Attitudes Toward Life-Sustaining Treatment: The Role of Race/Ethnicity

This study explores attitudes regarding life-sustaining treatments between Korean American and Mexican American older adults. A cross sectional design was employed to survey 122 older adults residing in an urban area on the West Coast (64 Korean Americans and 58 Mexican Americans). Face to face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire. Results show that Mexican Americans as compared to Korean American older adults hold more favorable attitudes toward life-sustaining treatments. Participants who were male were more likely to have positive attitudes toward life-sustaining treatments than female. Findings emphasize the importance of culturally sensitive end-of-life care practices which consider cultural variations in life-sustaining treatment preferences.