EXPLORING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MEDICATION ADHERENCE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND ACCULTURATION AMONG ARAB DESCENT AMERICANS IN SOUTH FLORIDA: A HEALTH BELIEF MODEL APPROACH

Abstract

One largely invisible group in terms of racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes is Arab-Descent Americans (ADAs). This invisibility could be attributed to the fact that ADAs are classified as White within the racial scheme of the U.S. Census. Consequently, very little is known about their health status, and the effects of their unique Arabic identity, which involves the interaction of religion, culture, and ethnicity, on their health. Moreover, very little is known about the adverse health outcomes and the potential for healthcare inequalities in the ADA community. This study explored the effect of acculturation on medication adherence and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for Arab descent Americans (ADAs) in South Florida, using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a guiding theoretical framework. A cross-sectional web-based self-administered survey was used to collect data on 210 eligible ADA participants. Binary logistic regression, hierarchical logistic regression, univariate linear regression, hierarchical multiple linear regression, and independent samples t-test were used to test the research hypotheses. This study findings revealed that 44.3% of participants reported suboptimal medication adherence. Participants reported similar physical health and poorer mental health compared to the general U.S. population norm in 1998. The final model of the hierarchical logistic regression indicated that older age, being unmarried, lack of health insurance, lower levels of perceived severity, and higher levels of perceived self-efficacy were significantly associated with increased odds of optimal medication adherence. Better physical health was associated with being unmarried, absence of self-reported health condition, high acculturation, and high levels of perceived self-efficacy. Better mental health was significantly associated with age group above 50 years, being very religious, and having high levels of perceived self-efficacy. The findings of this study provided important insights into the ADAs’ health outcomes. Moreover, these findings can be used to develop targeted interventions that consider patients’ acculturation and health beliefs to enhance health outcomes of the ADA community.