AGING AND HEALTH STATUS AMONG BLACK AND WHITE ADULTS

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Investigator's abstract): This study is designed to examine change in physical health status among White and African-American adults using two nationally representative panel studies. It is widely known that African-Americans have more health problems than White Americans as manifested on most indicators of morbidity and mortality. This research examines the racial disparity in health between Black and White adults and seeks to identify the mechanisms of more rapid health declines. The two surveys used in the analysis are: (1) The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I: Epidemiological Follow-up Study (NHEFS) and (2) Americans' Changing Lives (ACL). NHEFS follows 6,931 adults over 20 years while ACL follows 3,617 adults over 2.5 years; both surveys contain extensive health information. A prospective research design is used to evaluate health trajectories among Black and White men and women. Specific aims are to: (1) Compare changes in health status among Black and White subjects over the duration of the panel studies incorporating selection bias models (e.g., Heckman) to account for attrition. (2) Examine the role of socioeconomic resources for maintaining health among Black and White adults, with special attention given to interactions between race and socioeconomic variables. (3) Investigate whether religion influences health for Black and White adults. (4) Model mortality risk for Black and White NHEFS subjects over the twenty year period. Data from the NHEFS will be used for aims 1,2, and 4, while data from the ACL will be used for aims 1,2, and 3. These surveys provide the scientific community with hitherto unavailable information for understanding health trajectories in adulthood and later life among Black and White persons.