Arthritis Foundation Major Warnings For Latinos.

The Arthritis Foundation released results from a first-of-its-kind $700,000 CDC grant appropriated to the organization in 1999. The dollars were used for a research project to study the Latino population in East Los Angeles with regard to lay attitudes, knowledge and beliefs about arthritis and the attitudes and referral patterns of Los Angeles County primary care health provider trainees with regard to arthritis diagnosis, treatment and use of specialty and community resources. The grant also enabled the Arthritis Foundation to deliver and evaluate its education and exercise programs in Spanish to this community.

Initial findings from the grant’s research portion, led by David Hayes-Bautista, Ph.D. of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, include:

— Self-report of arthritis is higher among Latinos, twice as high as in the general population.

— Spanish-speaking, low-income residents of East Los Angeles, who may be eligible for federal or county services such as Medicare, may not realize their eligibility or how to access these services.

— The Latino community is active in seeking information about arthritis and has a holistic approach to its treatment, evidenced by the group’s receptivity to information and various kinds of treatments including social support, exercise, medications, and proven and unproven remedies.

— As in the general population, misconceptions exist regarding: types of arthritis diseases; the most efficacious types of treatment; how to obtain diagnosis and treatment; what kinds of exercise are most helpful; what community resources are available for education and support; and what constitutes proven and unproven remedies.

— Current curriculum for the training of internal medicine physicians may not adequately define the role of rheumatology specialists in the early management of Latino patients with inflammatory disease.