The Black/White Disability Gap: Persistent Inequality in Later Life?

Kelley‐Moore, Jessica A.; Ferraro, Kenneth F.

doi:10.1093/geronb/59.1.s34

Cited by 180 publications

(197 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

170

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Narrowing disparities in mild DLE are consistent with the findings of Johnson (2000); Manton and Gu (2001). The finding of persistent inequality in severe disability by race and sex is consistent with previous studies (Ferraro, 1987;Guralnik et al, 1993;Ferraro and Farmer, 1996a;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Some cohort-based studies have found persistent racial and sex disparities in disability (Kelley-Moore and Ferraro, 2004) and subjective health (Ferraro and Farmer, 1996a,b). Other such studies have found widening racial disparities in self-assessed health (Ferraro et al, 1997).…”

Section: Disparities In Disability Life Expectancymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, the theory of persistent inequality asserts sex and racial gaps in earlier life continues through advanced ages. Such stable sex and racial gaps have been found in physical disability (Ferraro and Farmer, 1996a;Ferraro, 1987;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro, 2004). Finally, multiple jeopardy is rooted in cumulative disadvantage theory and argues the healthy life gap of minorities and women widens even in advanced age.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Disparities in disability life expectancy in us birth cohorts: The influence of sex and race

Soneji

2006

Biodemography and Social Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Racial and sex disparities in chronic diseases and mortality are sources of health inequality and have been observed from infancy to adulthood. Disparities in health and mortality contribute to corresponding disparities in healthy life. I address two previously unanswered questions in the aging literature. First, does the racial and sex gap in healthy life narrow, persist, or expand over age and time, particularly considering severity of ill health, among the oldest old? Second, do some race-sex groups of birth cohorts live not just longer lives, but longer healthier lives, while others spend additional years in illness? To estimate the quantities, I employ a refined definition of physical disability and apply a new extension of Sullivan's method to true birth cohorts. The results suggest among the oldest old, few racial or sex disparities exist over age and time in mild disability. Yet, racial and sex disparities persist over age and time in severe disability.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Disparities In Disability Life Expectancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Disparities in disability life expectancy in us birth cohorts: The influence of sex and race

Soneji

2006

Biodemography and Social Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although a stroke patient may survive with appropriate first aid and early treatment after the initial symptoms, stroke symptoms such as impairment of motor and sensory function, cognition, balance, and gait often persist 2) . Asymmetrical posture and weight bearing are the most common post-stroke symptoms, causing an increase in postural sway 3) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Postural Sway According to Surface Stability in Post-stroke Patients

Jung

Cho³

2012

J Phys Ther Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract.[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in postural sway according to surface stability in post-stroke patients.[Subjects] Fifty-eight subjects were recruited on a voluntary basis from the local rehabilitation unit (stroke patients) and community (age-matched older adults). Twenty-nine stroke patients and twenty-nine age-matched older adults who were healthy participated in the study. Participants were classified as the stroke group (28 stroke patients) and control group (28 age-matched older adults). [Methods] This study applied a cross-sectional design. The Good Balance force platform system (Metitur Ltd., Finland) was used to measure the postural sway velocity, area, and distance of subjects under the unstable surface (foam) condition and stable surface condition in the standing posture.[Results] The postural way velocity, area, and distance were significantly higher in under the unstable surface conditions compared with under the stable surface conditions in both groups. In particular, the changes in postural sway velocity (anteroposterior), area, and distance (anteroposterior) under the foam and stable surface conditions were significantly different between the stroke group and control group. [Conclusion] We believe that these results provide basic information on the improvements in balance ability and may be useful in balance training to prevent future falls after stroke.

show abstract

“…9 While disability trends have declined among older Americans, racial/ethnic disparities persist. 1,[10][11][12][13] Literature on racial/ ethnic disparities in disability largely evaluate African American experiences; national studies investigating disability among Hispanics are limited 1,12,14,15 Despite the common practice of conducting interviews in languages other than English to allows respondent to participate in their primary language, few national studies consider the influence of language differences on health outcomes. 16 There are known differences in health and mortality related to immigration and acculturation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Development of Disability Among Older Adults

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective-This study investigates differences in developing activities of daily living (ADL) disability among non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, Hispanics interviewed in Spanish (Hispanic/Spanish), and Hispanics interviewed in English (Hispanic/English) Methods-Six-year risk for disability development is estimated from 8161 participants age 65 or older free of baseline disability in a population-based sample. Mediating factors amenable to clinical and public health intervention on racial/ethnic difference are evaluated.Results-The risk for developing disability among Hispanic/English was similar to Whites (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6, 1.4), but substantially elevated for African Americans (HR=1.6, 95%CI: 1.3, 1.9) and Hispanic/Spanish (HR=1.8, 95%CI: 1.4, 2.1). Adjustment for demographics, health, and socioeconomic status reduced a large portion of those disparities (African American adjusted HR=1.1, Hispanic/Spanish adjusted HR=1.2).Conclusion-Excess risks for developing disability among older African Americans and Hispanic/ Spanish compared to Whites are largely attenuated by health and socioeconomic differences. Language and culture specific programs to increase physical activity and promote weight maintenance may prove to be efficient strategies to both reduce national ADL disability rates in the future and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in disability. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL. This study received exemption from Human Subjects Review by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board for these analyses of public data. Disability among older adults is a major health issue that is tied to high personal and economic costs. The number of Americans age 65 or older with chronic disability exceeds 7 million people. 1 Maintaining the quality of life for older adults by delaying disability may be as important as prolonging life. 2, 3 Medical spending among older adults is related more strongly to the presence of disability than remaining life expectancy. 4,5 Long-term care expenditures for older persons are projected to reach $161 billion by 2010, of which two-thirds is paid by government programs. 6 The composition of the U.S. population is changing. In 2000, 18% of people in the U.S. spoke a language at home other than English, up from 11% in 1980. 7 The fastest growing part of the U.S. population over 65 is among minority groups, particularly African American and Hispanic. 8 As numbers of older minorities increase, well documented public health concerns grow regarding racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes. 9 While disability trends have declined among older Americans, racial/ethnic disparities persist. 1, 10-13 Literature on racial/ ethnic disparities in disability largely evaluate African American experiences; national studies investigating disability among Hispanics are limited 1,12,14,15 Despite the common practice of conducting interviews in languages other than English to allows respondent to participate in their primary language, few nat...

show abstract

The Black/White Disability Gap: Persistent Inequality in Later Life?

Abstract: This research supports the "persistent inequality" interpretation, indicating that Black adults have higher morbidity and disability earlier in life compared with White adults, and that the gap neither converges nor diverges over time.

Cited by 180 publications

References 34 publications

Disparities in disability life expectancy in us birth cohorts: The influence of sex and race

Disparities in disability life expectancy in us birth cohorts: The influence of sex and race

Changes in Postural Sway According to Surface Stability in Post-stroke Patients

Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Development of Disability Among Older Adults

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About