Variations in health perception between black and white elderly

In a sample of 414 residents of public housing for the elderly, health perception is significantly lower among Black residents than among Whites. The relationship of health perception to several measures of objective health status, to cultural background, to social participation, and to morale is analyzed separately for the two ethnic groups. The relationship of measures of health to health perception is more direct among Whites than among Blacks, except for an Index of Daily Well-Being, in which the relationship is similar for both groups.Social participation also influences health perception. With Blacks, participation in church-related activities is the most direct influence. While health perception is related to morale, life orientation (an index of morale) is higher for Blacks than for Whites.The implications for health education professionals seem to lie in the lack of direct links between objective measures of health and self-perception of health for Blacks. The need for health education, so that there may be a realistic appraisal of one's own health condition, is shown here. The relatively low educational level of many older citizens, especially elderly Blacks, suggests that newspaper releases are not an adequate tool for health education for the elderly.