Center for Population Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3701, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2012 Mar;67(2):238-48. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr155. Epub 2012 Mar 5.
We examine race/ethnic and nativity differences in objective measures of physical performance (i.e., peak expiratory flow, grip strength, and gait speed) in a nationally representative sample of older Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. We also examine whether detailed measures of childhood and adult health and socioeconomic status (SES) mediate race/ethnic differences in physical performance.
We use data from the Health and Retirement Study, a population-based sample of older Americans born before 1947, and 3 measures of physical performance. Nested ordinary least squares models examine whether childhood and adult health and SES mediate race/ethnic differences in performance.
We find large and significant race/ethnic and nativity differences in lung function, grip strength, and gait speed. Adjusting for childhood and current adult health and SES reduces race/ethnic differences in physical performance but does not eliminate them entirely. Childhood health and SES as well as more proximal levels of SES are important determinants of race/ethnic disparities in later life physical performance.
The analysis highlights that a large proportion of race/ethnic and nativity disparities result from health and socioeconomic disadvantages in both early life and adulthood and thus suggests multiple intervention points at which disparities can be reduced.
我们在一个具有全国代表性的白人、黑人和西班牙裔老年人样本中，检查了身体机能的客观指标（即呼气峰值流量、握力和步态速度）方面的种族/民族和出生地差异。我们还研究了详细的儿童和成年期健康及社会经济地位（SES）指标是否能调节身体机能方面的种族/民族差异。
我们使用了来自健康与退休研究的数据，该研究是一个基于人口的美国老年人样本，出生于 1947 年之前，包含了 3 项身体机能指标。嵌套式普通最小二乘法模型检验了儿童和成年期健康及 SES 指标是否能调节身体机能方面的种族/民族差异。
我们发现肺功能、握力和步态速度方面存在显著的种族/民族和出生地差异。调整儿童期和当前成年期的健康和 SES 后，身体机能的种族/民族差异有所缩小，但并未完全消除。儿童时期的健康和 SES 以及更接近的 SES 水平是晚年身体机能表现方面种族/民族差异的重要决定因素。
该分析强调，很大一部分种族/民族和出生地差异是由儿童期和成年期的健康和社会经济劣势造成的，因此表明可以在多个干预点减少差异。
