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Menassa M, Franco OH, Galenkamp H, Moll van Charante EP, van den Born BJH, Vriend EMC, Vidal PM, Stronks K. Healthy ageing in a multi-ethnic population: A descriptive cross-sectional analysis from the HELIUS study. Maturitas 2024; 184:107972. [PMID: 38507885 DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.107972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We investigated ethnic health disparities in the Healthy Life in an Urban Setting multi-ethnic cohort using the multidimensional Healthy Ageing Score. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the study baseline data (2011-2015) collected through questionnaires/physical examinations for 17,091 participants (54.8 % women, mean (SD) age = 44.5 (12.8) years) from South-Asian Surinamese (14.8 %), African Surinamese (20.5 %), Dutch (24.3 %), Moroccan (15.5 %), Turkish (14.9 %), and Ghanaian (10.1 %) origins, living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We computed the Healthy Ageing Score developed in the Rotterdam Study, which has seven biopsychosocial domains: chronic diseases, mental health, cognitive function, physical function, pain, social support, and quality of life. That score was used to discern between healthy, moderate, and poor ageing. We explored differences in healthy ageing by ethnicity, sex, and age group using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS The Healthy Ageing Score [overall: poor (69.0 %), moderate (24.8 %), and healthy (6.2 %)] differed between ethnicities and was poorer in women and after midlife (cut-off 45 years) across ethnicities (all p < 0.001). In the fully adjusted models in men and women, poor ageing (vs. healthy ageing) was highest in the South-Asian Surinamese [adjusted odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals)] [2.96 (2.24-3.90) and 6.88 (3.29-14.40), respectively] and Turkish [2.80 (2.11-3.73) and 7.10 (3.31-15.24), respectively] vs. Dutch, in the oldest [5.89 (3.62-9.60) and 13.17 (1.77-98.01), respectively] vs. youngest, and in the divorced [1.48 (1.10-2.01) and 2.83 (1.39-5.77), respectively] vs. married. Poor ageing was inversely associated with educational and occupational levels, mainly in men. CONCLUSIONS Compared with those of Dutch ethnic origin, ethnic minorities displayed less healthy ageing, which was more pronounced in women, before and after midlife, and was associated with sociodemographic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyne Menassa
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse, 43 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Health Sciences, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse, 43 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Global Public Health & Bioethics, Julius Center for Health Science and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Oscar H Franco
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse, 43 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Global Public Health & Bioethics, Julius Center for Health Science and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Henrike Galenkamp
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Eric P Moll van Charante
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Bert-Jan H van den Born
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Esther M C Vriend
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Pedro Marques Vidal
- Department of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 46, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Karien Stronks
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Barsha RAA, Najand B, Zare H, Assari S. Immigration, Educational Attainment, and Subjective Health in the United States. JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 8:16-25. [PMID: 38455255 PMCID: PMC10919757 DOI: 10.29245/2578-2959/2024/1.1299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Objectives Although educational attainment is a major social determinant of health, according to Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs), the effect of education tends to be weaker for marginalized groups compared to the privileged groups. While we know more about marginalization due to race and ethnicity, limited information is available on MDRs of educational attainment among US immigrant individuals. Aims This study compared immigrant and non-immigrant US adults aged 18 and over for the effects of educational attainment on subjective health (self-rated health; SRH). Methods Data came from General Social Survey (GSS) that recruited a nationally representative sample of US adults from 1972 to 2022. Overall, GSS has enrolled 45,043 individuals who were either immigrant (4,247; 9.4%) and non-immigrant (40,796; 90.6%). The independent variable was educational attainment, the dependent variable was SRH (measured with a single item), confounders were age, gender, race, employment and marital status, and moderator was immigration (nativity) status. Results Higher educational attainment was associated with higher odds of good SRH (odds ratio OR = 2.08 for 12 years of education, OR = 2.81 for 13-15 years of education, OR = 4.38 for college graduation, and OR = 4.83 for graduate studies). However, we found significant statistical interaction between immigration status and college graduation on SRH, which was indicative of smaller association between college graduation and SRH for immigrant than non-immigrant US adults. Conclusions In line with MDRs, the association between educational attainment and SRH was weaker for immigrant than non-immigrant. It is essential to implement two sets of policies to achieve health inequalities among immigrant populations: policies that increase educational attainment of immigrants and those that increase the health returns of educational attainment for immigrants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Babak Najand
- Marginalization Related Diminished returns, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hossein Zare
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- University of Maryland Global Campus, Health Services Management, Adelphi, Maryland, USA
| | - Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Rodriguez JM, Koo C, Di Pasquale G, Assari S. Black-White differences in perceived lifetime discrimination by education and income in the MIDUS Study in the U.S. J Biosoc Sci 2023; 55:795-811. [PMID: 36352755 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932022000360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence on the negative effects of perceived discrimination on health outcomes and their interactions with indicators of socioeconomic status. However, less has been studied on whether income and education lead individuals of a different race to encounter different discriminatory experiences in their lifetime. Using data from the national survey of the Midlife Development in the United States-MIDUS 1 (1995-1996) and MIDUS Refresher (2011-2014)-on eight measures of perceived lifetime discrimination, this study compares discriminatory experiences of Black and White persons in two time periods. We applied generalized structural equation models and generalized linear models to test multiplicative effects of income and education by race on lifetime discrimination. In both periods, we find substantive disparities between White and Black people in all types of lifetime discrimination, with Black people reporting much higher levels of discrimination. Such disparities exacerbated in the top cohorts of society, yet these associations have changed in time, with White individuals reporting increasing levels of discrimination. Results show that, for Black people in the mid-1990s, perceived discrimination increased as education and income increased. This finding persisted for education by the early 2010s; income effects changed as now both, low- and high-income Black people, reported the highest levels of discrimination. These findings highlight a policy conundrum, given that increasing income and education represent a desirable course of action to improve overall discrimination and health outcomes. Yet, we show that they may unintendingly exacerbate racial disparities in discrimination. We also show that the U.S. is moving toward a stagnation period in health outcomes improvement, with racial disparities in discrimination shrinking at the expense of a deterioration of whites' lifetime discriminatory experiences. Our results highlight the need for a multi-systems policy approach to prevent all forms of discrimination including those due to historical, institutional, legal, and sociopolitical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier M Rodriguez
- Claremont Graduate University, Department of Politics and Government, Claremont, United States
| | - Chungeun Koo
- Gachon University, Korea Inequality Research Lab, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Shervin Assari
- Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Department of Family Medicine, Los Angeles, United States
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Lee S. Cross-Lagged Associations Between Physical Activity, Self-Rated Health, and Psychological Resilience Among Older American Adults: A 3-Wave Study. J Phys Act Health 2023:1-8. [PMID: 37185450 DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2022-0455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The current study examined the reciprocal association between psychological resilience, physical activity, and self-rated health in older America adults. A 3-wave cross-lagged panel design was employed using data sampled from the Health and Retirement Study 2010, 2014, and 2018. In total, 8380 older adults, age ranged between 56 and 95 years at the baseline (mean age = 68.06, SD = 7.77), were analyzed. Using structural equation modeling, standardized path coefficients were estimated to determine the relationship between physical activity, self-rated health, and psychological resilience across 2 follow-up points. Cross-lagged analysis revealed that higher levels of physical activity at T1 and T2 were significantly associated with higher levels of self-rated health at T2 and T3, respectively. Self-rated health at T1 and T2 were significantly associated with physical activity at T2 and T3, respectively. Self-rated health and psychological resilience were positively related to one another at each time point. However, relationship between physical activity and psychological resilience was complex across time. Study findings support reciprocal prospective relationship between physical activity and self-rated health and the relationship between self-rated health and psychological resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunwoo Lee
- Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc,Czech Republic
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Wikle JS, Yorgason JB. Married Mixed-gender Couples’ Midlife Employment and Later Life Well-being and Housework. SEX ROLES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11199-022-01306-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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6
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Coman EN, Steinbach S, Cao G. Spatial perspectives in family health research. Fam Pract 2022; 39:556-562. [PMID: 34910138 DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmab165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emil N Coman
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Health Disparities Institute, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Sandro Steinbach
- University of Connecticut, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Guofeng Cao
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Geography, Boulder, CO, United States
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Assari S, Malek-Ahmadi MR, Caldwell CH. Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 7:19-37. [PMID: 34307868 DOI: 10.22158/jepf.v7n1p19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Aim We compared the effects of parental education and household income on children's body mass index (BMI) in Hispanic White (HW) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) families. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and analyzed data of 5100 children between the ages of 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and household income. The primary outcome was BMI value. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Confounders were age, sex, and family structure. Three mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results Overall, higher parental education and household income were associated with lower BMI levels in children. While an interaction was found between ethnicity and parental education, no interaction was noted between ethnicity and household income regarding BMI. The interaction indicated weaker protective effects of high parental education on BMI in HW children than NHW children. Household income showed similar protective effects on children's BMI in HW and NHW families. Conclusion Parental education but not household income loses some of its protective effects on childhood BMI among HW families compared to NHW families. Distal social determinants of health may be more vulnerable to the MDRs (minorities' diminished returns) than proximal ones. As a result, closing the income gap may be a good strategy towards closing the childhood BMI gap between highly educated HW and NHW families. Policies that raise the minimum wage and those that help HW families save money (e.g., earned income tax policies) maybe more promising strategies to eliminate the ethnic gap in BMI than increasing the education level of ethnic minority families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Cleopatra H Caldwell
- Department of Health Behaviors and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health (CRECH), School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Assari S. Socioeconomic Status and Current Cigarette Smoking Status: Immigrants' Diminished Returns. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE AND GLOBAL HEALTH 2020; 8:66-72. [PMID: 32656271 DOI: 10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, USA
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9
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Assari S. Combined Effects of Ethnicity and Education on Burden of Depressive Symptoms over 24 Years in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E209. [PMID: 32252391 PMCID: PMC7225993 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10040209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnicity and educational attainment are among the major social determinants of depression in the general population. While high education credentials protect individuals against depressive symptoms, this protection may be weaker for ethnic minority groups such as Hispanic Whites compared to the majority group (non-Hispanic Whites). Built on marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs), the current study used 24-year follow-up data from a nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older adults to explore ethnic variation in the protective effect of education levels against the burden of depressive symptoms over time. Data for this analysis were borrowed from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 1992-ongoing), a nationally representative longitudinal study. HRS followed 8314 middle-aged and older adults (50+ years old) for up to 24 years. From this number, 763 (9.2%) were Hispanic White, and 7551 (90.8%) were non-Hispanic White Americans. Education level was the independent variable. We had two outcomes. Firstly, using cluster analysis, individuals were categorized to low- and high-risk groups (regarding the burden of depressive symptoms over 24 years); secondly, average depressive symptoms were observed over the 24 years of follow up. Age and gender were the covariates. Ethnicity was the moderator. Linear and logistic regression were used for analysis. Logistic regression showed that, overall, high educational credentials reduced the odds of chronic depressive symptoms over the 24 years of follow-up. Linear regression also showed that higher years of education were associated with lower average depressive symptoms over time. Both models showed statistically significant interactions between ethnicity and graduation, indicating a smaller protective effect of high education against depressive symptoms over the 24 years of follow-up time among Hispanic with respect to non-Hispanic White people. In line with the MDRs, highly educated Hispanic White Americans remain at high risk for depressive symptoms, a risk that is unexpected given their education. The burden of depressive symptoms, however, is lowest for highly educated non-Hispanic White Americans. Policies that exclusively focus on equalizing educational gaps across ethnic groups may fail to eliminate the ethnic gap in the burden of chronic depressive symptoms, given the diminished marginal health return of education for ethnic minorities. Public policies must equalize not only education but also educational quality across ethnic groups. This aim would require addressing structural and environmental barriers that are disproportionately more common in the lives of ethnic minorities across education levels. Future research should test how contextual factors, residential segregation, school segregation, labor market practices, childhood poverty, and education quality in urban schools reduce the health return of educational attainment for highly educated ethnic minorities such as Hispanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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10
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Assari S. Income and Mental Well-Being of Middle-Aged and Older Americans: Immigrants' Diminished Returns. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE AND GLOBAL HEALTH 2020; 8:37-43. [PMID: 32266301 DOI: 10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Although income is among the major social determinants of mental health of middle-aged and older individuals, socially marginalized groups gain less health from their income and other socioeconomic status (SES) resources compared to socially privileged groups. This pattern is called marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs). Most of the existing knowledge on MDRs, however, has been derived from studies that have defined marginalization based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. As a result, very limited information exists on whether similar MDRs can be observed for middle-aged and older immigrants or not. Building on the MDRs framework, this study compared a national sample of immigrants and non-immigrants for the effects of income on the mental well-being of middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. The 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) enrolled 14 149 middle-aged and older individuals who were either immigrants (n=1977; 14.0%) or non-immigrants (n=12 166; 86.0%). The independent variable (IV) was income that was treated as a continuous variable. The dependent variable was mental well-being, also treated as a continuous variable. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, marital status, employment, self-rated health, obesity, and region were confounders. Immigration (nativity status) was the moderator. Logistic regression was applied for data analysis. Results High income was associated with higher odds of good mental well-being in middle-aged and older adults. However, immigration showed a significant statistical interaction with income, which was suggestive of a smaller protective effect of high income on mental well-being for immigrant than non-immigrant middle-aged and older adults. Conclusion In line with MDRs, the association between income and mental well-being is weaker for immigrant than non-immigrant middle-aged and older adults. There is a need to help high income immigrants secure health outcomes similar to those of non-immigrants. Such changes may require bold and innovative economic, public, and social policies that help immigrants more effectively translate their income and socioeconomic resources into tangible outcomes such as mental well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, USA
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11
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Assari S, Cobb S, Cuevas AG, Bazargan M. Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment Among Immigrant Adults in the United States. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:535624. [PMID: 33329080 PMCID: PMC7728619 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.535624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) refer to weaker health effects of educational attainment for socially marginalized groups compared to the socially privileged groups. Most of the existing literature on MDRs, however, has focused on marginalization due to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Thus, very limited information exists on MDRs of educational attainment among immigrant populations in the United States. Aims: Building on the MDRs framework and using a nationally representative sample of US adults, we compared immigrant and native-born adults for the effects of educational attainment on psychological distress, self-rated health (SRH), and chronic diseases (CDs). Methods: The 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has enrolled 33,672 individuals who were either immigrant (n = 6,225; 18.5%) or native born (n = 27,429; 81.5%). The independent variable (IV) was educational attainment, which was treated as a categorical variable. The dependent variables included psychological distress, SRH, and CDs, all of which were dichotomous variables. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and region were confounders. Immigration (nativity status) was the moderator. Results: Higher educational attainment was associated with lower odds of psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs. However, immigration showed a significant statistical interaction with college graduation on all outcomes, which were suggestive of smaller protective effects of college graduation on psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs for immigrant than native-born adults. Conclusions: In the US, the associations between educational attainment and psychological distress, SRH, and CDs are all weaker for immigrant than native-born adults. To prevent health disparities, it is essential to decompose health inequalities that are due to low educational attainment from those that are due to diminished returns of educational attainment (i.e., MDRs). There is a need to help highly educated immigrant adults secure positive health outcomes, similar to their native-born counterparts. Such changes may require bold and innovative economic, public, and social policies that help immigrant adults to more effectively mobilize their educational attainment to secure tangible outcomes. Elimination of health disparities in the US requires efforts that go beyond equalizing access to education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sharon Cobb
- School of Nursing, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Adolfo G Cuevas
- Department of Community Health, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mohsen Bazargan
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Assari S. Blacks' Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment: Health and Retirement Study. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 2020; 4. [PMID: 34966877 DOI: 10.32892/jmri.212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Education level reduces the risk of health problems such as poor self-rated health (SRH), high body mass index (BMI), and depressive symptoms (DS). Marginalization - related Diminished Returns (MDRs), however, refer to smaller health benefits of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators particularly educational attainment for the members of racial minority groups such as non-Hispanic Blacks compared to the majority group (non-Hispanic Whites). It is not known, however, if MDRs also hold for middle-age and older adults over a long period of time. AIMS The current study used a nationally representative data set to explore racial variation in the predictive utility of baseline education level on protecting people against poor SRH, BMI, and DS. METHODS Data for this analysis were borrowed from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS 1992-ongoing), a nationally representative longitudinal study that followed 10,023 middle-aged and older adults (50+ years old) for up to 26 years. From this number, 1877 (18.7%) were non-Hispanic Black Americans, and 8,146 (81.3%) were non-Hispanic White Americans. Education level was the independent variable. We used cluster analysis to categorize individuals to low and high-risk groups (outcome) based on SRH, BMI, and DS over 26 years. Age and gender were the covariates. Race was the moderator. RESULTS Overall, high education level reduced the odds of poor SRH, BMI, and DS over the 26 years of follow up. Interactions were observed between race and education on all three health outcomes indicating smaller protective effects of baseline educational attainment on poor health over time, regardless of the outcome. CONCLUSIONS In line with the MDRs, highly educated non-Hispanic Black Americans remain at high risk for poor health across domains, a risk which is unexpected given their education. The risk of all health outcomes, however, is lowest for non-Hispanic White Americans with highest education. Policies that exclusively focus on equalizing racial gaps in SES (e.g., education) may fail to eliminate the racial and ethnic health inequalities because of the racial inequalities in the marginal health return of education. Public policies must equalize education quality and address structural and environmental barriers that are disproportionately more common in the lives of non-Hispanic Black Americans, even at high education levels. Future research should test how contextual factors, segregation, labor market practices, childhood poverty, and education quality reduces the health return of education for highly educated non-Hispanic Black Americans.
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Assari S. Social Determinants of Delayed Gratification among American Children. CASPIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES 2020; 6:181-189. [PMID: 33215045 DOI: 10.32598/cjns.6.22.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A wide array of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators tend to show differential effects for members of diverse social groups. Limited knowledge exists on ethnic variation in the effects of family income on delay discounting which is predictor of risk behaviors. OBJECTIVES This study tested whether the effect of family income on delayed gratification differs between Latino and non-Latino children. METHODS AND MATERIALS In this cross-sectional analytical study, data came from wave one of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study which included 3903 non-Latino or Latino Black or White American children between ages 9 and 10 years old. The predictor was family income. Data were collected in 21 sits in the US in 2018. The outcome was children's delay discounting. We measured delay discounting, which reflected individuals' tendency to assign less value to remote outcomes and rewards (inversely correlated with delayed gratification). Using SPSS 22.0, linear regression was used for data analysis. RESULTS According to our pooled sample regression, higher family income was associated with lower children delay discounting (Beta= -0.05, p = .021). We found a significant interaction between family income and ethnicity, suggesting that the association between family income and delay discounting is stronger for Latino than non-Latino children (Beta= -0.09, p = .043). CONCLUSIONS Not all ethnic disparities are due to SES gaps; differential returns of socioeconomic status indicators, such as family income, across diverse social groups also contribute to ethnic disparities in health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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Assari S. Ethnicity, educational attainment, and physical health of older adults in the United States. Aging Med (Milton) 2019; 2:104-111. [PMID: 31608316 PMCID: PMC6788632 DOI: 10.1002/agm2.12050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Minorities' diminished returns theory suggests that socioeconomic status (SES) resources generate fewer health benefits for racial and ethnic minority groups, compared to the majority group. The current study aimed to compare Hispanic and non-Hispanic white older adults for the association between educational attainment and poor physical self-rated health (SRH). METHODS The first wave of the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging (UM-NPHA) included 1820 older adults who were 50-80 years old and were either non-Hispanic white (n = 1618) or Hispanic white (n = 202). The main independent variable of interest was educational attainment. The main dependent variable of interest was poor physical SRH. Gender, age, marital status, and employment status were covariates. Ethnicity was the focal effect modifier. RESULTS Overall, higher level of educational attainment was associated with better physical SRH. A significant interaction was found between ethnicity and level of educational attainment, which was indicative of a smaller physical SRH gain due to high educational attainment for Hispanic white compared to non-Hispanic white older adults. In ethnic-specific models, we found evidence suggesting that high educational attainment reduced the odds of poor physical SRH for non-Hispanic whites but not for Hispanic whites. CONCLUSION Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Hispanic whites gain less physical SRH benefits from their educational attainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of California Los Angeles (UCLA)Los AngelesCalifornia
- Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health (CRECH)School of Public HealthUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
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