Important disparities between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites exist in late- life health. These disparities cannot be fully explained by socio-economic differences between these two groups. Lower heath care trust among African Americans is a likely contributor to these disparities that has not been explored in older populations. The overall goals of the proposed project are to examine differences in health care trust between older African Americans and non-Hispanic whites and to evaluate the degree to which these differences contribute to racial disparities in health in older age.
The specific aims of the project are: (1) To describe the socio-demographic and psychological correlates of health care trust among a population sample of aging African Americans and non-Hispanic whites and how they differ across these two groups;(2) To test the relationship between health care trust and racial differences in blood pressure control and in disability in an aging population;and (3), in an exploratory aim, to examine the extent to which patterns of health care utilization as measured by physician visits and hospitalizations mediate the contribution of health care trust to racial differences in blood pressure control and disability. As baby boomers grow older, the aging population becomes more diverse, and the cost of health care grows, it is critical that we understand the factors that contribute to racial differences in health in order to ensure interventions designed to improve the health of aging populations are effective for all. There is a need to understand how lower heath care trust among African Americans contributes to the problem of racial disparities in health in aging populations and what factors influence heath care trust in this population. Public Health Relevance: Important disparities between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites exist in late- life health and they cannot be fully explained by socio-economic differences between these two groups. The overall goals of the proposed project are to examine differences in health care trust between older African Americans and non-Hispanic whites and to evaluate the degree to which these differences contribute to racial disparities in health in older age. As baby boomers grow older, the aging population becomes more diverse, and the cost of health care grows, it is critical that we understand the factors that contribute to racial differences in health in order to ensure interventions designed to improve the health of aging populations are effective for all.
Important disparities between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites exist in late- life health and they cannot be fully explained by socio-economic differences between these two groups. The overall goals of the proposed project are to examine differences in health care trust between older African Americans and non-Hispanic whites and to evaluate the degree to which these differences contribute to racial disparities in health in older age. As baby boomers grow older, the aging population becomes more diverse, and the cost of health care grows, it is critical that we understand the factors that contribute to racial differences in health in order to ensure interventions designed to improve the health of aging populations are effective for all.
