Psychosocial Factors Associated with Longevity in the United States: Age Differences between the Old and Oldest-Old in the Health and Retirement Study

Recent growth in the number of adults surviving to advanced ages raises questions about the quality of life associated with increased longevity. Psychosocial factors have received relatively little attention in research on quality of life among the oldest-old. This study uses nationally representative data on older US adults to examine how social relationships, feelings of loneliness, and satisfaction with life and the aging experience differ between the oldest-old, those who have survived to age 90 or older, and older adults in their 70s. We find that the oldest-old are able to maintain social relationships with family and friends and receive more social support than younger elderly adults. Yet, the oldest-old are more likely to feel lonely due to their greater rates of widowhood. Satisfaction with life was higher among the oldest-old, but the oldest-old had more negative perceptions of the aging experience. Psychosocial dimensions of longevity should be considered in research on quality of life among the oldest-old

BMI Trajectories During the Transition to Older Adulthood: Persistent, Widening, or Diminishing Disparities by Ethnicity and Education?

Previous research has produced inconsistent results on whether education and ethnic disparities in BMI persist, widen, or diminish over time. We investigate how education and ethnicity, independently and conditionally, influence BMI trajectories during the transition to older adulthood. Employing random coefficient modeling, we analyzed 8 biennial waves of data (1992-2006) from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals born between 1931 and 1941. After adjusting for health behaviors and health status, education and ethnic disparities in BMI persisted for most groups, but narrowed between high-educated white men and both low-educated Hispanic men and high-educated black men. As such, our findings generally support the persistent inequality interpretation. Therefore, even though interventions targeted at earlier points in the life course may be effective in reducing BMI disparities in later life, social and health policies directed at reducing obesity among older adults is also warranted

Body mass index trajectories from adolescence to midlife: Differential effects of parental and respondent education by race/ethnicity and gender

Objectives: Race/ethnicity and education are among the strongest social determinants of body mass index (BMI) throughout the life course, yet we know relatively little about how these social factors both independently and interactively contribute to the rate at which BMI changes from adolescence to midlife. The purpose of this study is to 1) examine variation in trajectories of BMI from adolescence to midlife by mothers\u27 and respondents\u27 education, and 2) determine if the effects of mothers\u27 and respondents\u27 education on BMI trajectories differ by race/ethnicity and gender. Design: We used nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Our sample included White (n=4,433), Black (n=2,420) and Hispanic (n=1,501) respondents. Self-reported height and weight were collected on 16 occasions from 1981-2008. We employed two-level linear growth models to specify BMI trajectories. Results: Mothers\u27 education was inversely associated with BMI and BMI change among women. Among men, mothers\u27 education was inversely associated with BMI; these educational disparities persisted for Whites, diminished for Blacks, and widened for Hispanics. Respondents\u27 education was inversely associated with BMI among women, but was positively associated with the rate of BMI change among Black women. Respondents\u27 education was inversely associated with BMI among White and Hispanic men, and positively associated with BMI among Black men. These educational disparities widened for White and Black men, but narrowed for Hispanic men. Conclusions: Our results suggest that by simultaneously considering multiple sources of stratification, we can more fully understand how the unequal distribution of advantages or disadvantages across social groups affects BMI across the life course

Biological Risk Profiles Among Latino Subgroups in the Health and Retirement Study

Background and Objectives: Latinos residing in the United States exhibit an increased risk for cardiovascular and meta- bolic diseases compared to non-Latino whites. This elevated risk contributes to a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among Latino adults. Examining biological risk profiles of older Latinos as a “pan-ethnic group” and by Latino subpopulations may help to explain the increased burden of disease in later life among this population. The objec- tive of this study is to document biological risk profiles among a nationally representative sample of older U.S. Latinos by nativity and country of origin. Research Design and Methods: We use the 2006–2012 Health and Retirement Study to compare cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory and cumulative biological risk among U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.-born Puerto Ricans, island-born Puerto Ricans, U.S.-born “other” Latinos, foreign-born “other” Latinos, and non-Latino whites. Results: Older Latinos exhibit heterogeneous biological risk profiles. U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.- born “other” Latinos, and foreign-born “other” Latinos exhibited a higher rate of cardiovascular risk relative to non-Latino whites. In addition, U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, island-born Puerto Ricans, and foreign-born “other” Latinos had a higher rate of metabolic risk than non-Latino whites. Island-born Puerto Ricans were the only group to exhibit higher inflammation than non-Latino whites. The observed differences were largely attenuated by socioeconomic status, indicating that high levels of risk among older Latino subpopulations compared to non-Latino whites are associated with lower socioeconomic status. Discussion and Implications: Older U.S. Latinos are a demographically diverse population with unique sociocultural char- acteristics which may contribute to differences in biological risk across the life course that influence disease progression. Examining Latinos by nativity and country of origin may help identify risks specific to individual subpopulations that can lead to culturally appropriate interventions which help prevent and reduce the burden of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

Biological Risk Profiles Among Latino Subgroups in the Health and Retirement Study

Background and Objectives: Latinos residing in the United States exhibit an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases compared to non-Latino whites. This elevated risk contributes to a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among Latino adults. Examining biological risk profiles of older Latinos as a “pan-ethnic group” and by Latino subpopulations may help to explain the increased burden of disease in later life among this population. The objective of this study is to document biological risk profiles among a nationally representative sample of older U.S. Latinos by nativity and country of origin. Research Design and Methods: We use the 2006–2012 Health and Retirement Study to compare cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory and cumulative biological risk among U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.-born Puerto Ricans, island-born Puerto Ricans, U.S.-born “other” Latinos, foreign-born “other” Latinos, and non-Latino whites. Results: Older Latinos exhibit heterogeneous biological risk profiles. U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.- born “other” Latinos, and foreign-born “other” Latinos exhibited a higher rate of cardiovascular risk relative to non-Latino whites. In addition, U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, island-born Puerto Ricans, and foreign-born “other” Latinos had a higher rate of metabolic risk than non-Latino whites. Island-born Puerto Ricans were the only group to exhibit higher inflammation than non-Latino whites. The observed differences were largely attenuated by socioeconomic status, indicating that high levels of risk among older Latino subpopulations compared to non-Latino whites are associated with lower socioeconomic status. Discussion and Implications: Older U.S. Latinos are a demographically diverse population with unique sociocultural characteristics which may contribute to differences in biological risk across the life course that influence disease progression. Examining Latinos by nativity and country of origin may help identify risks specific to individual subpopulations that can lead to culturally appropriate interventions which help prevent and reduce the burden of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

The Social Determinants of Obesity.

Obesity has become a major social and public health concern in the United States. The risk for obesity is not evenly distributed across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups and we know little about how obesity risk differs according to experiences in important life settings or how experiences accumulate over the life course to influence adult obesity. This dissertation begins by documenting how social disparities in body mass index (BMI) trajectories have changed in the U.S. population during a time of rapid growth in obesity rates. Drawing on intersectionality theory, I examine the multiple and interactive effects of inequality and find increasing racial and socioeconomic disparities in BMI trajectories over time, particularly among the youngest adults, such that black women with medium to high education and low to medium income levels experienced substantially larger increases in BMI over time, while white men with high education or high income levels experienced the least growth. I then investigate the relationship between early-life socioeconomic position (SEP) and adult BMI trajectories and determine which theoretical models of life course processes best explain how early-life SEP comes to influence adult BMI. I find enduring effects of early-life SEP that are heavily mediated by adult characteristics and some evidence that racial/ethnic inequality in BMI is anchored in experiences in early-life, though life course SEP did not fully account for black/white differences in BMI trajectories. I also find that socioeconomic disadvantage accumulates over the life course and that early-life disadvantage in combination with adult disadvantage results in significantly higher BMI. In the third analytic chapter, I examine differences in BMI by different types of relationship change over time and different levels of relationship quality (i.e., stress and social support). I find that people who are continuously in a relationship have higher BMI than those who remain single and that entering a relationship is associated with a subsequent increase in BMI while exiting a relationship is associated with a decrease in BMI. I also find that BMI increases more for those individuals who are in stressful relationships.Ph.D.SociologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63800/1/ailshire_1.pd