The objectives of this study are to more fully understand differentials in physical frailty (disability), nutritional status, related health status and health behaviors among a representative sample of Hispanic elders and non- Hispanic white neighborhood controls; to describe differences by Hispanic sub-group (Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other) and by gender; and to evaluate relationships between diet, nutrition, and frailty among these groups and sub-groups. Data on the health and nutrition of Puerto Rican elders remain scant (Hispanic HANES examined only 144 Puerto Ricans age 60-74 years) and is non-existent for Dominican elders. NHANES III is over-sampling Mexican Americans and elders but not these particular Hispanic groups. Data from Hispanic HANES and their preliminary data suggest the data from Mexican Americans can not be exactly related to Puerto Ricans and other Hispanic groups. Preliminary results from ongoing studies suggest that important differences in prevalence and patterns of disability, obesity, depression, and self-reported health status, dietary patterns, and use of services among Hispanic groups is extremely variable. It is hypothesized that Hispanics have a higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and poor reported health status and that they report lower use of services. It is also hypothesized that they are suffering from high rates of depression. Preliminary comparisons across Hispanic sub-groups reveal potentially important differences between Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and other Hispanics; and between men and women. Puerto Rican and Dominican women appear to be at greatest risks for a variety of conditions, including frailty, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and depression. Enhancement of the sample size is needed in order to reliably describe the prevalence of key conditions and to define significant differences across Hispanic and gender sub-groups. Because of special considerations related to working with a relatively rare, highly mobile, and partially undocumented minority population, methodologic developments had demanded special attention. Approaches for locating and recruiting this sample have been refined and instruments adapted for quality data collection across groups, including the development of a specialized food frequency instrument. Given existing sub-group distributions, they propose to continue data collection for an additional 12 months on their current cohort to achieve a sample size of 750 Hispanics and 250 Non-Hispanic whites, and request an additional 12 months to process and analyze data, and to prepare manuscripts. This is an additional 400 over the 600 interviews expected to be completed by the end of the currently funded project. With an expanded sample size, the investigators state that they will be able to provide reliable estimates of the prevalence of several important health and nutrition problems among these understudied groups, and to examine associations between social situation, health behavior, nutritional status and health within the context of their lifestyles. They further state that analysis of interrelationships among variables will provide critically important baseline information on risk of nutrition and health problems which is needed for targeting and planning programs to reduce these problems in this rapidly increasing sub- population in the Northeastern U.S.
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