Health practices of Korean elderly people: National health promotion priorities and minority community needs

The official health promotion goals for the year 2000 in the United States include an emphasis on behavioral and contextual changes to increase the healthy lifespan of Americans. The goals also encompass reducing disparities in health status among different groups, and many of the specific goals address issues pertinent to older people. Limited data on the health status and health behaviors of older Asians and Pacific Islanders contributed to the absence of any goals for this group of elderly people. This article uses 1993 to 1994 data on 213 Korean and 201 non-Hispanic white people age 65 and over who lived in Los Angeles County to compare, by ethnicity and gender, health behaviors that may influence the health of older people. The older Koreans practiced a somewhat higher number of healthy behaviors overall, but smoking cessation for older Korean men and increased exercise for older Korean women were specific areas needing attention. Limited English-speaking ability and educational levels of the older Koreans make it imperative that health promotion activities for older Koreans use community-based organizations that can reach the older Koreans in an effective manner.