# CULTURAL RESPONSES TO ILLNESS IN THE MINORITY AGED

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 1993 · $184,223

## Abstract

The overall aim of this anthropological research is to discover and
examine minority elders' cultural responses to illness, including: 1)
their experience of illness, the interpretations they place on illness,
cultural models for understanding illness, and use of biomedical and
indigenous health care; 2) cultural
meanings minority elders and their families attach to old age; 30 the
role of the family in illness management and recovery; and 4) community
resources, both formal and informal, that are considered or utilized in
specific situations.  The research is undertaken through an examination
of individuals' and families' responses to illness upon discharge from
acute care hospitalization with a changed health status, in which a
temporary or permanent decrease in functional ability occurs.  Four
specific aims will be carried out by studying 150 minority persons over
the age of 65 and their family members for a period of one year each,
using qualitative methods and some measures of health status that can be
quantified:  10 to examine the experience of illness and its cultural
interpretation in old age; 2) to examine the changes that occur after
hospitalization in living arrangements, family involvement, social
activities, and utilization of community resources; 3) to examine the
full range of this experience by studying individuals in three groups of
50 each who are discharged from the hospital to the community with a
changed health status: a) Black/African-Americans, b) Hispanic-Americans,
and c) Asian-Americans; 4) to examine this experience longitudinally by
interviewing individuals and their family members three times;  1)
shortly after discharge; 2) 6 months later; and 30 one year after
discharge.  Qualitative analysis will be undertaken in a systematic,
five-step progression, and will be supported by quantitative analysis of
health measurement data and qualitatively-derived data.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3123131
- **Project number:** 1R01AG011144-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KMH5K9V7S518
- **Principal Investigator:** GAY BECKER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $184,223
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1993-09-30 → 1998-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3123131

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3123131, CULTURAL RESPONSES TO ILLNESS IN THE MINORITY AGED (1R01AG011144-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3123131. Licensed CC0.

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