TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between perceptions of social support and adherence to dietary recommendations among African-American elders with hypertension
AU - Schoenberg, Nancy E.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Social support is generally thought to facilitate adherence to recommended treatment regimens. Despite a well-documented tradition of social support among African Americans, much of the existing research indicates a very limited level of adherence, especially to dietary modification. To account for this seeming contradiction, forty-one rural-dwelling African Americans with hypertension age 65+ participated in a series of structured and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that 1) informants perceived themselves to be well-supported by family and friends; 2) most informants have achieved a moderate to high level of dietary adherence; and 3) no statistically significant relationship existed between perceived social support and dietary adherence. The discussion focuses on three reasons for this lack of association, including: 1) modest sample size; 2) informants' identification of helpful others who defied standard evaluations of support; and 3) incremental and gradual dietary changes that required little need for social support.
AB - Social support is generally thought to facilitate adherence to recommended treatment regimens. Despite a well-documented tradition of social support among African Americans, much of the existing research indicates a very limited level of adherence, especially to dietary modification. To account for this seeming contradiction, forty-one rural-dwelling African Americans with hypertension age 65+ participated in a series of structured and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that 1) informants perceived themselves to be well-supported by family and friends; 2) most informants have achieved a moderate to high level of dietary adherence; and 3) no statistically significant relationship existed between perceived social support and dietary adherence. The discussion focuses on three reasons for this lack of association, including: 1) modest sample size; 2) informants' identification of helpful others who defied standard evaluations of support; and 3) incremental and gradual dietary changes that required little need for social support.
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U2 - 10.2190/0L2Y-FXVE-KJYH-318A
DO - 10.2190/0L2Y-FXVE-KJYH-318A
M3 - Article
C2 - 10198806
AN - SCOPUS:0032422217
SN - 0091-4150
VL - 47
SP - 279
EP - 297
JO - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
JF - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
IS - 4
ER -