Meeting the Grand Challenge of Health Equity By Promoting Urban Aging and Health: Development of an Affinity Group Research Model

Background and Purpose: Social work researchers have recently advanced the goal of promoting health equity as a key grand challenge for the 21^stcentury. Addressing this challenge as it concerns the needs of older adults in urban areas requires the active engagement of social work researchers in multi-disciplinary research. Researchers in a variety of scientific fields have established affinity groups as a way of stimulating multi-disciplinary collaboration, creating a supportive community for research and training efforts, and establishing and expanding extramural funding.  As a means of advancing the affinity group model to advance social work research in urban aging and health, the Wayne State School of Social Work provided initial funding for the development of an affinity group model through the Wayne State School of Social Work Research Enhancement Program (SWREP). The Urban Aging and Health Affinity group has been established as a means of 1) strengthening and enhancing the school’s capacity for conducting and disseminating research; and 2) addressing the diverse needs of older adults in urban areas.

Study Objectives: As a first step towards the goal of expanding research initiatives among affinity group members, the following objectives were established: 1) To obtain more information on the needs of older adults in Detroit and 2) to gather qualitative data on the information, evaluation and research needs for addressing the health and well-being of diverse urban elders; and 3) to explore potential areas for further affinity group collaborations.

Methods: A sample of research and community leaders with expertise in aging and urban health was obtained through existing professional contacts among affinity group members. Five faculty members conducted 11 qualitative interviews with persons with aging and practice expertise in urban areas. Thematic analysis was used to identify meaningful categories that were relevant to the project objectives.

Findings: Three key themes emerged from the interviews concerning research issues in aging and urban health: 1) the need to build collaborations focused on addressing identifiable needs that are relevant for urban older adults; 2) the importance of trust when working with seniors in urban communities; and 3) the benefits of involving older adults in the research process.

Conclusions and Implications: As a school of social work situated in a diverse urban area that has experienced sustained and profound economic challenges, we confront an urgent need to address barriers to geriatric care and promote health equity through geriatric social work expertise. Affinity groups are an innovative way to address these challenges by building research programs through multi-disciplinary collaborations. Information from this study suggest the importance of research relevance, trust, and older adult involvement as key factors for the development of a successful research program focused on aging and urban health.