scholarly journals Family Income and Gang Presence in the Neighborhood: Diminished Returns of Black Families

Urban Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Shanika Boyce ◽  
Cleopatra H. Caldwell ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Ron Mincy
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
White Families ◽  
Poor Outcomes

Background: Based on the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework, indicators of high socioeconomic status, such as higher family income, show weaker protective effects on various developmental, behavioral, and health outcomes for Black than White families. As a result of these MDRs, Black families who access education and income still report high levels of depression, smoking, obesity, and chronic disease. Limited knowledge exists on MDRs of income on neighborhood quality. Aims: Built on the MDRs framework, this study tested the hypothesis of whether the effect of family income and maternal education at birth on neighborhood gang presence varies between Black and White families. The hypotheses were that: (1) higher income families would report lower gang presence in their neighborhood, and (2) compared to Whites, Blacks would show weaker protective effects of family income on gang presence in their neighborhood. Methods: The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study is a 15-year follow up study of a random sample of births in cities with larger than 200,000 population. Two thousand nine hundred and nineteen White or Black families were included and were followed from birth of their child for 15 years. The predictors were family income and maternal education at birth, treated as categorical variables. The outcome was gang presence in the neighborhood at age 15. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results: Higher maternal education at birth was inversely associated with gang presence in the neighborhoods, while family income at birth did not show an effect on reducing gang presence in the neighborhood at age 15. Family income at birth and race interact, suggesting that the association between family income at birth and gang presence in the neighborhood at age 15 was weaker for Black than White families. Our race-stratified models also showed an inverse effect of family income at birth on gang presence in the neighborhood at age 15 in White but not Black families. Conclusions: Diminished returns of family income at birth on neighborhood safety and social disorder may be a mechanism that contributes to racial health disparities in higher socioeconomic status and also poor outcomes for Black families across socioeconomic status (SES) levels. That is, a smaller protective effect of family income on changing the real lives of Black compared to White families may be one of the mechanisms by which health is worse than expected in Black families, across the entire SES spectrum. The health, behavioral, and developmental disparities are not only due to the racial gap in SES but also diminishing returns of socioeconomic status indicators such as family income for racial minorities. Research should study contextual and structural factors that reduce Black families’ ability to mobilize their human capital and secure health outcomes in urban settings.

scholarly journals Maternal Education at Birth and Youth Breakfast Consumption at Age 15: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

J ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Shanika Boyce ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Cleopatra H. Caldwell ◽  
Ron Mincy
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
White Families ◽  
Eating Breakfast ◽  
High Level

Background: Based on the Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework, high socioeconomic status (SES) such as parental education shows weaker effects for Blacks than Whites. For example, high SES Black individuals report a high level of depression, anxiety, suicide, chronic disease, smoking, and mortality. Limited knowledge exists on MDRs of parental education on dietary behavior. Aims: Built on the MDRs framework, we tested the hypothesis of whether the effect of parental education on eating breakfast differs for Black compared to White families. We hypothesized that there is an association between mothers’ educational attainment and eating breakfast and compared Blacks and Whites for the effect of mothers’ educational attainment on the frequency of eating breakfast. Methods: The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study is a 15-year follow up study of a random sample of births in cities larger than 200,000 population. The predictor was parental education at birth. The outcome was the frequency of eating breakfast at age 15. Linear regression was used for data analysis. Results: Maternal educational attainment at birth was positively associated with youth frequency of eating breakfast among Whites, not Blacks. We also found a significant interaction between maternal educational attainment at birth and race, suggesting that the association between maternal education and youth frequency of eating breakfast at age 15 was weaker for Black than White families. Conclusions: Diminished returns of maternal educational attainment on healthy youth diet may contribute to the racial disparities in poor health of high SES Black families. That is, a smaller protective effect of maternal education on changing health behaviors for Black than White youth may be one of the mechanisms by which health is worse than expected in high SES Black families. The health disparities are not only due to racial differences in SES but also the diminishing returns of socioeconomic status indicators such as education for racial minorities. Research should study contextual and structural factors that reduce Black families’ ability to mobilize their human capital and secure health outcomes in urban settings.

scholarly journals College Graduation and Wealth Accumulation: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Wealth Accumulation ◽  
College Graduation ◽  
High Socioeconomic Status ◽  
White Families ◽  
Home Value

Background: Based on the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework, indicators of high Socioeconomic Status (SES), such as high maternal educational attainment, show weaker protective effects on various developmental, behavioral, and health outcomes for Black than White families. As a result of these MDRs, families and individuals with high educational attainment still report high levels of depression, smoking, obesity, and chronic disease. Limited knowledge exists on MDRs of maternal education on indicators of wealth such as home ownership and home value. Aims: Built on the MDRs framework, we tested the hypothesis of whether the effects of maternal educational attainment at birth on home ownership and home value, as proxies of wealth, vary between Black and White families. We hypothesized that: 1) high maternal education would be associated with more wealth 15 years later, and 2) compared to Whites, Blacks would be less likely to accumulate wealth (own a house) across all educational levels, given a weaker boosting effect of maternal educational attainment on wealth for Black than White families. Methods: The Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, is a 15-year follow up study of a random sample of births in cities larger than 200,000 population in the US. A total number of 2004 White or Black youth were included and were followed from birth to the age of 15. The predictor of interest was maternal educational attainment at birth, treated as a categorical variable (college graduation). The outcomes were home ownership and home value (worth-owed) 15 years later, as proxies of wealth. Logistic and linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: High maternal education at birth was associated with home ownership and higher value of owned home at age 15. We also found that maternal educational attainment at birth and race interact with each other, suggesting that the effects of high maternal educational attainment at birth on home ownership/value at age 15 were weaker for Black than White families. Conclusions: Diminished returns of maternal educational attainment at birth on wealth accumulation in Black families may be a mechanism that contributes to racial health disparities in high socioeconomic status and also poor outcomes of high SES Black families. That is, a smaller effect of maternal educational attainment on changing the real lives of Black than White youth may be one of the mechanisms by which health remains worse than expected in high SES Black families. Not all of the health, behavioral, and developmental disparities are due to the racial gap in SES but also diminishing returns of socioeconomic status indicators such as maternal educational attainment for racial minorities. Research should study how social stratification, discriminatory mortgage and banking, residential segregation, family formation, employment, and occupational prestige reduce Black families’ ability to mobilize their human capital and secure tangible economic and non-economic outcomes.

scholarly journals American Children’s Screen Time: Diminished Returns of Household Income in Black Families

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Household Income ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Skin Color ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Continuous Variable ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
White Families ◽  
American Children

While increased household income is associated with overall decreased screen time for children, less is known about the effect of racial variation on this association. According to Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, family income and other economic resources show weaker association with children’s developmental, behavioral, and health outcomes for racialized groups such as black families, due to the effect of racism and social stratification. In this study, we investigated the association, by race, between family income and children’s screen time, as a proxy of screen time. This longitudinal study followed 15,022 American children aged 9–11 over a 1-year period. The data came from the baseline of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variable was family income, and it was categorized as a three-level nominal variable. The dependent variable, screen time, was a continuous variable. Ethnicity, gender, parental education, and marital status were the covariates. The results showed that family income was inversely associated with children’s screen time. However, there was a weaker inverse association seen in black families when compared with white families. This was documented by a significant statistical interaction between race and family income on children’s screen time. Diminished association between family income and children’s screen time for black families, compared with white families, is similar to MDRs and reflects a health risk to high-income black children. In a society where race and skin color determine opportunities and treatment by society, children from middle class black families remain at risk across multiple domains. We should not assume that income similarly promotes the health of all racial and ethnic groups. Addressing health and behavioral inequalities requires interventions that go beyond equalizing socioeconomic resources for black families. Marginalization, racism, and poverty interfere with the normal family income-related development of American children.

scholarly journals Protective Effects of Maternal Education against Low Birth Weight Deliveries: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Urban Settings ◽  
Economic Disparities ◽  
Blacks And Whites

Background: Racial and economic disparities in low birth weight (LBW) deliveries is among the most well-established differences between Blacks and Whites. As LBW is an established risk factor for chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes, it is particularly important to understand drivers of racial and economic disparities in LBW deliveries in urban areas. Aims: Built on the Minorities’ Diminished Returns framework, which argues that educational attainment generates fewer positive health outcomes for Black than White Americans, we conducted this study with three aims: 1) to test the association between mothers’ educational attainment and LBW of babies born in urban areas, 2) to compare Blacks and Whites for the effect of mothers’ educational attainment on LBW, and 3) to test whether LBW is predictive of future chronic diseases 15 years later. Methods: Data came from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being / included a random sample of births in cities larger than 200,000 population. For the aims 1 and 2, we analyzed data of 2,922 births to Black (n = 2,146) or White (n = 776) mothers. For aim 3, we analyzed data of a subsample of 1,604 Black or White newborns who were followed to age 15. The presence or absence of chronic diseases was determined at age 15. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results: Maternal educational attainment was inversely associated with LBW overall. We, however, found a significant interaction between maternal educational attainment and race, suggesting that the inverse association between maternal education and LBW is weaker for Black than White babies. At the same time, LBW increased the odds of chronic disease 15 years later. Conclusions: Diminished returns of maternal educational attainment contribute to racial disparities in LBW, which in turn contributes to future racial inequalities in chronic diseases in urban settings. That is, smaller protective effects of maternal education on reducing LBW for Black than White children contribute to the high prevalence of chronic diseases among adolescents in urban settings. Health disparities are not just due to racial differences in socioeconomic status but also diminishing returns of socioeconomic status indicators such as education for racial and ethnic minorities. Research should study contextual factors that reduce Blacks’ ability to translate their human capital to health outcomes in urban settings.

scholarly journals Maternal education and the multidimensionality of child health outcomes in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kriti Vikram ◽  
Reeve Vanneman
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Child Health Outcomes ◽  
Care Outcomes ◽  
Using Data

AbstractMaternal education plays a central role in children’s health, but there has been little research comparing the role of maternal education across health outcomes. It is important to distinguish child health outcomes from medical care outcomes. Health outcomes such as short-term morbidity and stunting are multifactorial in origin and determined by a range of factors not necessarily under a mother’s control. Mother’s education, given the necessary structural factors such as medical centres, is likely to lead to increased access to, and uptake of, medical services. Using data from the 2004–05 India Human Development Survey, eight separate logistic regressions were carried out on 11,026 women of reproductive age and their last-born child under five years of age. The results showed that maternal education had the strongest association with medical care, immunization (except polio) and iron supplementation for pregnant mothers, moderate association with underweight and weak association with short-term diseases and stunting. In addition, the study investigated whether maternal education impacts child health and medical care outcomes through the intervening roles of empowerment and human, social and cultural capital. These intervening linkages were found to be missing for short-term diseases and stunting, bolstering the argument that the influence of maternal education is limited for these outcomes.

From Cotton to Coca-Cola: A Family History Case Study on the Limitations of Higher Education to Close the Generational Wealth Gap

JCSCORE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-62
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Jordan Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Family History ◽  
Black People ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Government Programs ◽  
White Families ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

This article is a family history that supported the relationship between slavery and generational wealth. The research documented the history of two Moffett families who were probably not related biologically—a White one who owned a Black one with the same last name. However, the two family histories revealed a larger and more complicated narrative about the origins and intractable roots of American inequality that follows the trail of my slave ancestors to one of the most well- known and wealthiest international corporations in the world—from cotton to Coca-Cola. This is the account of a set of conditions that, while assisting Whites to acquire generational wealth, prevented Black people from doing the same. The piece discusses how generational wealth is accumulated and maintained and argues that higher education alone has provided limited opportunities for Black families to acquire and maintain generational wealth. Recommendations included attention to individual and institutional racism, particularly the structural factors that White families have used to leverage their income and wealth, notably government programs, political and social contacts, access to financial resources, and privileged information about economic opportunities.

Environmental factors explain socioeconomic prevalence differences in myopia in 6-year-old children

2017 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Willem L Tideman ◽  
Jan Roelof Polling ◽  
Albert Hofman ◽  
Vincent WV Jaddoe ◽  
Johan P Mackenbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Family Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Increased Risk

PurposeHigh myopia (≤−6 D) usually has its onset before 10 years of age and can lead to blinding complications later in life. We examined whether differences in myopia prevalences in socioeconomic risk groups could be explained by differences in lifestyle factors.MethodsA total of 5711 six-year-old children participating in the prospective population-based birth cohort study Generation R underwent a stepwise ophthalmic examination, which included visual acuity and objective cycloplegic refraction to identify children with myopia (≤−0.5D). Daily activities, ethnicity, factors representing family socioeconomic status and housing were ascertained by questionnaire. Risk assessments of myopia and mediation analyses were performed using logistic regression; attenuation of risks was calculated by bootstrapping.ResultsPrevalence of myopia was 2.4% (n=137). Myopic children spent more time indoors and less outdoors than non-myopic children (p<0.01), had lower vitamin D (p=0.01), had a higher body mass index and participated less in sports (p=0.03). Children of non-European descent (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.84 to 3.68), low maternal education (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.57 to 3.28) and low family income (OR 2.62; 95% CI 1.8 to 3.74) were more often myopic. Lifestyle factors explained the majority of the increased risk for ethnicity (82%; 95% CI 55 to 120), maternal education (69%; 95% CI 45 to 109) and family socioeconomic status (71%; 95% CI 46 to 104).ConclusionThis study found environmental factors to be strong risk factors for myopia already at the age of 6 years. The myopia prevalence differences in socioeconomic groups were greatly determined by differences in distribution of these environmental risk factors, highlighting the importance of lifestyle adjustments in young children developing myopia.

scholarly journals Family Socioeconomic Status and Exposure to Childhood Trauma: Racial Differences

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Polynomial Regression ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Parental Educational Attainment

Background: Minorities’ diminished returns (MDRs) refer to weaker effects of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as parental educational attainment and family income in generating tangible childhood outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities compared to the majority group, a pattern prevalent in the US. Our existing knowledge is minimal, however, about diminished returns of family SES on reducing exposure to childhood trauma. Aim: To determine if there was a difference between non-Hispanic whites (NHW) and non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) in the effect of SES on exposure to childhood trauma among children ages 8–11 years old. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 4696 NHW or NHB American 8–11-year-old children who were participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. The independent variables were parental educational attainment and family income. The primary outcome was exposure to 1 or 2+ childhood traumas, measured by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) semi-structured interview. Polynomial regression was used for data analysis. Results: Parental education and family income had statistically significant protective (negative) effects on childhood trauma, indicating children from high income and highly educated families were exposed to a lower level of childhood trauma. However, race/ethnicity showed statistically significant interactions with parental education and family income on exposure to childhood trauma, indicating weaker protective effects of parental education and family income on reducing exposure to trauma for NHB compared to NHW children. Race-specific models showed protective effects of parental education and family income on exposure to childhood trauma for NHW but not NHB children. Conclusion: The protective effects of parental education and family income against exposure to childhood trauma are systematically diminished for NHBs compared to NHWs. To minimize the racial/ethnic health gaps, diminished returns of parental education and family income should be addressed. There is a need for programs and interventions that equalize not only SES but also the marginal returns of SES for ethnic groups. Such efforts require addressing structural and societal barriers that hinder NHB families from translating their SES resources into tangible outcomes. There is a need for studies that can minimize MDRs for NHB families, such that SES can similarly secure tangible outcomes in the presence of SES resources.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Status and Current Cigarette Smoking Status: Immigrants’ Diminished Returns

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
High Education ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Current Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Current Cigarette

Introduction: Although socioeconomic status (SES) resources influence population and individual health behaviors, socially marginalized groups gain significantly less health from their SES indicators, such as education and income, compared to the socially privileged groups. This pattern is called marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs). However, most of the MDRs literature is derived from studies that have defined marginalization based on race and ethnicity. As a result, more research is needed on MDRs due to immigration. To extend what is known about MDRs due to immigration, the current study compared a national sample of immigrants and non-immigrants for the effects of education and income on current cigarette smoking of adults in the United States. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) enrolled 14,149 individuals who were either immigrants (n=1977; 14.0%) or non-immigrants (n=12,166; 86.0%). The independent variables (IV) were education and income that were treated as categorical variables. The dependent variable was current cigarette smoking. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, employment, and region were confounders. Immigration was the moderator. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results: High education and income were associated with lower odds of current cigarette smoking. However, immigration showed significant statistical interactions with both education and income. These interactions were suggestive of smaller protective effects of high education and income on current cigarette smoking for immigrant than non-immigrant adults. Conclusion: In line with the MDRs, the effects of education and income on tobacco use is weaker for immigrant than non-immigrant adults.

scholarly journals SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS (SES) DIFFERENCES IN PRESCHOOLERS’ SOCIAL SKILLS

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-328
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Kassim ◽  
Fonny Dameaty Hutagalung
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Parental Income ◽  
Average Analysis ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ses Differences

Background and Purpose: Socioeconomic status (SES) exert different influences on child development. However, very few studies had examined the effects of SES on positive socio-emotional development including social skills. Thus, this study aims to examine the level of social skills and explores the differences across SES.   Methodology: Parents of 339 preschoolers in Selangor, Malaysia were selected through stratified random sampling. The questionnaires were distributed to parents through pre-school children. In this study, the 34-items of social skills scale from Preschool and Kindergarten Behavioural Scale-Version 2 (PKBS-2) was used and descriptive and one-way Welch’s F-tests analysis were conducted.   Findings: The study showed that the level of social skills was average. Analysis found that the preschoolers’ social skills were differed significantly across maternal education, Welch’s F (2, 78.95) = 19.88, p < .0001 and paternal education, Welch’s F (2, 78.95) = 19.88, p < .0001. Moreover, there was a significant difference in social skills across parental income, Welch’s F (2, 83.48) = 13.59, p < .0001.   Contributions: Knowledge of the level of pre-school social skills and the differences across SES can provide basic information and recommendations to the parents, teachers and authorities to improve preschoolers’ social skills.   Keywords: Family income, parental education, preschoolers, social skills, Socioeconomic status (SES).   Cite as: Kassim, J., & Hutagalung, F. D. (2019). Socioeconomic status (SES) differences in preschoolers’ social skills.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(2), 303-328. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss2pp303-328

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