Ethnicity, self‐care, and use of medical care among the elderly with joint symptoms

Elderly individuals with self-reported joint symptoms representing three ethnic groups (i.e., blacks n = 105, Hispanics n = 100, and whites of Eastern European origin n = 112 answered questions about their use of self-care and medical care for these symptoms. Ethnic groups differed in both self-care practices and their use of medical care for joint symptoms. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that arthritis-specific and general health status were better predictors than ethnicity of the tendency to rely on self-care and medical care. There was no evidence that self-care served as a substitute for medical care.