Abstract
Integrated continuous care is important to prevent and treat brittle bone status in the aging process; however, minority groups often have limited access to health services. The purpose of this study was to identify the care coordination among women’s perceptions about their bone health, information from health care providers, and the results of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) tests across three age groups. The study was a cross-sectional comparative design. A total of 63 Korean American women completed both the assessment of BMD of the femoral neck and an interview survey. One’s own risks of osteoporosis, screening behaviors, and health care providers’ advice were analyzed according to three age (pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal) groups, BMD levels, and health insurance coverage. Overall, health insurance coverage and having a primary health care provider of Korean American women were 59.0% and 32.0%, respectively; 61.9% had lower than normal BMD levels, which were significantly increased by advanced age. Individual awareness of risks of osteoporosis and screening behaviors were significantly higher in peri-menopausal than in pre- and post-menopausal groups, but no differences were found in health care providers’ information. The awareness and care providers’ information by BMD level or health insurance did not differ. The findings show a discrepancy between individual perceptions and behaviors and health care providers’ recommendations regard to bone health. Health behaviors should be guided by professional health care providers. The women in the post-menopausal stage need to be educated about the high risk of osteoporosis and its management.
Highlights
Access to health care services is a leading health indicator of Healthy People 2020 in the United States (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2015)
Studies indicate that Asian women have twice the prevalence rate of osteoporosis as compared with the African American population and a higher prevalence of vertebral fractures than Caucasians (Chen, Warner, Fingerhut, & Makuc, 2009; U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2015)
Korean Americans are among the five largest Asian-American groups in the United States (U.S Census Bureau, 2012), but this group’s bone conditions and their health care coverage were rarely reflected as a single ethnic group in previous bone health research
Summary
Osteoporosis, or having porous bones, is a disease characterized by low bone mass, too little bone formation, and/or excessive bone loss, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. It is a serious, common, debilitating disease and a major public health problem for older adults (National Institutes of Health, 2015). The current study hypothesized that individual perception and screening behaviors regarding osteoporosis would be associated with their bone status (as a health outcome) as well as the use of health care services
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