OBJECTIVES: The present study compared the characteristics of health status and health care access and use among older American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) to those of non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey, with a total of 17,156 adults aged 60 and older (198 AIANs and 16,958 NHWs) analyzed. RESULTS: Older AIANs reported poorer physical and mental health than did NHWs. AIANs were less likely than NHWs to see a medical doctor and have a usual source of medical care and were more likely than NHWs to delay getting needed medical care and report difficulty understanding the doctor at their last visit. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the vulnerability and unmet health care needs of older AIANs. More research on the older AIAN population is clearly needed to document their health care needs in order to better inform efforts to reduce health disparities.
OBJECTIVES: The present study compared the characteristics of health status and health care access and use among older American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) to those of non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey, with a total of 17,156 adults aged 60 and older (198 AIANs and 16,958 NHWs) analyzed. RESULTS: Older AIANs reported poorer physical and mental health than did NHWs. AIANs were less likely than NHWs to see a medical doctor and have a usual source of medical care and were more likely than NHWs to delay getting needed medical care and report difficulty understanding the doctor at their last visit. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the vulnerability and unmet health care needs of older AIANs. More research on the older AIAN population is clearly needed to document their health care needs in order to better inform efforts to reduce health disparities.
Authors: Astrid Suchy-Dicey; Clemma Muller; Dean Shibata; Barbara V Howard; Shelley A Cole; W T Longstreth; Richard B Devereux; Dedra Buchwald Journal: Neuroepidemiology Date: 2021-08-24 Impact factor: 5.393
Authors: Benjamin D Aronson; Michelle Johnson-Jennings; Margarette L Kading; Reid C Smith; Melissa L Walls Journal: Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res Date: 2016
Authors: Cathleen E Willging; David H Sommerfeld; Elise Trott Jaramillo; Erik Lujan; Roxane Spruce Bly; Erin K Debenport; Steven P Verney; Ron Lujan Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2018-06-18 Impact factor: 2.655