title: End-of-life treatment preference among low-income older adults: a race/ethnicity comparison study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Racial/ethnic minority older adults in low-income status might be at a greater risk than others of developing chronic illness. We sought to examine the effects of race/ethnicity on end-of-life (EOL) treatment preference among low-income older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study surveyed 256 low-income older adults (90 Whites, 82 Hispanics, 84 Blacks) in a California city.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hierarchical multiple regression results showed that participants with greater religiosity (p < .01) or more frequent doctors' visits (p < .05) had greater preference for life-sustaining treatments during the final phase of life. Conversely, those with greater comfort about death (p < .01) or a belief that life and death are predestined (p < .05) preferred life-sustaining treatments less often. Race/ethnicity had no significant relationship with EOL treatment preference after accounting for other factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Race/ethnicity encompasses multiple life contexts. Understanding the influences of both cultural beliefs and individual circumstances on EOL treatment preference is imperative.
authors.forename: Eunjeong
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Jaehoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002140:California; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D057240:Patient Preference; D044469:Racial Groups; D012067:Religion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care