HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kelley-Moore, J. A. Articles by Ferraro, K. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kelley-Moore, J. A. Articles by Ferraro, K. F.

The Black/White Disability Gap: Persistent Inequality in Later Life?

¹ Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
² Department of Sociology and Center for Aging and the Life Course, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Please address all correspondence to Jessica A. Kelley-Moore, Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250. E-mail: jkm{at}umbc.edu

Objectives. Previous research on differences between Black and White older adults has produced inconsistent results on whether a gap in disability exists and whether it persists over time. The present research identifies several reasons for the inconsistent results to date and examines Black/White differences in disability trajectories over 6 years.

Methods. Data from the North Carolina Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (1986–1992) are used to estimate the disability gap and trajectory over time for both Black and White older adults.

Results. Results indicate that a disability gap between Black and White adults exists, but after socioeconomic resources, social integration, and other health indicators are adjusted for, the trajectories of disability by race are not significantly different. Controlling for incident morbidity over time accounts for the significant difference in level of disability between the two groups.

Discussion. This research supports the "persistent inequality" interpretation, indicating that Black adults have higher morbidity and disability earlier in life compared with White adults, and that the gap neither converges nor diverges over time.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. H. Brown and D. F. Warner Divergent Pathways? Racial/Ethnic Differences in Older Women's Labor Force Withdrawal J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., May 1, 2008; 63(3): S122 - S134. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Popa, L. G. Branch, and R. Andel The White-Black Disability Gap Revisited: Does an Incident Heart Attack Change This Gap? J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., April 1, 2008; 63(4): 420 - 425. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. G. Taylor Timing, Accumulation, and the Black/White Disability Gap in Later Life: A Test of Weathering Research on Aging, March 1, 2008; 30(2): 226 - 250. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Li Yao and S. A. Robert The Contributions of Race, Individual Socioeconomic Status, and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Context on the Self-Rated Health Trajectories and Mortality of Older Adults Research on Aging, March 1, 2008; 30(2): 251 - 273. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. D. Dunlop, J. Song, L. M. Manheim, M. L. Daviglus, and R. W. Chang Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Development of Disability Among Older Adults Am J Public Health, December 1, 2007; 97(12): 2209 - 2215. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Liang, B. A. Shaw, J. M. Bennett, N. Krause, E. Kobayashi, T. Fukaya, and Y. Sugihara Intertwining Courses of Functional Status and Subjective Health Among Older Japanese J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2007; 62(5): S340 - S348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Mirowsky and J. Kim Graphing Age Trajectories: Vector Graphs, Synthetic and Virtual Cohort Projections, and Virtual Cohort Projections, and Cross-Sectional Profiles of Depression Sociological Methods Research, May 1, 2007; 35(4): 497 - 541. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Schieman and G. Plickert Functional Limitations and Changes in Levels of Depression Among Older Adults: A Multiple-Hierarchy Stratification Perspective J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., January 1, 2007; 62(1): S36 - S42. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Kelley-Moore Assessing racial health inequality in older adulthood: comparisons from mixed-mode panel interviews. J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2006; 61(4): S212 - S220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. W. Li Predictors of ADL Disability Trajectories Among Low-Income Frail Elders in the Community Research on Aging, November 1, 2005; 27(6): 615 - 642. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F. A. Sloan and J. Wang Disparities Among Older Adults in Measures of Cognitive Function by Race or Ethnicity J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2005; 60(5): P242 - P250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. F. Mendes de Leon, L. L. Barnes, J. L. Bienias, K. A. Skarupski, and D. A. Evans Racial Disparities in Disability: Recent Evidence From Self-Reported and Performance-Based Disability Measures in a Population-Based Study of Older Adults J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2005; 60(5): S263 - S271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]