Online Program

288279
Self reported health status, and barriers to self-management of chronic disease in an underserved community in rural Maine: Preliminary findings


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Robert Hood, Undergraduate Student, Public Health, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Tyler Steinc, Undergraduate Student, Public Health, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Amy Vidika, Undergraduate Student, Public Health, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Stephanie Nath, Undergraduate Student, Public Health, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Luke Nath, Undergraduate Student, Public Health, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Swagata Banik, PhD, Department of Public Health & Prevention Sciences, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, Greater Cleveland, OH
June Romeo, MSN, PhD, NP-C, Division of Health & Physical Education, Baldwin Wallace Universitry, Berea, OH
Thomas Cook, PhD, Center for Health Disparities Research & Education, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Social and health disparities experienced by under-served rural populations have deleterious consequences for individuals, families, and communities. The current paper presents preliminary data from an ongoing Community based Participatory Research(CBPR) study with an isolated, poverty-stricken and under-served rural fishing community in the eastern most coastal town in the U.S. namely, Lubec, located in Washington County, Maine. We conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 48 adults to examine self-reported health status, perceived health care needs and perceived barriers to self-management of chronic disease. Participants' responses revealed significant prevalence of cardiovascular disorders,diabetes and mental health disorders. The barriers to self-care include physical limitations due to old age, lack of knowledge, perceived gender role, financial constraints, a need for social and emotional support, multiple problems with medications, and overwhelming effects of dominant individual conditions. Many of these barriers are directly related to having comorbidities. Self-management interventions may need to address interactions between chronic conditions as well as skills necessary to care for individual diseases.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Basic medical science applied in public health
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe demographic characteristics and self-reported health status of an under-served rural community in the eastern most part of the U.S. Identify perceived barriers to self management of chronic disease in a under- served rural community.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I participated in this study from its conceptualization stage. I contributed to data collection and analysis. This study constitute my research project for my Public Health major.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.