Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A bevy of research has demonstrated that Black older adults have poorer health outcomes relative to White older adults, including greater morbidity (Manton and Stallard 1997), more limited access to health care (Smedley et al. 2003), and higher risk of death (Elo and Preston 1997). The prevailing explanation for the health and mortality gap between Black and White Americans is that it stems from differences in socioeconomic status. Little research has examined how community may affect Black and White adults differently, contributing to the extensively documented racial health disparities. Thus, using the North Carolina EPESE panel study of Black and White adults ages 65 and over, this research makes two contributions: it extends examination of “place” to disability rather than mortality, and it focuses on disparities in both rural and urban areas. Latent growth curve trajectories of IADL disability are estimated with and without predictors. Results indicate that rural Black residents are the most disabled at baseline and increase in disability at the fastest rate over time. Urban Black residents are the second-most disabled group. Both urban and rural White older adults have significantly less IADL disability and slower trajectories over time. An interaction between income and rural area indicates that for those of the same income level, Black or White older adults who live in rural areas are more disabled at baseline and over time. The discussion considers the unique pathways that may link rural areas to health.