Suchergebnisse

Do women really sleep more than men? Biomedical and social scientific studies show longer sleep durations for women, a surprising finding given sociological research showing women have more unpaid work and less high-quality leisure time compared to men. We assess explanations for gender differences in time for sleep, including compositional differences in levels of engagement in paid and unpaid labor, gendered responses to work and family responsibilities, and differences in napping, bedtimes, and interrupted sleep for caregiving. We examine the overall gender gap in time for sleep as well as gaps within family life-course stages based on age, partnership, and parenthood statuses. We analyze minutes of sleep from a diary day collected from nationally representative samples of working-age adults in the American Time Use Surveys of 2003 to 2007. Overall and at most life course stages, women slept more than men. Much of the gap is explained by work and family responsibilities and gendered time tradeoffs; as such, gender differences vary across life course stages. The gender gap in sleep time favoring women is relatively small for most comparisons and should be considered in light of the gender gap in leisure time favoring men at all life course stages.

Accurately measuring attributes in neighborhood environments allows researchers to study the influence of neighborhoods on individual-level outcomes. Researchers working to improve the measurement of neighborhood attributes generally advocate doing so in one of two ways: improving the theoretical relevance of measures and correctly defining the appropriate spatial scale. The data required by the first, "ecometric" neighborhood assessments on a sample of neighborhoods, are generally incompatible with the methods of the second, which tend to rely on population data. In this article, the authors describe how ecometric measures of theoretically relevant attributes observed on a sample of city blocks can be combined with a geostatistical method known as kriging to develop city block–level estimates across a city that can be configured to multiple neighborhood definitions. Using a cross-validation study with data from a 2002 systematic social observation of physical disorder on 1,663 city blocks in Chicago, the authors show that this method creates valid results. They then demonstrate, using neighborhood measures aggregated to three different spatial scales, that residents' perceptions of both fear and neighborhood disorder vary substantially across different spatial scales.

Two research traditions have evolved to assess links between recessions and health, with seemingly divergent findings. Aggregate-level studies generally find that mortality rates decline during recessionary periods. By contrast, individual-level studies generally find that events that frequently occur during recessions, like job loss, unemployment, and material hardship, carry negative health consequences. We comprehensively review evidence from these two bodies of research, illustrate key findings, and show how the different mechanisms can operate in parallel. We also outline some of the limitations of the extant evidence, discuss studies emerging to address these limits and directions for future research, and provide brief empirical examples to illustrate some of these limits and directions using the Health and Retirement Study and the Michigan Recession and Recovery Study. Our review emphasizes the importance of considering both the aggregate- and individual-level associations when evaluating the likely short- and longer-term consequences of the Great Recession for health and health disparities.

Abstract

Objectives
Exposure to stressful neighborhood environments is a well-established risk factor for health deterioration and premature death. However, the biological underpinnings are not fully understood. Epigenetic aging may function as a key molecular pathway to adverse health outcomes among residents of high-stress neighborhoods. This study examines the associations between neighborhood social stressors (socioeconomic deprivation, observed and perceived disorder, and low social cohesion) and epigenetic age (DunedinPACE and Principal component adjusted [PC] PCHorvath, PCHannum, PCPhenoAge, PCGrimAge). Further, we identify subpopulations most vulnerable to neighborhood stressors.


Methods
Respondent data are from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) DNA methylation subsample. Neighborhood data come from respondent reports (2014/2016) and the census (2012–2016 ACS). The analytic sample included 3,146 adults ages 56 and older (mean age = 68.8), of whom 54.9% were women and 19.3% were non-White.


Results
In multilevel regression models adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, all neighborhood stressors were associated with faster DunedinPACE (B = 0.008 to 0.017). Neighborhood deprivation, perceived disorder, and low cohesion were associated with PCPhenoAge (B = 0.27 to 0.40) or PCGrimAge acceleration (B = 0.23). Health behaviors explained these associations to some degree. However, no significant associations were found with PCHorvath and PCHannum. In interaction analyses, adverse associations with deprivation, observed disorder, and low cohesion were more pronounced for women. No consistent interactions were found for race/ethnic and education groups.


Discussion
Our findings indicate that neighborhood stressors can accelerate epigenetic aging, with older women particularly vulnerable to their effects. These findings provide insights into the biological foundations of health disparities rooted in neighborhood environments.

Abstract

Objectives
The objective of this study is to examine differences in socioeconomic gradients (i.e., education, income, and wealth) in frailty by gender in the United States and England.


Methods
We used harmonized data from the Health and Retirement Study and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 2016. Frailty status was determined from measured and self-reported signs and symptoms in 5 domains: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slow walking speed, and weakness. Respondents were classified as robust (no signs or symptoms of frailty), prefrail (signs or symptoms in 1–2 domains), or frail (signs or symptoms in 3 or more domains). Gender-stratified multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between educational attainment, household income, and household wealth with the risk of frailty and prefrailty, with and without covariates. We also calculated the slope index of inequalities on the predicted probabilities of frailty by income and wealth quintiles.


Results
We found socioeconomic gradients in prefrailty and frailty by education, income, and wealth. Furthermore, the educational gradient in frailty was significantly steeper for U.S. women compared to English women, and the income gradient was steeper for U.S. men and women compared to English men and women. The between-country differences were not accounted for by adjusting for race/ethnicity and behavioral factors.


Discussion
Socioeconomic gradients in prefrailty and frailty differ by country setting and gender, suggesting contextual factors such as cultural norms, healthcare access and quality, and economic policy may contribute to the effect of different measures of socioeconomic status on prefrailty and frailty risk.

AbstractObjectivesExposure to stressors is differentially distributed by race/ethnicity with minority groups reporting a higher stress burden than their white counterparts. However, to really understand the extent to which some groups bear a disproportionate stress burden, we need to consider race/ethnic differences in stress appraisal, specifically how upsetting stressors may be, in addition to stress exposure. We examine racial/ethnic differences in both the number of reported chronic stressors across five domains (health, financial, residential, relationship, and caregiving) and their appraised stressfulness among a diverse sample of older adults.MethodData come from 6,567 adults ages 52+ from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study.ResultsResults show older blacks, U.S. and foreign-born Hispanics report more chronic stress exposure than whites and are two to three times as likely to experience financial strain and housing-related stress. Socioeconomic factors fully explain the Hispanic–white difference in stress exposure, but black–white differences remain. Despite experiencing a greater number of stressors, blacks and U.S.-born Hispanics are less likely to be upset by exposure to stressors than whites. U.S.-born Hispanics are less upset by relationship-based stressors specifically, while blacks are less upset across all stress domains in fully-adjusted models. Foreign-born Hispanics are only less upset by caregiving strain.DiscussionThe distinction between exposure and appraisal-based measures of stress may shed light on important pathways that differentially contribute to race/ethnic physical and mental health disparities.

Abstract

Objectives
Pain is a leading cause of disability and a limiting factor in individuals' assessments of their own subjective health; however, its association with subjective longevity has yet to be explored. Subjective survival probabilities (SSPs), or one's own perceived chances of living to a given age, can influence individuals' behavior as they plan for their futures. This study assesses whether pain correlates to lower SSPs.


Methods
We use a repeated cross-section of the 2000–2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal and nationally representative survey of Americans aged 51 and older (N = 31,773).


Results
Fractional logit regressions indicate that, across all age groups, respondents with severe and/or interfering pain reported significantly lower SSPs than those with no pain (Marginal Effect [ME] = −0.03 to −0.06, p < .05). Controlling for all covariates, mild or moderate noninterfering pain was only associated with a significant reduction in SSPs among the youngest group reporting their chances of living to age 75 (ME = −0.02, p < .001). Descriptively and in the model results, respondents with mild or moderate noninterfering pain appeared to more closely resemble pain-free respondents than those with severe or interfering pain.


Discussion
These findings highlight the importance of pain on SSPs, and contribute to the growing evidence that pain interference is uniquely important in predicting meaningful health outcomes.

Background: Sparse data exist to describe national population-level trends in short sleep duration among Latinos. Because short sleep duration is associated with several health conditions that are common in Latinos, such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding sleep trends among this population may be key to reduc­ing their disease burden. This study aimed to document Latino subgroup differences in self-reported sleep duration by nativity and country of origin relative to Whites.Design and Setting: Pooled cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data from the Na­tional Health and Interview Survey (NHIS), 2004-2017.Participants: 303,244 respondents, aged 18 to 84 years, who self-identified as non- Latino US-born White, US-born Mexican, foreign-born Mexican, US-born Puerto Rican, island-born Puerto Rican, US-born Cuban, foreign-born Cuban, US-born Dominican, foreign-born Dominican, US-born Central/South American, foreign-born Central/South American, US-born "other" Latino, and foreign-born "other" Latino.Methods: Multinomial logistic regression models were used to predict sleep duration controlling for demographics, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related factors. Results: We found that all Latino subgroups (except US-born Cubans) were more likely to report poor sleep duration relative to non-Latino Whites, net of demographic, acculturation, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics. However, the magnitude of disadvantage varies by Latino subgroup. We also found that poor sleep duration is concentrated among certain age groups for the various Latino subpopula­tions.Conclusions: Given that Latinos in the United States are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, understanding the patterns of sleep among this popula­tion can help identify strategies to improve sleep habits in order to reduce disease burden. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(1):119-128;doi:10.18865/ed.30.1.119

Objective: Improvements in the Black- White difference in life expectancy have been attributed to improved diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and declines in cardiovascular disease mortal­ity. However, it is unclear whether race differences in total cardiovascular risk and the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors have improved in the United States since the 1990s.Design: Serial cross-sectional design.Setting: Data from the 1988-1994, 1999- 2002, and 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).Methods: We estimated total cardiovascu­lar risk levels, the prevalence of high-risk cardiovascular risk factors and the use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs among US Black and White men and women to determine whether differential changes occurred from 1990-2010.Results: Total cardiovascular risk declined for all races from 1990-2010. The Black- White difference was only significant in 2000 and sex-specific analyses showed that trends seen in the total population were driven by changes among women. Black and White men did not differ in risk at any time during this period. Conversely, Black women had significantly higher risk than White women in 1990 and 2000; this dif­ference was eliminated by 2010. Improved diagnosis and treatment of high blood pres­sure and high cholesterol reduced risk in the total population; improved blood pressure and lipid profiles among Black women and increasing obesity prevalence among White women specifically contributed to the nar­rowing of the Black-White difference in risk among women.Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk and racial disparities in risk declined among US Whites and Blacks due to greater use and effective­ness of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medications.Ethn Dis. 2019;29(4):587-598; doi:10.18865/ed.29.4.587

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the association between religious involvement and cognitive functioning at the intersections of race–ethnicity and gender among midlife and older adults, and to determine if psychosocial factors help explain this relationship.MethodThe sample included 14,037 adults aged 50+ from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We utilized measures from the HRS 2010 and 2012 Core interviews and Leave-Behind questionnaires and estimated our models using linear regression.ResultsCompared to individuals who frequently attended religious services, infrequent religious service attendance was related to poorer cognitive functioning. Religiosity was inversely associated with cognitive functioning at baseline, but the relationship varied by race/gender subgroup. Greater religiosity was associated with better cognitive functioning among Black women, but lower cognitive functioning among White men and women. Psychosocial factors did little to explain the inverse association between religiosity and cognitive functioning.DiscussionResults suggest the association between religious involvement and cognitive functioning is varied and complex, and largely dependent on important social identities. The findings have important implications for investigating health-protective factors, like religious involvement, using an intersectional perspective.