Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Community and academic partners in rural West Alabama collaborated to increase healthcare access among rural mid-life and older adults. This interdisciplinary healthcare team utilized a mobile unit to provide health screenings and behavioral assessments. The establishment of trust and respect early in the partnership provided a foundation for community engagement and played an intricate part in effectively mobilizing the unit. Providing services via the mobile unit served as an effective way to address issues related to access to care and availability of healthcare providers. It also presented an opportunity for the detection and prevention of mental and medical illness that can be easily assessed by screening measures. Furthermore, when the medical issues were linked to health outcomes, such as metabolic syndrome (MSX) and cognitive impairment, the mobile unit helped promote both physical and mental well-being among rural mid-life and older adults. Descriptive analyses and analysis of variances (ANOVA) were performed to assess the effect of gender, race, and community on the number of MSX risk factors. Results of a three-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between gender, age and community on the number of risk factors; post hoc analyses indicated rural communities with lower social economic status (SES) and predominantly African American residents were at greater risk for developing MSX compared to communities with higher SES. The mobile unit provided a great way to engage mid-life and older adults while offering preventive health screenings in rural communities.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2731441441