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Acute chest pain in African Americans: factors in the delay in seeking emergency care.

K Ell, L J Haywood, E Sobel, M deGuzman, D Blumfield and J P Ning

School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVES. African Americans have been shown to have longer delay times than the majority population in seeking care for acute cardiac problems. The purpose of this study was to determine whether socioeconomic factors affect delay times. METHODS. Structured interviews were administered to 254 African Americans admitted to a public hospital and 194 African Americans admitted to a private hospital for suspected acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS. Patient characteristics found by multiple regression analysis to affect decision-making and travel time for care-seeking were structural access to care, persistence of symptoms, degree of incapacitation, consultation with a layperson, consultation with medical professionals, and mode of transportation. CONCLUSIONS. Within-group differences were found to be related to socioeconomic status. Strategies to increase knowledge about heart attack symptoms, improve access to care, and improve the socioeconomic status of at-risk African Americans are indicated.

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