Assessing the health needs of a Hispanic senior oopulation attending a community center

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the health needs of Hispanic seniors attending Wesley-Rankin Community Center in Dallas, TX. Specific aims include: 1) determining the prevalence of chronic disease and depression; 2) measuring quality of life and health literacy level; 3) determining whether there is an association between attendance and quality of life or health literacy and sociodemographic characteristics; and 4) determining curriculum needs for future health education programs.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Hispanic seniors at the Wesley-Rankin Community Center. A 25-item health needs assessment was administered to 52 Hispanic seniors through 15-minute face-to-face interviews. Frequencies and percents were used to report sociodemographic characteristics. Chi square and Fischer exact tests were used to measure associations between categorical variables.

Results: We interviewed 52 seniors at the center. Eligible participants were aged 60 or older and enrolled in the Senior Citizen program. The mean age of the participants was 75.8 years. Over half of participants (61.5%) had limited to marginal health literacy. The three most prevalent diagnosed conditions were hypertension (71.15%), arthritis (67.31%) and teeth problems (51.92%). Health literacy level was associated with transportation to doctor (p=0.013), attendance at Wesley-Rankin Community Center (p=0.0187), health care provider (p=0.048), and income (p=0.0075). Age was also associated with attendance (p=0.0028) and suggested activities (p=0.035).

Conclusion: Based on our findings, future health education programs at the Wesley Rankin Community Center should focus on hypertension, arthritis and teeth problems. Furthermore, the activities included in the program should be age appropriate.