Disease States
Among elders from the populations studied other than non-Hispanic white, data indicate that in many cases disease states tend to be more advanced by the time they are discovered clinically.
Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Rates
In some immigrant populations, rates of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease increased with the time in the U.S.
Disparities in Chronic Conditions
Examples of disparities in chronic conditions by ethnic population other than those reported in Table 2-1 on mortality:
- Among persons aged 70 and over, non Hispanic black and Mexican Americans had significantly higher levels of diabetes than non-Hispanic white elders. Elders from some American Indian tribes have the highest rates of diabetes among any populations. Some studies have also found higher rates of diabetes among Japanese American, Chinese American, and Filipino American elders than among U.S. elders as a whole (Hazuda & Espino, 1997; Kramer, 1997; Kramerow et al., 1999; McCabe & Cuellar, (1994); McBride et al., 1996).
- Non-Hispanic black elders were 1.5 times more likely to report hypertension than non-Hispanic whites (Kramerow et al., 1999).
- Osteoporosis and hip fracture are more common in non-Hispanic white women than in non-Hispanic black or Hispanic women. Studies of post-menopausal Asian women in the U.S. have found lower rates of hip fracture but similar bone density as non-Hispanic white women (Kagawa-Singer, Hikoyeda, & Tanjasiri, 1997; Richardson, 1996; Villa et al., 1993).
SRH= Self Rated Health; Diabetes=Type II Diabetes
(f)=females; (m)=males
*Rates vary greatly between tribes and geographic areas, especially in the rates of diabetes
Sources: USDHHS (2006) Hummer et al.(2003); Richardson (1996); McCabe et al. (1994); McBride et al.(1996); Villa et al.(1993); Mui et al. (2003); Kagawa-Singer et al. (1997); Kramer (1997); Howe et al.(2001); Gomez et al.(2005); Markides et al. (1999); Tucker et al.(2000); Gurland et al.(1999); Yeo, 2004); Yeo & Gallagher-Thompson (2006)
© 2009 eCampus Geriatrics | V.J. Periyakoil, MD, Course Director