scholarly journals Contextualizing Educational Disparities in Health: Variations by Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and County-Level Characteristics

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor W. Hargrove ◽  
Lauren Gaydosh ◽  
Alexis C. Dennis

Abstract Educational disparities in health are well documented, yet the education–health relationship is inconsistent across racial/ethnic and nativity groups. These inconsistencies may arise from characteristics of the early life environments in which individuals attain their education. We evaluate this possibility by investigating (1) whether educational disparities in cardiometabolic risk vary by race/ethnicity and nativity among Black, Hispanic, and White young adults; (2) the extent to which racial/ethnic-nativity differences in the education–health relationship are contingent on economic, policy, and social characteristics of counties of early life residence; and (3) the county characteristics associated with the best health at higher levels of education for each racial/ethnic-nativity group. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we find that Black young adults who achieve high levels of education exhibit worse health across a majority of contexts relative to their White and Hispanic counterparts. Additionally, we observe more favorable health at higher levels of education across almost all contexts for White individuals. For all other racial/ethnic-nativity groups, the relationship between education and health depends on the characteristics of the early life counties of residence. Findings highlight place-based factors that may contribute to the development of racial/ethnic and nativity differences in the education–health relationship among U.S. young adults.

Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios—anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites—in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of 30 December 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to perform estimation, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, estimated disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor W. Hargrove, MA ◽  
Tyson H. Brown, PhD

<br clear="all" /><p> </p><p> <strong>Objective: </strong>Previous research has docu­mented a relationship between childhood socioeconomic conditions and adult health, but less is known about racial/ethnic dif­ferences in this relationship, particularly among men. This study utilizes a life course approach to investigate racial/ethnic differ­ences in the relationships among early and later life socioeconomic circumstances and health in adulthood among men.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Panel data from the Health and Retirement Study and growth curve models are used to examine group differences in the relationships among childhood and adult socioeconomic factors and age-tra­jectories of self-rated health among White, Black and Mexican American men aged 51-77 years (<em>N</em>=4147).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Multiple measures of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predict health in adulthood for White men, while significant­ly fewer measures of childhood SES predict health for Black and Mexican American men. Moreover, the health consequences of childhood SES diminish with age for Black and Mexican American men. The child­hood SES-adult health relationship is largely explained by measures of adult SES for White men.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The life course pathways link­ing childhood SES and adult health differ by race/ethnicity among men. Similar to argu­ments that the universality of the adult SES-health relationship should not be assumed, results from our study suggest that scholars should not assume that the significance and nature of the association between child­hood SES and health in adulthood is similar across race/ethnicity among men.<em> Ethn Dis.</em>2015;25(3):313-320.</p>


Author(s):  
Amy Ehntholt ◽  
Roman Pabayo ◽  
Lisa Berkman ◽  
Ichiro Kawachi

The misuse of prescription painkillers is a major contributor to the ongoing drug overdose epidemic. This study investigated variability in non-medical use of prescription painkillers (NMUPP) by race and early-life socioeconomic status (SES) in a sample now at increased risk for opioid overdose. Data from two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 11,602) were used to calculate prevalence of reported NMUPP by Wave 4 (2008; mean age 28), and to assess variation by race and by equivalized household family income at Wave 1 (1994/5). Predicted values for prevalence of NMUPP were modelled, adjusting for age, sex, parental education, and region. Race and SES in adolescence were associated with later reported NMUPP. A gradient was seen in prevalence by SES (adjusted: family income quartile 1 = 13.3%; quartile 2 = 13.8%; quartile 3 = 14.8%; quartile 4 = 16.0%; trend p-value = 0.007). Prevalence was higher among males. Racial/ethnic differences in prevalence were seen (non-Hispanic white (NHW) = 18.5%; non-Hispanic black (NHB) = 5.8%; Hispanic = 10.5%; Other = 10.0%). SES differences were less pronounced upon stratification, with trend tests significant only among females (p = 0.004), and marginally significant among Hispanic males (p = 0.06). Early-life SES was associated with reported lifetime NMUPP: the higher the family income in adolescence, the greater the likelihood of NMUPP by young adulthood. Variations in NMUPP by income paled in comparison with racial/ethnic differences. Results point to a possible long-enduring association between SES and NMUPP, and a need to examine underlying mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
pp. 215686932091653
Author(s):  
Melissa Thompson ◽  
Lindsey Wilkinson ◽  
Hyeyoung Woo

Although originally considered to be a disorder of childhood, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is increasingly being diagnosed for the first time in adulthood. Yet we know little about the social characteristics (race, gender, and social class) of those first labeled in adulthood, how these differ from those first labeled in childhood/adolescence, and whether the ADHD label is applied proportionately across social groups given ADHD symptomology. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the current research considers how typifications of ADHD affect application of the ADHD label in childhood/adolescence and in adulthood. Results indicate that even after controlling for ADHD symptoms, social characteristics are important predictors of the ADHD label in childhood/adolescence but are less influential in predicting ADHD labeling in adulthood. Additionally, results indicate the importance of race in moderating the association between childhood ADHD symptoms and application of the ADHD label throughout the life course.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107780121989347
Author(s):  
Roberto Cancio

This study considers variations of intimate partner violence (IPV) from the point of the perpetrator to test the impact of demographic factors on the type of IPV most prevalent among pre-9/11 and post-9/11 military families from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1994–2008): Waves I and IV in-home interviews ( N = 499). Study findings indicate that the perpetration of physical and sexual IPV depends on the context of veteran cohort and race/ethnicity. Models for substance use and IPV patterns were not similar across military cohorts and/or racial/ethnic groups.


Author(s):  
Madhuri Sharma

This article establishes relationships between racial/ethnic diversity, segregation, and employment-by-industry-types in the counties of Tennessee. Using the American Community Survey and NAICS data, diversity scores, entropy indices, and location quotients for major-employment are computed for Tennessee's 95 counties. Cartographic analysis, followed by correlations, principal components and regression analyses help establish the above relationships. The north-east and west-central regions of Tennessee have concentration in primary-sectors of economy whereas counties with concentration in creative-class economy (e.g., Williamson, Davidson) have higher presence of Asians, and with greater human capital (education). Simultaneously, these are also the most segregated despite being diverse. Counties with higher diversity and higher share of African-Americans are segregated, despite having employment concentration in diverse set of industries. Enormous growth potentials exist in the sectors of education and health-care which can help Tennessee revitalize its economy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Bears Augustyn ◽  
Dylan B. Jackson

Research suggests a link between precocious transitions to adulthood (e.g., high school dropout) and maladaptation, and this association is typically assumed to be uniform. We propose that this monolithic portrayal of precocious transitions as problematic for adult functioning is unwarranted, particularly across identities defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we use propensity score methodology to demonstrate that the effects of precocious transitions on adult antisocial behavior vary. Results indicate a general null effect of experiencing any precocious transition among low SES subgroups regardless of gender and race/ethnicity and criminogenic effects among more economically privileged subgroups, with the exception of Hispanic females. Additional analyses reveal that the effect of individual transitions further vary in significance across social identities, displaying a criminogenic effect among some subgroups and a null/protective effect among others. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios – anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites – in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of December 30, 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to quantify estimation uncertainty, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, observed disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001112872110298
Author(s):  
Peter S. Lehmann ◽  
Andia M. Azimi ◽  
Kiarra Fortney ◽  
Kayla Alaniz

Prior research has provided consistent evidence that minority students are more likely than White youth to experience punitive forms of discipline in schools. Scholars have theorized that these disadvantages are closely connected to gender and socioeconomic status, but little research has explored how these factors independently and jointly might moderate the effects of race/ethnicity. Using data from the 2012 to 2018 8th and 10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey ( N = 53,986), these analyses find that minority students are more likely than Whites to experience suspension/expulsion and office referrals, and this pattern is especially prominent among females. Further, racial/ethnic disparities are amplified for youth whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment, though some differences by gender also emerge.


2020 ◽  
pp. 69-81
Author(s):  
Elan Hope

This chapter provides insight into how Black and Latinx students navigated their identity as activists during a period in American history when social media documentation of racially-ethnically motivated violence made it impossible to pretend that America had entered a post-racial state of consciousness. There was little variation in how these students felt about police brutality and the targeting of Latinx deportation; almost all were disturbed, most were outraged. However, there was variation in the public visibility of their response and engagement with activism. Because of these societal realities, Black and Latinx college students have to balance academic pursuits with evolving racial-ethnic identity and growing civic purpose. As such, this chapter focuses on how identity-based counterspaces and activist campus culture facilitate Latinx and Black students' critical examination of race-ethnicity and racism.


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