Ethnicity, self-care, and use of medical care among the elderly with joint symptoms.

Elderly individuals with self-reported joint symptoms representing three ethnic groups (i.e., blacks [n = 105], Hispanics [n = 100], and whites of Eastern European origin [n = 112] answered questions about their use of self-care and medical care for these symptoms. Ethnic groups differed in both self-care practices and their use of medical care for joint symptoms. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that arthritis-specific and general health status were better predictors than ethnicity of the tendency to rely on self-care and medical care. There was no evidence that self-care served as a substitute for medical care.