title: Health Needs Assessment of Plain Populations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
abstract: We performed a health needs assessment for three Plain communities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from a random sample of households. Compared with the general population of adults, Plain respondents were more likely to be married, to have children, and they had large families; they were more likely to drink well water, to eat fruit and vegetables, to drink raw milk, and to live on a farm. Plain respondents had better physical and mental health and were less likely to have been diagnosed with various medical conditions compared with the general population of adults in Lancaster County but Old Order Mennonite respondents were more likely to have been diagnosed compared with Old Order Amish respondents. Plain respondents usually have a regular doctor and often receive preventive care but Old Order Mennonite respondents were more likely to have a regular doctor, to receive preventive care, to have had their children vaccinated, and to receive routine dental care compared with Old Order Amish respondents. Despite their relative geographic and genetic isolation, and despite the small, relative differences noted, the health of Plain communities in Lancaster County is similar to that of other adults in the County.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Franklin and Marshall College, 415 Harrisburg Ave., Lancaster, PA, 17603, USA. Kirk.Miller@fandm.edu.
authors.forename: Kirk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Floyd Institute Center for Opinion Research, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Berwood
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yost
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: Floyd Institute Center for Opinion Research, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Scottie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dlugi
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Meryl
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulman
authors.affiliation: MGH Institute for Health Policy, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D061365:Amish / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amish; Health needs; Household survey; Old Order Mennonite