Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda - Softcover

National Research Council; Division Of Behavioral And Social Sciences And Education; Committee On Population; Panel On Race, Ethnicity, And Health In Later Life

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0309092477 ISBN 13: 9780309092470

Publisher: National Academies Press, 2004

Synopsis

As the population of older Americans grows, it is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Differences in health by racial and ethnic status could be increasingly consequential for health policy and programs. Such differences are are not simply a matter of education or ability to pay for health care. For instance, Asian Americans and Hispanics appear to be in better health, on a number of indicators, than White Americans, despite, on average, lower socioeconomic status. The reasons are complex, including possible roles for such factors as selective migration, risk behaviors, exposure to various stressors, patient attitudes, and geographic variation in health care.

This volume, produced by a multidisciplinary panel, considers such possible explanations for racial and ethnic health differentials within an integrated framework. It provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge. It recommends, for instance, looking at health differentials across the life course and deciphering the links between factors presumably producing differentials and biopsychosocial mechanisms that lead to impaired health.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• 1 The Nature of Racial and Ethnic Differences
• 2 Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences
• 3 Genetic Influences
• 4 Socioeconomic Factors
• 5 Behavior Risk Factors
• 6 Social and Personal Resources
• 7 Prejudice and Discrimination
• 8 Stress
• 9 Biopsychosocial Interactions
• 10 Health Care
• 11 The Life Course
• 12 Interventions
• References
• Appendix: Contents, Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life
• Biographical Sketches
• Index

About this title

About the Author

Rodolfo A. Bulatao and Norman B. Anderson, Editors, Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life, National Research Council

Edition details

• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0309092477
• ISBN 13: 9780309092470
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 184
• Editor: Anderson Norman B., Bulatao Rodolfo A.