SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS AND RESUSCITATION PREFERENCES IN THE ELDERLY

Elderly subjects (N = 166) of varying socioeconomic backgrounds from t wo sites were given identical resuscitation information and were studi ed to determine the relationship between socieconomic status and resus citation preferences. Resuscitation preferences varied among the four hypothetical scenarios. Univariate analyses revealed that those who we re older, male, non-Caucasian, less educated, and had less income desi red more cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the scenarios. Multiva riate analysis limited significant variables to age, gender, race, and level of education. Thus there appears to be a strong relationship be tween socieconomic status and desire for CPR. Future research should e valuate whether the sociodemographic variables represent proxy variabl es for underlying life values that may influence resuscitation prefere nces. Implications for CPR decision making and health policy are discu ssed.