Successful aging in the American South : Racial/ethnic differences in Perception
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Transcript of Successful aging in the American South : Racial/ethnic differences in Perception
Successful aging in the American South:
Racial/ethnic differences in Perception
Meredith Troutman-Jordan PhD, PMHCNS-BC
Mary A. Nies PhD, FAAN, FAHB
Boyd Davis PhD
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Objectives1. Identify themes in older adults’ descriptions of successful aging.
2. Describe activities and ways of thinking/adapting that may encourage successful aging.
3. Identify similarities and subtle nuances that differentiate successful aging in Southern Black and White older adults.
Background • Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the
U.S.
population.• Older adults from all minority racial/ethnic groups are
expected
to experience more rapid population growth than Whites.
• Internationally, researchers have examined the meaning of
successful aging to older adults in several countries.• Successful aging is clearly a personal experience that
differs
for different groups of older adults.
Southern Older Adults
• About a third of all older adults in the U.S. live in the
southern states (Cotter & O’Quin, 2007)
• The population aged 65 and older in NC increased by 20%
between 2000 and 2010 (NC Division of Aging and Adult
Services, 2011). • By 2030, the state’s older
adult population will have grown
55% from 2000 (NC Division of Aging and Adult Services,
2011). • People aged 65 and older in
NC have a lower life expectancy,
higher poverty rate, and lower average education and income
than many of their national counterparts (NC Department of
Health and Human Services Division of Aging, 2003).
Methods • Specific aims:o Describe what older Southern adults in NC and SC
consider to be successful aging; o Conduct an initial analysis to identify the differences and
commonalities
Participants • Data Collectiono Demographic information
• The researcher reviewed ground rules and each session
was audiotaped. • Focus groups
Data Analysis
• Demographic and quantitative data were analyzed using
• SPSS (14.0).• A thematic content analysis was done. o Open codingo Focused coding o Validity check with Linguist o Member checking
Results Sample n %
Black n %
White n %
Health rating Fair Good Excellent Missing
10 37 4 1
19.2 71.2 7.7 2.0
6 21 2 0
20.7 72.4 6.9 0.0
4 16 2 1
17.4 69.6 8.7 4.3
Exercise Regularly Yes No Missing
32 18 2
61.5 34.6 3.8
17 12 0
58.6 41.4 0.0
15 6 2
65.2 26.1 8.7
Relationship Status Single Widowed Divorced Married Missing
8 28 2 13 1
15.4 53.8 3.8 25.0 1.9
6 20 1 2 0
20.7 69.0 3.4 6.9 0.0
2 8 1 11 1
8.7 34.8 4.3 47.8 4.3
Regular Fruit and Vegetable Intake Yes No
50 2
96.8 3.8
28 1
96.6 3.4
22 1
95.7 4.3
Health Insurance besides Medicare Yes No Missing
35 `2 5
67.3 23.1 9.6
16 11 2
55.2 37.9 6.9
19 1 3
82.6 4.3 13.0
Income <$20,000/year $20-39,000/year $40-59,000/year $60-79,000/year >$80,000/year Missing
17 25 6 0 1 3
32.7 48.1 11.5 0.0 1.9 5.8
7 16 2 0 1 2
24.1 58.6 6.9 0.0 3.4 6.9
10 8 4 0 0 1
43.5 34.8 17.4 0.0 0.0 4.3
Tobacco Use Yes No
2 50
3.8 96.2
1 28
3.4 96.6
1 22
4.3 95.7
Themes
• Four central themes to describe successful aging: o Connecting and relatingo Temporalityo Perception and interpretationo Activity.
Connecting and Relating • Three subcategories:o Spiritualityo Friends and socialo Spouse• I feel like God has a plan and He’s
the one that’s setting it in motion.
And you live one day at a time, and if something happens that’s in the plan,
it’s not your plan, maybe, but I feel like it’s for a reason.”
• “living one day at a time, trusting the Lord.”
• “doing my part; God is more powerful than us”
• “A lot of females out there, widows. But I know quite a few who have I think
• significant others, come to think of it, I don’t think that any of these
• attractions have resulted in marriage. . .
Temporality • Impressions of the past• Family and history• Future generations. o I stayed under my grandmother’s feet and learned as much
as I could. I learned how to sew, cook and tend house from
my grandmother. She raised me. o I know that my childhood was full of hard times and we were very
poor.
But we were honest, hard working people and we did not mind
following the ways of living in southern Georgia, where I grew up.”o I think that it is important for young people to slow down and realize
how precious life is. These young people do not seem to take things
seriously.
Perception and Interpretation • Mental/cognitive o Recognize shortcomings—
don’t stress, make high goals
o (having and making) Choices
o Like things simple, make a decision and leave it alone
o Don’t get mad, get even• Adjusting (behaviors, ways
of being)o Used to hit that good old
bottle. . . but I quit drinking and
smoking. . . been married 36 years” and now volunteer
o Diabetes is normal now, checking it daily with medicine
Activity • Mobilityo I walk every day, just a little
short walk around the block,
because I have discovered that by not walking my balance is gone.
• Independenceo I like doing stuff on my own
as much as possible. I do not bother
people, you know how they say old people be worrying them
exercise, if you raise a garden you know you get your exercise
• Nutritiono Getting older you know that
your body is decreasing and you
take a few vitamins, especially my C and B vitamins
o I know it’s (diet) scary but I try to stick to it
Southern Region o Being black and living in the south was a challenging
thing,
but we made it because we did not bother anyone and we
minded our own business. o It was difficult because it was 12 of us but we did it and
my
father made sure that we kept a roof over our heads and had
food to eat. We did not have meat every night but we did have
something to eat. . . We were poor but we were a proud family.
o It has always been a struggle as a Black person, but me and
my family have not let that stop us from anything. o We never let being Black hold us back from.o It was hard and we had some hard trying times but we
made it.
Discussion and Implications
• Socioeconomic status influence• These findings are consistent with how other Black
older
adults have characterized successful aging. • There were more commonalities than differences in
these
Black and White Southern-dwelling participants’ accounts, though
there were some differences. • Connection and relating-varied interventions • Function of friends and family divergent • Temporality and perception • Southern influence
Conclusion o The Southern older adult population is increasing and
diversifying, making it imperative to design health promotion
interventions that are tailored to this regional group.o As a beginning, it may be helpful for providers to
incorporate
interventions such as those suggested here to promote
successful aging in Southern older adults.o This study yields some insights, elucidating target
areas
for promoting successful aging.
And the Journey Continues. . .
Meredith Troutman-Jordan PhD, PMHCNS-BC
UNC Charlotte
(704)687-7963
Source References available on request
Thank you for your time and attention