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Coping with asthma among African Americans
Abstracts S101
SATURDAY
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL VOLUME 113, NUMBER 2
304
Coping With Asthma Among African Americans: A Focus Group Study
G. Mosnaim1, L. Sharp2, L. Grammer2, C. Kohrman3; 1Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 2Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 3Community Research and Training Consultant, Chicago, IL. RATIONALE: African Americans suffer disproportionately from many chronic diseases, including asthma. Our goal was to describe and understand how non-medical factors contribute to coping with asthma among African Americans with asthma or who are caregivers for a child with asthma. METHODS: Two focus groups of ten participants each, men and women 18 years and older from urban neighborhoods, were conducted: one with African Americans and the other with non-African Americans of mixed ethnicities. All participants had asthma or were caregivers of a child with asthma. Discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim; the data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: It was evident from both discussions that asthma led to significant psychological distress in most participants, but for African Americans the stress was intensified by distrust of their neighbors and community which caused them to feel that asthma made them more vulnerable in the already unsafe environment. Many said they did not let others know that they or their child had asthma. Their sense of community had been eroded; it was not the same as they remembered it 20 years ago. They said that supportive caring individuals were a way to cope but they trusted almost no one but family. CONCLUSIONS: In both groups asthma is a source of stress but for African Americans it is intensified by, and adds to, a feeling of vulnerability. While they want support of caring individuals, they feel they must rely almost exclusively on family support. Funding: NHLBI
SATURDAY
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL VOLUME 113, NUMBER 2
304
Coping With Asthma Among African Americans: A Focus Group Study
G. Mosnaim1, L. Sharp2, L. Grammer2, C. Kohrman3; 1Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 2Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 3Community Research and Training Consultant, Chicago, IL. RATIONALE: African Americans suffer disproportionately from many chronic diseases, including asthma. Our goal was to describe and understand how non-medical factors contribute to coping with asthma among African Americans with asthma or who are caregivers for a child with asthma. METHODS: Two focus groups of ten participants each, men and women 18 years and older from urban neighborhoods, were conducted: one with African Americans and the other with non-African Americans of mixed ethnicities. All participants had asthma or were caregivers of a child with asthma. Discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim; the data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: It was evident from both discussions that asthma led to significant psychological distress in most participants, but for African Americans the stress was intensified by distrust of their neighbors and community which caused them to feel that asthma made them more vulnerable in the already unsafe environment. Many said they did not let others know that they or their child had asthma. Their sense of community had been eroded; it was not the same as they remembered it 20 years ago. They said that supportive caring individuals were a way to cope but they trusted almost no one but family. CONCLUSIONS: In both groups asthma is a source of stress but for African Americans it is intensified by, and adds to, a feeling of vulnerability. While they want support of caring individuals, they feel they must rely almost exclusively on family support. Funding: NHLBI