Health and Daily Functioning of Older Women Religious - American Geriatric Society

OBJECTIVES

Women religious in the United States are aging as a population. These women live in a communal setting, eat from the same kitchen, are nulliparous, and have similar access to healthcare. The purpose of this study was to examine the general health and health practices of a modern sample of older women religious.

DESIGN

Cross‐sectional descriptive study.

SETTING

Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Cleveland, Ohio.

PARTICIPANTS

Older women religious (n = 108), 65 years or older, living independently within the Cleveland Catholic Diocese who could participate in a study interview, undergo a morphometric examination, and complete several questionnaires in English.

MEASUREMENTS

Study participants completed a study interview in which their demographic information, medical history, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure were obtained. Participants completed several questionnaires including the Tilburg Frailty Indicator, Falls Efficacy Scale‐International, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale‐Short Form, and the HbL Medication Risk Questionnaire.

RESULTS

The women in our sample were all white with a mean age of 75.6 years (range = 65‐93 y). The vast majority (n = 104 [96%]) had at least a bachelor's degree. Prevalence for chronic diseases was notable for cataracts (60%), hypertension (60%), thyroid disorders (30%), osteoporosis (17%), and diabetes (7%). Nearly half of the sample (n = 48 [44%]) met BMI criteria for obesity, and another 39 women (36%) were overweight. Most women participated in yearly dental examinations (84.5%), eye examinations (79.4%), mammography (84.5%), and pneumovax vaccination (80.4%). Just over half of the women had the recommended colonoscopy (58.8%) and bone density (56.7%) screenings. Twenty women (19%) reported significant frailty, and 38 (35%) reported a significant fear of falling. The majority (80%) would benefit from a discussion about their medications.

CONCLUSION

Older women religious experience health issues that could benefit from targeted preventive health education and screening.

from Wiley: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: Table of Contents http://bit.ly/2Q7209y
via IFTTT