Social Influences on the Health of Aging Arab Americans

本申请是对研究目标3种族/民族差异的回应。这一建议的确切重点是特别针对在晚年疾病和残疾方面造成种族/民族差异的社会因素的研究。对非多数移民/族裔群体的老龄化、健康和社会关系的研究正在成为辨别重要趋势的重要途径，这些趋势可能导致对老龄化过程有更全面的理论理解，可能有助于服务提供者帮助这些人口，并可作为公共政策建议的基础。这项试点研究的目标是老年阿拉伯裔美国人，这是美国境内一个不断增长的移民/族裔群体。阿拉伯裔美国老年人是一个重要的移民群体，被卫生保健领域的专业人员视为高危人群。样本将包括移民和本地出生的60岁及以上的阿拉伯裔美国人，他们居住在底特律大都会地区，那里是中东以外阿拉伯裔美国人最集中的地方。该项目的目标是开始记录老年阿拉伯裔美国人的健康和社会关系模式。老年人的家庭是最能感受到伴随虚弱而来的责任的家庭，然而移民/种族群体之间的社会关系可能在许多重要方面与主流美国社会不同。社会网络和支持特征的性质对老年人的健康和福祉有影响，并可能对社会关系与健康之间的关系产生新的见解。该目标包括两个具体目标：1)利用焦点小组数据作为获取文化相关信息的机制，在定性层面探索这一问题；2)检验阿拉伯裔美国老年人健康与社会关系关系的初步假设（控制经济地位）。将与三组不同的阿拉伯裔美国老年人组织焦点小组讨论：讲阿拉伯语的移民、讲英语的移民和在美国出生的阿拉伯裔美国老年人。焦点小组讨论的结果将提供有关老龄化、健康和社会关系的文化因素的重要信息。然后将对35-50名讲阿拉伯语的老年移民、35-50名讲英语的老年移民和35-50名在美国出生的阿拉伯裔美国老年人进行现有的调查（社会关系调查）。分析将主要是描述性的，审查移民身份对社会关系和健康的作用，并确定在健康和社会关系方面的性别模式。提出的方法是多方面的，试图捕捉对老年阿拉伯裔美国人疾病和残疾的文化影响的细节。这些分析将为种族/族裔群体（阿拉伯裔美国人、非洲裔美国人、拉丁裔美国人和欧洲裔美国人）的比较研究奠定基础，从而有助于更好地了解与疾病和残疾有关的种族/族裔因素。

This application is a response to RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 3)Racial/Ethnic Differences. The exact emphasis of this proposal is particularly geared toward research on social factors contributing to racial/ethnic differences in late life diseases and disability. The study of aging, health, and social relations among non-majority immigrant/ethnic groups is becoming an important avenue for discerning significant trends that may lead to a more complete theoretical understanding of the aging process, may help service providers assist such populations, as well as serve as a basis for public policy recommendations. This pilot study will target aging Arab Americans, a growing immigrant/ethnic group within the United States. Arab American elderly represent a significant immigrant group deemed to be a population-at-risk by professionals in the health care field. The sample will consist of both immigrant and native born Arab Americans sixty years and over who live in the metropolitan Detroit area which is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans outside of the Middle East. The objective of this project is to begin to document the patterns of health and social relations among aging Arab Americans. The families of the elderly are those who will most feel the responsibility that accompanies frailty, yet social relations among an immigrant/ethnic group may differ in important ways from dominant American society. The nature of social network and support characteristics has implications for the health and well-being of the elderly, and may yield new insights into the association between social relations and health. This objective encompasses two specific aims: 1) To explore this issue at a qualitative level in using focus group data as a mechanism for obtaining culturally relevant information; and 2) To test preliminary hypotheses about the relationship between health and social relations (controlling for SES) among Arab American elderly. Focus group discussions will be organized with three different groups of Arab American elders: Arabic speaking immigrants, English speaking immigrants, and Arab American elderly born in the United States. Results from the focus group discussions will provide important information about the cultural elements of aging, health and social relations. An existing survey (Survey of Social Relations) will then be administered to 35-50 Arabic speaking immigrant elderly, 35-50 English speaking immigrant elderly, and 35-50 Arab American elderly born in the United States. Analysis will be primarily descriptive, examining the role of immigrant status on social relations and health, as well as to determine gender patterns with regard to health and social relations. The methods proposed are multifaceted, attempting to capture the details of cultural influences on the disease and disability of elderly Arab Americans. These analyses will lay the foundation for a comparative study of racial/ethnic groups (Arab Americans, African American, Latino, and European American) that will in turn facilitate a better understanding of racial/ethnic factors as they relate to disease and disability.