Exposure to Discrimination and Sleep

Author(s):  
Tené T. Lewis, PhD ◽  
Izraelle I. McKinnon

This chapter focuses on how discrimination can impact sleep health, with an emphasis on stress as a mediator in the relationship. Given that the vast majority of sleep research on discrimination focuses on racial discrimination, this type of discrimination is the focus of the chapter. Measurement of discrimination is a strong focus of the chapter as well as mechanisms linking discrimination to sleep health, including psychosocial stress. The chapter begins by highlighting discrimination as an important social determinant in the lives of racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States, followed by key findings linking experiences of discrimination to both self-reported and objective indices of sleep and important measurement issues relevant to the study of discrimination and sleep. How studies of discrimination and sleep have contributed to the understanding of racial/ethnic disparities in sleep is also considered. The chapter closes by discussing critical gaps in knowledge and potential directions for future research.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 984-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Hill ◽  
Caryn Bell ◽  
Janice V. Bowie ◽  
Elizabeth Kelley ◽  
Debra Furr-Holden ◽  
...  

Racial/ethnic disparities exist in obesity prevalence among men, with Hispanic men exhibiting the highest prevalence compared with non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black men. Most studies do not parse out Hispanic groups; therefore, it is unclear whether the increases in obesity rates among Hispanic men applies to all groups or if there are particular groups of Hispanic men that are driving the increase. The goal of this study is to examine the variations in obesity among men of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and determine if obesity is affected by nativity. The data used in this study were from 11 years (2002-2012) of the National Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity, obesity, and nativity. After adjusting for covariates, there are differences in obesity prevalence, with the largest prevalence among Puerto Rican men and Mexican American men. Consistent with previous literature, it has been suggested that men born in the United States are more likely to be obese than men born outside the United States. This study underscores the importance of distinguishing Hispanic groups when examining obesity, and provides information for future, targeted intervention strategies related to obesity among high-risk groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-541
Author(s):  
Kelly Kato ◽  
Sharon Bzostek

Despite Latino adults’ health advantages in the United States, they tend to have worse self-rated health (SRH) than non-Hispanic Whites. This finding extends to Latina mothers’ ratings of their children’s health, but it is unknown whether Latino children also have worse SRH than Whites. We investigate this question, as well as variations in mother-child agreement in rating the child’s health by ethnicity, and the role of mothers’ acculturation in these associations. Using survey data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we find that Mexican-origin children’s SRH is worse than non-Hispanic White children’s SRH, but Mexican-origin children’s SRH is also often better than their mothers’ ratings of the children’s health. Maternal acculturation explains some of the relationship between Mexican-origin and child SRH, with particular facets of the acculturation experience operating in different directions. We discuss the implications of these findings for understandings of racial/ethnic disparities in health, particularly among children.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A138-A138
Author(s):  
S A Gaston ◽  
E E Martinez-Miller ◽  
S Nguyen-Rodriguez ◽  
A Aiello ◽  
J McGrath ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Sleep duration disparities by Hispanic/Latino heritage exist; however, few studies have additionally investigated sleep quality disparities by heritage and birthplace, nor have studies compared foreign-born to US-born Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). Methods Using pooled 2004-2017 National Health Interview Survey data, we investigated whether sleep disparities varied by birthplace among adult NHWs and Hispanic/Latino heritage groups. Adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral/clinical characteristics, survey-weighted Poisson regressions with robust variance estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of self-reported sleep characteristics. Sleep characteristics were compared among foreign-born NHWs and Hispanic/Latino heritage groups vs. US-born NHWs. Sleep characteristics were also compared across Hispanic/Latino heritage groups vs. foreign-born NHWs. Results Among 254,699 participants (Meanage±SE: 47±0.9 years; 49% female), 81% self-identified as NHW (n=207,154), 12% Mexican (n=30,100), 2% Puerto Rican n=5,077), 1% Cuban(n=2,518), 1% Dominican (n=1,658), and 3% Central/South American (n=8,162). Compared to US-born NHWs, foreign-born NHWs were more likely to report >9-hours sleep duration (PR=1.11[95% CI: 1.01-1.21]) and poor sleep quality (e.g., PRtrouble staying asleep=1.27[1.17-1.37]), and US-born Mexicans were no more likely to report shorter sleep duration while foreign-born Mexicans were less likely (PR<6-hours=0.52[0.47-0.57], PR6-<7-hours=0.72[0.68-0.76]). Although US-born and foreign-born Mexicans had lower prevalence of poor sleep quality compared to US-born NHWs, PRs were lowest for foreign-born Mexicans. Compared to foreign-born NHWs, US-born Mexicans were more likely to report shorter sleep duration, but foreign-born Mexicans were no more likely. Regardless of birthplace, Puerto Ricans were more likely (e.g., PR<6-hours=1.37[1.24-1.60]) and Cubans were less likely (e.g., PR<6-hours=0.81[0.68-0.96]) to report shorter sleep duration vs. US-born NHWs. Compared to US-born NHWs, Dominicans reported better sleep duration and quality. Sleep duration and quality did not differ among Dominicans vs. foreign-born NHWs. Conclusion Sleep disparities varied by birthplace and Hispanic/Latino heritage. Birthplace of both NHWs and racial/ethnic minority groups should be considered in disparities research. Support This work was funded by the Intramural Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, Z1AES103325-01) and the Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.


Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Fenelon ◽  
Michel Boudreaux ◽  
Natalie Slopen ◽  
Sandra J. Newman

Abstract Programs that provide affordable and stable housing may contribute to better child health and thus to fewer missed days of school. Drawing on a unique linkage of survey and administrative data, we use a quasi-experimental approach to examine the impact of rental assistance programs on missed days of school due to illness. We compare missed school days due to illness among children receiving rental assistance with those who will enter assistance within two years of their interview, the average length of waitlists for federal rental assistance. Overall, we find that children who receive rental assistance miss fewer days of school due to illness relative to those in the pseudo-waitlist group. We demonstrate that rental assistance leads to a reduction in the number of health problems among children and thus to fewer days of school missed due to illness. We find that the effect of rental assistance on missed school days is stronger for adolescents than for younger children. Additionally, race-stratified analyses reveal that rental assistance leads to fewer missed days due to illness among non-Hispanic White and Hispanic/Latino children; this effect, however, is not evident for non-Hispanic Black children, the largest racial/ethnic group receiving assistance. These findings suggest that underinvestment in affordable housing may impede socioeconomic mobility among disadvantaged non-Hispanic White and Hispanic/Latino children. In contrast, increases in rental assistance may widen racial/ethnic disparities in health among disadvantaged children, and future research should examine why this benefit is not evident for Black children.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108705472110279
Author(s):  
Ashlyn W. W. A. Wong ◽  
Scott D. Landes

Background Prior studies show that ADHD prevalence rates vary by race-ethnicity, but these studies do not include a full range of racial-ethnic minority groups. Objective This study aimed to understand differences in ADHD prevalence among children across a wider range of racial-ethnic groups, overall and stratified by biological sex. Method Data on children aged 5 to 17 from the 2004 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey Sample Child Files were used in analyses ( N = 120,129). Results Compared to Non-Hispanic White children, ADHD prevalence was lower among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Asian children. This difference was present for both males and females. Across all racial-ethnic groups, males had higher ADHD prevalence than females. Conclusion Results from this study provide further evidence that racial-ethnic disparities in ADHD prevalence rates persist across sex and provide initial evidence of substantially lower ADHD prevalence among Non-Hispanic Asians. Implications, limitations, and future research directions derived from the results are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandra L. Jackson ◽  
Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley ◽  
Symielle A. Gaston ◽  
Marcus R. Andrews ◽  
Kosuke Tamura ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Rebecca Robbins ◽  
Azizi Seixas ◽  
Natasha Williams ◽  
Byoungjun Kim ◽  
Judite Blanc ◽  
...  

This chapter focuses on racial/ethnic disparities in sleep, including Black–White differences in sleep health using data from nationally representative data sets. It also examines reasons for racial/ethnic disparities in sleep, including measurement artifact, biological/genetic differences, and the social and economic influences that influence sleep health in racial and ethnic minorities. Some of the factors that may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in sleep health include genetic, biological, physiological, psychological, behavioral, cultural, and environmental differences across these populations The chapter draws upon intersectionality theory, a framework that acknowledges how multiple social categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, employment, socioeconomic status) intersect with macro-level phenomena and reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege that present real consequences for sleep and health.


Author(s):  
Michelle S. Wong ◽  
Taona P. Haderlein ◽  
Anita H. Yuan ◽  
Ernest Moy ◽  
Kenneth T. Jones ◽  
...  

Studies documenting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) racial/ethnic disparities in the United States were limited to data from the initial few months of the pandemic, did not account for changes over time, and focused primarily on Black and Hispanic minority groups. To fill these gaps, we examined time trends in racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection and mortality. We used the Veteran Health Administration’s (VHA) national database of veteran COVID-19 infections over three time periods: 3/1/2020–5/31/2020 (spring); 6/1/2020–8/31/2020 (summer); and 9/1/2020–11/25/2020 (fall). We calculated COVID-19 infection and mortality predicted probabilities from logistic regression models that included time period-by-race/ethnicity interaction terms, and controlled for age, gender, and prior diagnosis of CDC risk factors. Racial/ethnic groups at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and mortality changed over time. American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN), Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders experienced higher COVID-19 infections compared to Whites during the summertime. There were mortality disparities for Blacks in springtime, and AI/ANs, Asians, and Hispanics in summertime. Policy makers should consider the dynamic nature of racial/ethnic disparities as the pandemic evolves, and potential effects of risk mitigation and other (e.g., economic) policies on these disparities. Researchers should consider how trends in disparities change over time in other samples.


Author(s):  
Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell ◽  
David S. Curtis ◽  
Adrienne M. Duke

Conceptual frameworks for racial/ethnic health disparities are abundant, but many have received insufficient empirical attention. As a result, there are substantial gaps in scientific knowledge and a range of untested hypotheses. Particularly lacking is specificity in behavioral and biological mechanisms for such disparities and their underlying social determinants. Alongside lack of political will and public investment, insufficient clarity in mechanisms has stymied efforts to address racial health disparities. Capitalizing on emergent findings from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study and other longitudinal studies of aging, this chapter evaluates research on health disparities between black and white US adults. Attention is given to candidate behavioral and biological mechanisms as precursors to group differences in morbidity and mortality and to environmental and sociocultural factors that may underlie these mechanisms. Future research topics are discussed, emphasizing those that offer promise with respect to illuminating practical solutions to racial/ethnic health disparities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 342-342
Author(s):  
Jason Newsom ◽  
Emily Denning ◽  
Ana Quinones ◽  
Miriam Elman ◽  
Anda Botoseneanu ◽  
...  

Abstract Racial/ethnic disparities in multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) and their rate of accumulation over time have been established. Studies report differences in physical activity across racial/ethnic groups. We investigated whether racial/ethnic differences in accumulation of multimorbidity over a 10-year period (2004-2014) were mediated by physical activity using data from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 10,724, mean age = 63.5 years). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate a latent growth curve model of changes in the number of self-reported chronic conditions (of nine) and investigate whether the relationship of race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White) to change in the number of chronic conditions was mediated by physical activity after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, personal wealth, and insurance coverage. Results indicated that Blacks engaged in significantly lower levels of physical activity than Whites (b = -.171, □ = -.153, p < .001), but there were no differences between Hispanics and Whites (b = -.010, □ = -.008, ns). Physical activity also significantly predicted both lower initial levels of multimorbidity (b = -1.437, □ = -.420, p < .001) and greater decline in multimorbidity (b = -.039, □ = -.075, p < .001). The indirect (mediational) effect for the Black vs. White comparison was significant (b = .007, □ = .011, 95% CI [.004,.010]). These results provide important new information for understanding how modifiable lifestyle factors may help explain disparities in multimorbidity in middle and later life, suggesting greater need to reduce sedentary behavior and increase activity.


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