Research has documented the continued improvement of health and well being among Americans, but this trend has not yet included ethnic minority populations such as African American women. Compared to their Caucasian counterpart, many Rural African American women have limited access to health care, lack adequate information about health-related conditions, live in a perpetual state of illness, and have higher rates of early mortality. The dynamics of these and other complex phenomena that create health disparities need to be unraveled. The purpose of this descriptive/correlational study is to determine the factors that predict favorable health outcomes for rural Southern African women. Using a survey descriptive approach, rural African America women (n=206) between the ages of 40- 60 years were invited to participate in a one-hour face-to-face structured interview. Research measures included adapted version of the Patient Satisfaction With Health Care Decisions, Life Stress Questionnaire, and People in Your Life Questionnaire. The Beck Depression Inventory was also administered. Participants were recruited from churches, community-based organizations, community centers, and worksites. Research related information was read aloud to the participants to diminish the need to query them about their reading levels. Women who self-reported a favorable health status were more educated, had higher incomes, and demonstrated higher scores in health knowledge and decision making. Women who were unemployed and who reported more frequent stressors in their lives experienced higher odds of having poorer health. Importantly, having health insurance was not associated with better health status. Significant predictors of a favorable health status were environmental factors that contributed to a sense of autonomy. Maintaining predictors of a favorable health status for rural Southern African American women necessitates the development of culture-specific interventions addressing health disparities. Recommendations include additional research with larger samples and the validation of the women’s health status by primary care providers.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)