A National Study of Racial–Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Concerns Among Older Americans: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

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dc.contributor.authorLin, Zhiyong
dc.contributor.authorLiu, Hui
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-25T18:56:53Z
dc.date.available2022-10-25T18:56:53Z
dc.date.issued2021-09-21
dc.description.abstractObjectives: Concerns about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are an important emotional reaction to the pandemic and represent a key pandemic-related mental health outcome. We provide the first population-based evidence of racial–ethnic differences in COVID-19 concerns among older Americans during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 project. The sample included 2,879 respondents (aged 50 and older) who were interviewed from June to September 2020 and had completed measures on COVID-19 concerns and other key covariates. Ordinary least squares regression models were estimated to assess racial–ethnic differences in COVID-19 concerns. Formal mediation analysis was conducted to test potential mediating roles of exposures to COVID-19 risks, preexisting health status, and socioeconomic resources in accounting for racial–ethnic differences in COVID-19 concerns. Results: Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Americans showed significantly greater concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic than non-Hispanic White Americans. Racial–ethnic minority older adults also had higher proportions of knowing someone who had contracted or died from COVID-19 than White older adults. Unequal exposures to COVID-19 risks by race–ethnicity and, to a lesser degree, preexisting health inequalities accounted for only part of the racial–ethnic differences in COVID-19 concerns. Discussion: Our findings call for more research and policy interventions to lessen the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 experienced by older adults of racial–ethnic minority groups.en_US
dc.description.departmentSociologyen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Institute on Aging; National Institute of Child Health and Human Developmenten_US
dc.identifier.citationZhiyong Lin, PhD, Hui Liu, PhD, A National Study of Racial–Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Concerns Among Older Americans: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 77, Issue 7, July 2022, Pages e134–e141, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab171en_US
dc.identifier.issn1758-5368
dc.identifier.issn1079-5014
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab171
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/1145
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherOxford University Pressen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThe Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences;Vol. 77, No. 7
dc.rightsAttribution 3.0 United States*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/*
dc.subjectCOVID-19en_US
dc.subjecthealth disparitiesen_US
dc.subjectminority agingen_US
dc.subjectraceen_US
dc.subjectethnicityen_US
dc.titleA National Study of Racial–Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Concerns Among Older Americans: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Studyen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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