Explaining Race Differences in Health among Older Adults

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Abstract
Research demonstrates that race disparities in health often persist after controlling for individual socioeconomic status (SES). Yet little is known about the contribution of community socioeconomic context to race disparities in health among older adults. The authors hypothesized that Black older adults’ disadvantaged health status is partly explained by individual SES but further explained by their greater likelihood of living in more socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The results of multilevel analyses demonstrate that living in such communities helps explain Black older adults’higher number of chronic conditions and worse self-rated health compared to non-Black older adults. Moreover, Black older adults may even have slightly better self-rated health than non-Black older adults once individual SES and community socioeconomic context are controlled. Understanding race and socioeconomic inequalities in health over the life course will require attention to the complex relationships between race, individual SES, and the socioeconomic and racial community contexts in which people interact and live their lives.