title: Using focus groups to identify asthma care and education issues for elderly urban-dwelling minority individuals.
abstract: A growing number of older adults are afflicted with asthma; these older asthmatic individuals suffer more deleterious consequences as compared with younger asthmatic individuals. Asthma is a chronic condition requiring the person's ability to self-manage symptoms. Few educational programs have focused on older asthmatic adults' learning needs and even fewer on those of older minority individuals with this disease. Three focus groups were conducted in East Harlem. Each group consisted of 6 to 10 participants. All focus groups were led by the same co-leaders and were conducted using the same semistructured format. Discussions were audio-taped and transcribed. Transcriptions were reviewed by two independent raters who determined major themes and concerns. Comparisons were made and discrepancies resolved through discussion and consensus with the team of investigators. In this pilot study, there were important similarities in the themes identified by participants in the 3 focus groups. Older individuals with asthma, their unlicensed caregivers, and health professionals all identified the following as important in the care of older adults who are asthmatic: (1) the negative impact of asthma on the individual's quality of life, (2) high cost of medications, (3) nonadherence to the medical regimen, and (4) difficulty that these individuals have in accessing the health care system.
authors.affiliation: Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street, Bridgeport, CT 06610, USA. atcort@bpthosp.org
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boal
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mion
authors.forename: Arlene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009519:New York City; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health