title: Race-ethnicity and health trajectories: tests of three hypotheses across multiple groups and health outcomes.
abstract: Racial-ethnic disparities in static levels of health are well documented. Less is known about racial-ethnic differences in age trajectories of health. The few studies on this topic have examined only single health outcomes and focused on black-white disparities. This study extends prior research by using a life course perspective, panel data from the Health and Retirement Study, and multilevel growth curve models to investigate racial-ethnic differences in the trajectories of serious conditions and functional limitations among blacks, Mexican Americans, and whites. We test three hypotheses on the nature of racial-ethnic disparities in health across the life course (aging-as-leveler, persistent inequality, and cumulative disadvantage). Results controlling for mortality selection reveal that support for the hypotheses varies by health outcome, racial-ethnic group, and life stage. Controlling for childhood socioeconomic status, adult social and economic resources, and health behaviors reduces but does not eliminate racial-ethnic disparities in health trajectories.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University, Department of Sociology, Nashville, TN 37235, USA. tyson.brown@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Tyson H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: O'Rand
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Adkins
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data