title: Ethnic/race differences in the attrition of older American survey respondents: implications for health-related research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare models of attrition across race/ethnic groups of aging populations and discuss implications for health-related research.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Health and Retirement Study (1992-2008).
  
  
  METHODS
  A competing risks model was estimated using a multinomial logit model when respondents faced competing types of risks, such as dying, being lost from the study, and nonresponse in some years for different groups of elderly. Key explanatory variables were foreign birth, health insurance, and health status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Variables describing foreign birth, health insurance, and health status differed in their prediction of attrition across ethnic groups of aging populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in the predictors of attrition across ethnic groups of elderly could potentially lead to biased estimates in health-related research using longitudinal data sources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health Systems and Development, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 1900, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. nzhivan@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Natalia A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Zhivan
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.forename: Hortensia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amaro
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: Kyriakos S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Markides
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000592:standards; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012306:Risk; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
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