Older women on the U.S.-Mexico border: exploring the health of Hispanics and non-Hispanics Whites

Research on ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) suggests that Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to experience poverty and low levels of education, which may relate to poorer health status. This study used a health survey to examine income, education, ethnicity, birthplace, and age on self-reported health factors of women age 60 and older on the U.S.-Mexico border. Results show that income, age, and education were significantly associated with several health factors (Physical Health, Emotional Health, General Health, Energy Level, and Activity Potential). Older women with lower SES, regardless of ethnicity, reported poorer health than younger-old women with higher SES.     

Older Women on the U.S.-México Border: Exploring the Health of Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites

ABSTRACT

Research on ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) suggests that Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to experience poverty and low levels of education, which may relate to poorer health status. This study used a health survey to examine income, education, ethnicity, birthplace, and age on self-reported health factors of women age 60 and older on the U.S.-México border. Results show that income, age, and education were significantly associated with several health factors (Physical Health, Emotional Health, General Health, Energy Level, and Activity Potential). Older women with lower SES, regardless of ethnicity, reported poorer health than younger-old women with higher SES.     

Gender difference in physical performance, body composition and dietary intake in homebound elders

Considering that the most vulnerable subgroup of elders for poor nutritional status and functional decline is the increasing number of homebound women, we examined gender differences in physical performance, body composition, and dietary intake in a randomly recruited sample of 345 homebound elders (81% women, 48% black, > 65% income < $750/month). After controlling for demographic and health-related factors, the results from multivariate analyses indicated that women were more likely than men to report the lowest nutrient intake and were 2.9 times more likely to be at the worst level of overall physical performance. These results suggest a heightened vulnerability of homebound older women to poor physical performance, low dietary intake, and increased Body Mass Index (BMI). Prospective research is now needed to examine the interrelationships between physical performance, dietary intake, and body composition among the growing homebound older population.     

Household structure and child nutrition: A reinterpretation of income and mother's education

Two frequently used predictors of child malnutrition are family income and mother's education. Despite their common sense rationale, they pose difficult and perhaps intractable problems of measurement and conceptualization. This paper proposes to substitute the concepts of family and maternal differentiation for these traditionally used indicators. Differentiation is defined as the capacity of the individual or group to process a diversity of information categories. Using data from a recent survey of households in Panama, indicators of this concept were constructed at the family and at the maternal levels using principal component analysis. These are shown to predict a range of indicators of childrens' nutritional status when appropriate control variables are included in the regression analysis. The same analysis was then repeated with income and mother's education replacing the differentiation measures. The results support our claim that the differentiation indicators are superior, and we argue that an even more important reason for using them is that they open the door to a long-term research program that is theoretically consistent and potentially cumulative.     

Income Rich and Asset Poor: A Multilevel Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Housing Values among Baby Boomers

Race and ethnicity, as well as cohort status are strong predictors of asset ownership including home ownership and housing values. Yet, seldom have the two concepts been linked. Additionally, potentially important determinants such as business income have often times been excluded from the analyses despite findings suggesting that business income may be an important indicator for racial and ethnic minorities who would otherwise be relegated to employment in low status jobs in the secondary labor market. Using the most recent data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample, this study examines: (1) How Asian, Black, Hispanic and white baby boomers compare in terms of housing values; and (2) What role business income and interest, dividends and rental income have on housing values for Asian, Black, Hispanic and white baby boomers. Significant racial and ethnic differences in housing values exist, and business income and interest, dividends and rental income are all significant indicators of housing values for all groups.     

Prevalence of low bone health using quantitative ultrasound in Indian women aged 41–60 years: Its association with nutrition and other related risk factors

The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of low bone health conditions and assess associated nutritional and other risk factors in Indian women aged 41–60 years. A total of 1,911 women participated in this cross-sectional study. Bone health was assessed using an Omnisense multisite quantitative ultrasound bone densitometer on two sites (radius and tibia). Crude prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was found to be 30.09% and 19.89%, respectively. The Indian women were deficient in a majority of nutrients. Postmenopause, hysterectomy, hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, hypertension, low physical activity, low sun exposure, high stress levels, and low calcium levels were found to be independent risk factors of low bone health.     

Older Widows' Early Bereavement Adjustments

Older Black women, categorically rank at the top with regards to the greatest incidence of poverty. This paper examines the construct of poverty and the salient factors that contribute to poverty among older Black women. An analysis of the various factors: income, Social Security, private pensions, widowhood, labor force participation and education, all of which contribute to the impoverishment of women in late life, are explored. Implications for policy as well as recommendations to reduce poverty among older Black women are provided.     

Risk factors of severity of abuse against older women in the home setting: A multinational European study

ABSTRACT

This article examines the ecological risk factors of abuse against older women. Data from 2,880 older women were randomly collected in five European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, Lithuania, and Portugal) using a standardized questionnaire. Results indicate that overall 30.1 % older women had at least one experience of abuse in the past year. The findings demonstrate that a single emphasis on personal risk factors (e.g., health, coping) is important but too simple: Abuse is multifaceted and is embedded in environmental (e.g., loneliness, household income) as well as macrocultural contexts (e.g., old age dependency ratio).     

Cigarette Use and the Narrowing Sex Differential in Mortality

What explains the recent reversal in many countries of century‐long trends toward a growing female advantage in mortality? And might the reversal indicate that new roles and statuses of women have begun to harm their health relative to men? Using data on 21 high‐income countries that separate smoking deaths from other deaths, this study answers the first question by showing that the reversal in the direction of change in the sex differential results from increased levels of smoking among women relative to men. Using additional cross‐national data on cigarette consumption and indicators of gender equality, this article answers the second question in the negative by showing that the declining female advantage in smoking mortality results from patterns of the diffusion of cigarette use rather than from improvements in women's status. Evidence of continued improvement in the female mortality advantage net of smoking deaths, and the likely decline of smoking among women in the future, imply that the recent narrowing of the differential will reverse.     

Gender Differences in Physical Performance,Body Composition,and Dietary Intake in Homebound Elders

ABSTRACT

Considering that the most vulnerable subgroup of elders for poor nutritional status and functional decline is the increasing number of home-bound women, we examined gender differences in physical performance, body composition, and dietary intake in a randomly recruited sample of 345 home-bound elders (81% women, 48% black > 65% income < $750/month). After controlling for demographic and health-related factors, the results from multivariate analyses indicated that women were more likely than men to report the lowest nutrient intake and were 2.9 times more likely to be at the worst level of overall physical performance. These results suggest a heightened vulnerability of homebound older women to poor physical performance, low dietary intake, and increased Body Mass Index (BMI). Prospective research is now needed to examine the interrelationships between physical performance, dietary intake, and body composition among the growing homebound older population.     

Factors associated with advance care planning among older women in Southwest Florida

As the nation's population continues to age, many older women will face care needs that can be anticipated in advance. However, little is known about the advance care plans of older women and the characteristics of those who plan. This study utilized a stratified random sampling design to survey older women (n = 124) in the state of Florida regarding their attitudes toward future care and planning behavior in social-environmental, health, and financial domains. Regression analyses were conducted to determine factors most predictive of attitudes toward future care and planning behavior by domain. Results suggest that advanced age predicts greater planning behavior, while living alone is associated with less advance care planning behavior. Other factors associated with less planning by domains of care needs include income status, chronic health conditions, educational attainment, and religious status. Nonaccepting attitudes toward planning were associated with a decreased likelihood to have advance care planning documents.     

Prevalence of frailty and associated factors in Korean older women: The KLoSA study

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of frailty in older women and its associated factors using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). The level of frailty was moderate/severe in 20.2% of the women. Age, socioeconomic status, and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with all levels of frailty. Sensory function and grip strength were associated with both mild and moderate/severe frailty. The only factors associated with moderate/severe frailty were marriage status and regular exercise. Understanding the risk factors of frailty may help health care providers to deliver tailored interventions to prevent this condition and its adverse outcomes.     

Health Measurement in Population Surveys: Combining Information from Self-reported and Observer-Measured Health Indicators

Our primary aim is to develop and validate a population health metric for survey-based health assessment that combines information from both self-reported and observer-measured health indicators. A secondary objective is to use this index to examine gender and socioeconomic differentials in the health status of older people. We use data from the second wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) conducted in 2004 (N = 8,870). Information from three observer-measured and three self-reported health indicators was combined, using a latent variable modeling approach. A model that decomposed the manifest health indicators to valid health, systematic error, and random error was found to fit the data best. The latent health dimension represented somatic health, and was tested against three external criteria: height, waist-hip ratio, and smoking status. We present the Latent Index of Somatic Health (LISH), as well as a procedure for deriving the LISH in surveys employing both self- and observer-measured health indicators. Observer-measured and self-reported indicators were found to be equally biased in indexing population somatic health, with the exception of self-reports of functional limitations, which was the most reliable somatic health indicator. As expected, results showed that women had worse health than men and that socioeconomic advantage is associated with better somatic health.     

Is the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status and Health Stronger for Older Children in Developing Countries?

Recent research on the relationship between child health and income in developed countries reveals a positive gradient that is more pronounced for older children, suggesting that the impact of income upon health accumulates. This article examines whether the same is true in a developing country. Using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey on children aged 0 to 14 years, we find that although low income adversely affects health, its impact does not differ by age. This finding is robust to the use of both subjective and objective health measures, controlling for selective mortality, the use of alternative measures of households’ resources, and the inclusion of indicators of health at birth and parental health. One explanation for the constancy of the health-income relationship that we explore is the dominant role played by acute illness in determining the general health status of children in a developing-country context compared with the more central role played by chronic conditions in developed countries.     

SNAP Benefits and Pregnancy-Related Emergency Room Visits

Pregnant women are likely to be sensitive to daily fluctuations in nutritional intake. To see if income constraints at the end of the month limit food consumption and trigger health problems, we examine how the date that benefits are issued for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes the probability that a woman will go to the Emergency Room (ER) for pregnancy-related conditions using administrative data from SNAP and Medicaid from Missouri for 2010–2013. SNAP benefits in Missouri are distributed from the 1st through the 22nd day of the month based on the birth month and the first letter of the last name of the head of the household, making timing of SNAP issuance exogenous. We estimate probit models of the calendar month and SNAP benefit month on the probability of a pregnancy-related ER visit for women age 17–45, or the sample at risk of being pregnant. We also examine the relationship between SNAP benefit levels and ER visits. We found that women who received SNAP benefits in the second or third week of the calendar month were less likely to receive pregnancy-related care through the ER in the week following benefit receipt. Results suggest that SNAP benefits might be related to patterns of pregnancy-related medical care accessed through the ER. Since SNAP issuance date is within state control in the United States, states may want to consider the health effects of their choice.     

Female fertility history and mid-late-life health: Findings from China

China’s middle-aged and older women suffer from poorer health than men. Using national baseline data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a survey conducted from 2011 to 2012, this article applies logistic models to investigate the association between female fertility history (parity, early childbearing, late childbearing) and middle-aged and late-life health. We find that parity is related to the mid-late-life health of women. Women with four children or more are more likely to suffer from activities of daily living (ADL) impairment and poorer self-rated health than those with one to three children. Early childbearing is associated with ADL impairment; however, the correlation is mediated by socioeconomic status. Early childbearing is related to self-rated health in later life by an indirect-only mediation effect via educational attainment and personal income.     

Factors Associated with Advance Care Planning Among Older Women in Southwest Florida

ABSTRACT

As the nation's population continues to age, many older women will face care needs that can be anticipated in advance. However, little is known about the advance care plans of older women and the characteristics of those who plan. This study utilized a stratified random sampling design to survey older women (n = 124) in the state of Florida regarding their attitudes toward future care and planning behavior in social-environmental, health, and financial domains. Regression analyses were conducted to determine factors most predictive of attitudes toward future care and planning behavior by domain. Results suggest that advanced age predicts greater planning behavior, while living alone is associated with less advance care planning behavior. Other factors associated with less planning by domains of care needs include income status, chronic health conditions, educational attainment, and religious status. Nonaccepting attitudes toward planning were associated with a decreased likelihood to have advance care planning documents.