African Americans in the United States have a higher than average risk of morbidity and mortality, despite declining mortality rates for many causes of death for the general population. This article examines race-based residential segregation as a fundamental cause of racial disparities, shaping differences in exposure to, and experiences of, diseases and risk factors. The spatial distribution ...

This paper employs a statistical matching procedure to impute the legal status of foreign-born adults in US Census surveys order estimate migration disparities health insurance coverage.

BACKGROUND Appalachia is characterized by poor health behaviors, poor health status, and health disparities. Recent interventions have not demonstrated much success in improving health status or reducing health disparities in the Appalachian region. Since one's perception of personal health precedes his or her health behaviors, the purpose of this project was to evaluate the self-rated health o...

BACKGROUND Socioeconomic factors are associated with disparities in oral health among adolescents; however, the underlying reasons are not clear. The authors conducted a study to determine if known indicators of oral health can explain such disparities. METHODS The authors examined data from a 2007 California Health Interview Survey of adolescents. The outcome of interest was self-reported co...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the 1998 US Food and Drug Administration folic acid fortification policy on disparities in folate status in the United States. METHODS We use repeated cross-sectional data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), a nationally representative sample of over 14 000 participants ages 25 and older. ...

OBJECTIVES We addressed three questions: Have recent improvements in old-age disability been mirrored in changes in self-reported general health status? Are general health status trends similar for younger and older Americans? Have changes in general health status been uniform across demographic and socioeconomic groups? METHODS Using logistic regression, we analyzed data from the 1982-2003 N...

Background: The existence of health disparities confirms that not all patients, regardless of differences in patient demographics, are provided quality healthcare (Agency of Health Care Research and Quality, 2003). Moreover, research suggests that health disparities may be present due to the inadequate delivery of medical services (Haist, Wilson, Lineberry, & Griffith, 2007; Van Ryn, Burgess, M...

INTRODUCTION Tongan-Americans face severe disparities in health including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Educational disparities also affect health opportunities and well-being, influencing health status and community capacity to address disparities. Few resources have been identified within the Tongan-American community to address these concerns. The Tongan American Health Profe...

Socioeconomic status (SES) is frequently implicated as a contributor to the disparate health observed among racial/ ethnic minorities, women and elderly populations. Findings from studies that examine the role of SES and health disparities, however, have provided inconsistent results. This is due in part to the: 1) lack of precision and reliability of measures; 2) difficulty with the collection...