Sheryl L Coley1,2, Carlos F Mendes de Leon3, Earlise C Ward4, Lisa L Barnes5, Kimberly A Skarupski6, Elizabeth A Jacobs4. 1. University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA. slcoley28@gmail.com. 2. School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin Madison, WARF Building, 610 Walnut St, 9th Floor, Suite 957, Madison, WI, 53726, USA. slcoley28@gmail.com. 3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 4. University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA. 5. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. 6. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Emerging data suggest that African-American women may fare worse than African-American men in health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL). Perceived discrimination is an important contributor to poor health overall among African Americans, but few studies examined the intersecting effects of perceived discrimination and gender in explaining HRQOL disparities. We investigated gender differences in HRQOL and tested whether perceived discrimination accounted for these differences. METHODS: We examined data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project in which 5652 African-American adults aged 65 and older completed structured questionnaires about demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, HRQOL, perceived discrimination, and health-related variables. Logistic regression models were used to identify associations between perceived discrimination and gender differences in poor HRQOL outcomes (defined as 14+ unhealthy days in overall, physical, or mental health over the past 30 days) when controlling for the other variables. RESULTS: More women reported poor overall HRQOL than men (24 vs. 16% respectively). Higher perceived discrimination was significantly associated with worse overall HRQOL (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.08, 1.15), with stronger effects for women in overall and mental HRQOL. These gender disparities remained significant until controlling for potentially confounding variables. Perceived discrimination did not account for gender differences in poor physical HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived discrimination is associated with poor HRQOL in older African Americans, with this association appearing stronger in women than men for mental HRQOL. These findings warrant further investigation of effects of perceived discrimination in gender disparities in overall health, and such research can inform and guide efforts for reducing these disparities.
PURPOSE: Emerging data suggest that African-American women may fare worse than African-American men in health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL). Perceived discrimination is an important contributor to poor health overall among African Americans, but few studies examined the intersecting effects of perceived discrimination and gender in explaining HRQOL disparities. We investigated gender differences in HRQOL and tested whether perceived discrimination accounted for these differences. METHODS: We examined data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project in which 5652 African-American adults aged 65 and older completed structured questionnaires about demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, HRQOL, perceived discrimination, and health-related variables. Logistic regression models were used to identify associations between perceived discrimination and gender differences in poor HRQOL outcomes (defined as 14+ unhealthy days in overall, physical, or mental health over the past 30 days) when controlling for the other variables. RESULTS: More women reported poor overall HRQOL than men (24 vs. 16% respectively). Higher perceived discrimination was significantly associated with worse overall HRQOL (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.08, 1.15), with stronger effects for women in overall and mental HRQOL. These gender disparities remained significant until controlling for potentially confounding variables. Perceived discrimination did not account for gender differences in poor physical HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived discrimination is associated with poor HRQOL in older African Americans, with this association appearing stronger in women than men for mental HRQOL. These findings warrant further investigation of effects of perceived discrimination in gender disparities in overall health, and such research can inform and guide efforts for reducing these disparities.
Entities:
Keywords:
African American; Disparities; Gender differences; Quality-of-life; Sex differences; Women’s health
Authors: Briana Mezuk; Jane A Rafferty; Kiarri N Kershaw; Darrell Hudson; Cleopatra M Abdou; Hedwig Lee; William W Eaton; James S Jackson Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2010-09-30 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Amy J Schulz; Clarence C Gravlee; David R Williams; Barbara A Israel; Graciela Mentz; Zachary Rowe Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2006-05-30 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Samaah Sullivan; Muhammad Hammadah; Ibhar Al Mheid; Amit Shah; Yan V Sun; Michael Kutner; Laura Ward; Elizabeth Blackburn; Jinying Zhao; Jue Lin; J Douglas Bremner; Arshed A Quyyumi; Viola Vaccarino; Tené T Lewis Journal: Psychoneuroendocrinology Date: 2019-03-25 Impact factor: 4.905
Authors: S Duke Han; Melissa Lamar; Debra Fleischman; Namhee Kim; David A Bennett; Tené T Lewis; Konstantinos Arfanakis; Lisa L Barnes Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2021-08 Impact factor: 3.224