Perceptions of Cardiovascular Health in an Underserved Community of Deaf Adults Using American Sign Language

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Disabil Health J
• Personal Author:
  McKee, Michael ; Schlehofer, Deirdre ; Cuculick, Jessica ; Starr, Matthew ; Smith, Scott ; Chin, Nancy P.
• Description:
  Background
  
  Cardiovascular disease leads in overall mortality and morbidity in the United States. Cardiovascular disparities remain high among minority and underserved groups. Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users are an underserved and understudied group that receives little attention from researchers due to language and communication barriers. A recent ASL survey in Rochester, NY, indicated greater cardiovascular risk among Deaf participants.
  
  Objective
  
  To investigate risk perceptions of cardiovascular disease among Deaf ASL users, linking perceptions to features of Deaf culture and communication. This information will be used to inform future strategies to promote cardiovascular health among Deaf adults.
  
  Methods and Participants
  
  Four focus groups were conducted in Rochester, New York, with 22 Deaf participants in ASL. Videotaped sessions were translated and transcribed by a bilingual researcher. A team of investigators coded, analyzed and identified key themes from the data.
  
  Main Results
  
  Themes centered on five major domains: knowledge, barriers, facilitators, practices, and dissemination. The majority of themes focused on barriers and knowledge. Barriers included lack of health care information access due to language and communication challenges, financial constraints, and stress. Inconsistent knowledge emerged from many key areas of cardiovascular health.
  
  Conclusions
  
  The study outlines key themes for improving cardiovascular health knowledge and perceptions among Deaf ASL users. Findings suggest the importance of providing health educational programs and information in ASL to maximize understanding and minimize misconceptions. When caring for Deaf ASL users, providers should take extra effort to ask about cardiovascular risk factors and confirm patients’ understanding of these factors.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Aged Cardiovascular Diseases Consumer Health Information Culture Female Focus Groups Health Education Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Health Promotion Humans Male Middle Aged Persons With Hearing Impairments Residence Characteristics Risk Risk Factors Sign Language

  More +
• Source:
  Disabil Health J. 4(3):192-197
• Pubmed ID:
  21723526
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC3378999
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U48 DP000031/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States ; K01 HL103140/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; U48-DP-000031/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States ; T32 HL007937/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; K01 HL103140-01/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  New York
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:73473f9a2e5a22a10ea82e51eeb1d7f95be412734a388d030d9ad69c83a98b53
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/33391/cdc_33391_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 45.89 KB ]