subjects had comorbidity and 59% rated their health as poor or fair. Results indicated that symptom status (r=-.69), functional status (-.59), depression (r=-.44) were correlated with both physical and mental components of HRQOL (p<.01).
Discussion: Health-related quality of life has become an important outcome criterion that measures the impact of disease impairment. Health-related quality of life is related to physical and psychological factors. Community nurses should develop culturally appropriate intervention programs aimed to improve HRQOL in African-American older adults with chronic disease.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Quality of Care, Ethnic Minorities
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.