141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

283187
You're not just getting older: You're getting better

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Damarise Navarro, BA , Department of Health Promotion & Education, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Karen Aragon Polanco, BA , Department of Health Promotion & Education, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Nathan Kamel, BA , School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion & Education, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Elizabeth Holzhauser, CHES, DrPH , Department of Education and Promotion, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Jerusha U. Weaver, BA , School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion & Education, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Patti Herring, PhD, RN , School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion & Education, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Approximately 13.1% of the population in the US is over the age of 65, and experts suggest that it will triple by the year 2050. Diabetes and its complications are among the leading causes of death and disability among older adults. Prevention is the key and is related to a healthy diet, adequate physical activity (PA), and access to health care. To best inform program development, graduate students conducted a targeted needs assessment with residents and management at Vintage Kendall in San Bernardino, CA. Data were collected through windshield surveys, observations, literature reviews, eight theory-based key informant interviews, and a confirmatory focus group. Data were coded, themed and analyzed using Grounded Theory methods. Emerging themes revealed residents shared a lack of knowledge about diabetes, lacked appealing and affordable meal alternatives, lacked adaptive PA opportunities stemming from leading a solitary lifestyle that comes with age and a fear of falling, and they lacked a supportive built environment whereby challenging their abilities to maintain a healthy lifestyle overall. They voiced a need for increase hand railings around the apartment complex, specifically around the pool area, earlier hours of operation for the exercise room, a regular exercise class, the dos and don'ts for diabetes prevention and management, low-cost healthy cooking classes, stress and money management classes, and how to container garden for more accessible and affordable fruits and vegetables. We then developed, implemented and evaluated a pilot program using process and impact evaluations for program improvement and sustainability.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Identify four low-cost and easy to make meals suitable for older adults who believe that their meal planning and cooking days are over. Describe at least three age-appropriate, enjoyable, and safe exercises encouraging older adults to staying active. Describe how one would employ the program’s lessons learned to their own older adult population in their perspective communities.

Keywords: Diabetes, Elderly

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a graduate student and developed this program during my graduate program. I have always been interested in working with other adults.
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.