SURVEYING AFRICAN CARIBBEAN ELDERS IN THE COMMUNITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH ON HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICE USE
✍ Scribed by MARCUS RICHARDS; CAROL BRAYNE; CECILY FORDE; MELANIE ABAS; RAYMOND LEVY
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 357 KB
- Volume
- 11
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
We established a population-based register of African Caribbean people aged 65 and older by door knocking every other household within an electoral ward. The remaining households within the ward were either approached or eliminated on the basis of information from neighbours. The number of residents aged 65 and older found during our door knocking was fewer than those specified by the 1991 census for the black Caribbean and white ethnic categories, although the percentage of the census accounted for was higher for black Caribbeans. The discrepancy between our register and the 1991 census was inversely proportional to age. Based on information provided at the doorstep, there was no significant difference between African Caribbean and white elders in extent of GP registration and in time since last attendance at a GP appointment. We conclude that door knocking provides a feasible method for developing a register of African Caribbean elders residing within a defined geographical area. However, care must be taken in enumerating the young elderly.