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Influence of Living Arrangements on the Management and Control of Hypertension: A Mixed-Methods Study of Korean American Elderly

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Abstract

Elders living alone may experience worse health outcomes than do those living with spouse and/or children. Using baseline data from a randomized trial to promote high blood pressure (HBP) control in Korean elders (N = 440), we examined the relationship between living arrangements and HBP control. We also interviewed a sub-sample to better understand the patterns of social interactions associated with different types of living arrangements. One in five reported living alone; this group tended to be older and female, and resided in senior group housing. Those living alone were twice as likely as those living with a spouse to have controlled BP (OR = 2.08; 95 % CI 1.09–3.97), even after controlling for study covariates. Those in senior group housing had frequent social interactions that involved conversations around health, encouragement concerning medication taking, and health information sharing. In conclusion, Korean elders living independently are neither socially-isolated nor at increased risk for poor BP control.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL085567, Clinical Trials Registry NCT00406614). Editorial support was provided by Dr. Deborah McClellan through the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Center for Excellence for Cardiovascular Health in Vulnerable Populations (P30 NR011409). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 N. Wolfe St. Room 526, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Hae-Ra Han & Miyong T. Kim

  2. Eulji University School of Nursing, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea

    Youngshin Song

  3. University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College Park, MD, USA

    Hee-Jung Song

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  1. Hae-Ra Han
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  2. Youngshin Song
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  3. Hee-Jung Song
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  4. Miyong T. Kim
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Correspondence to Hae-Ra Han.

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Han, HR., Song, Y., Song, HJ. et al. Influence of Living Arrangements on the Management and Control of Hypertension: A Mixed-Methods Study of Korean American Elderly. J Immigrant Minority Health 15, 944–952 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9679-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9679-2

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