Investment Behavior: Factors that Impact African American Women’s Investment Behavior

The wealth of African Americans has lagged behind that of the general US population. The key to understanding this may lie in African American women’s money management abilities and feelings relating to money because they are often the household’s money manager. This study answers the question, “If African American women had greater confidence in their ability to manage money, or had a positive attitude towards money, would they invest in the stock market more often and ultimately increase their net worth in this way?” Researchers studied a cross-section of African American women, using three logistic regression models and found that African American women who were sure of their ability to manage their finances and felt in control of their money were more likely to be investors. A higher number of younger African American women were investors, compared to older African American women. In addition, younger African American women had greater confidence in their money management ability than their older counterparts.

Facing Fear Through Making Connections as We Age

Older residents often experience disruption in family relationships and social networks due to isolation once they move into public housing communities. While the need for social contact continues, the opportunity may diminish. Older African-American women living in one housing community attempted to cope with their personal safety fears through social isolation (Bowland, 2015). Women in the study (N = 25) were survivors of one or more forms of interpersonal trauma, including childhood abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. In contrast, a few women in the same sample spontaneously formed social networks within the community. This qualitative investigation will examine how the women adapted to an isolating and unsafe environment by developing social connections. As a social determinant of health, developing healthy social networks inside a housing community can reduce fear and improve well-being and quality of life for low-income older residents who are aging-in-place.

Nutrition Self-Efficacy and Dietary Patterns among Older African American Women in Kansas

Introduction. Nutrition is the key contributor to disparities in many chronic diseases. However, little is known about the dietary habits and nutrition self-efficacy beliefs of older African American women with chronic diseases. This study looked at the relationship between nutrition self-efficacy and dietary patterns among older African American women. Methods. A total of 115 African American women 55 years and older, with one or more chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, were recruited from a midwestern city in Kansas. Participants completed a survey comprised of dietary intake items and the Physical Activity and Nutrition Self-Efficacy (PANSE) scale. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and Wilcoxon rank sum test (Mann-Whitney U Test). Results. There was a 79% (91/115) participation rate. Participants were confident in their ability to maintain healthy behaviors (57.67/72; SD = 11.22). The mean dietary score for fats and carbohydrate consumption was 32.67 ± 2.48 compared to 5.89 ± 3.52 for fruit and vegetable intake. A significant positive correlation was observed between fruit and vegetable intake and nutrition self-efficacy. A higher fruit and vegetable intake were observed among married women (mean = 7.35; SD = 4.45). Conclusion. Our findings shed new light on older African American women’s perceptions of healthy eating and the confidence to eat heathy. Based on these results, older African American women met the daily fruit and vegetable recommendations; however, more work is needed to understand how to intervene to improve dietary behaviors regarding fat and carbohydrate consumption in this population. While more research is needed, the findings indicated behavioral theories such as nutrition self-efficacy may have utility in tailoring nutrition interventions in an older African American population.

HIV Prevention Programming for Older African American Women: The Impact of a Faith-Based and Behavioral Science Partnership on Depressive Symptoms

Objective: The current study sought to test the effect of an HIV prevention interven­tion on depressive symptoms in a sample of older African American women.Design, Setting and Participants: A pretest-posttest randomized control group design was conducted in a mega-church in Los Angeles with a sample of 62 older African American women, aged ≥50 years, 29 of whom were randomly assigned to the experimental condition and 33 to the comparison/control condition.Measures: A measure of psychological wellbeing (CES-D) was utilized to test the effect of the four-session group interven­tion vs the one-session informational group intervention on change in depressive symp­toms from pretest to posttest. Demographic characteristics included: measures of age in years; relationship and employment statuses (coded 1 for yes, 0 for no); and educational attainment.Results: Participation in the study was as­sociated with a significant improvement in the women’s psychological wellbeing from baseline to time 2; ie, decreased depres­sive symptoms. This change was greater for women in the four-session experimental group than for those in the one-session comparison group, due in part to a margin­ally significant interaction between time and experimental conditions.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of faith-based/behavioral-scientist partnerships in HIV programming. Findings contribute to the evidence on interventions that might reduce depressive symptoms and HIV risk among older African American women. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(2):287-294; doi:10.18865/ed.30.2.287

Factors related to advance care planning among older African American women: Age, medication, and acute care visits

ObjectivesAdvance care planning (ACP) is linked with high-quality clinical outcomes at the end of life. However, ACP engagement is lower among African Americans than among Whites. In this study, we sought to identify correlates of ACP among African American women with multiple chronic conditions for two reasons: (1) African American women with multiple chronic conditions have high risks for serious illnesses, more intensive treatments, and circumstances that may require substitutes' decision-making and (2) identifying correlates of ACP among African American women can help us identify important characteristics to inform ACP outreach and interventions for this group.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 116 African American women aged ≥50 years who were recruited from the central area of a mid-western city.ResultsOn average, participants were 64 years old (SD = 9.42). The majority were not married (78%), had less than a college education (50%), and had an annual income of $15,000 (54%). Their mean numbers of chronic conditions and prescribed medications were 3.31 (SD = 1.25) and 8.75 (SD = 4.42), respectively. Fifty-nine per cent reported having talked with someone about their preferences (informal ACP); only 30% had completed a living will or a power of attorney for healthcare (formal ACP). Logistic regression showed that age, the number of hospitalizations or emergency department visits, and the number of prescription medications were significantly correlated with both informal and formal ACP; other demographic and psychosocial characteristics (the knowledge of ACP, self-efficacy, and trust in the medical system) were not.Significance of resultsResults of this study suggest a need for targeted, culturally sensitive outpatient ACP education to promote ACP engagement in older African American women, taking into account age, the severity of chronic conditions, and levels of medication management.

BELIEFS SURROUNDING THE PAIN AND DEPRESSION CYCLE AMONG OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN: FINDINGS FROM FOCUS GROUPS

Older African American women experience high rates of comorbid conditions and functional limitations that put them at risk of experiencing a cycle of pain and depressive symptoms. This cycle is often shaped by individual’s behaviors, emotions, physical responses, and thoughts. Increased pain severity is associated with comorbid pain and depression making it essential for older African American women to communicate their experiences with these conditions. Hence, we explored older adult African American women’s relevant beliefs, and identified strategies to address them in adapting the intervention, Get Busy Get Better. In three focus groups, we found that older African American women (mean age 60.7, n=11): (1) relied on companionship (emotions), (2) used physical activity strategies for pain and depression relief (behaviors), (3) had a general function reduction from pain (physical response), and (4) saw connections between depression and pain (thoughts). Thus, when adapting the intervention, strategies incorporate these four elements.