Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in trajectories of morbidity accumulation among older Americans

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Multimorbidity, the presence of multiple chronic health conditions, generally starts in middle and older age but there is considerable heterogeneity in the trajectory of morbidity accumulation. This study aimed to clarify the number of distinct trajectories and the potential associations between race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status and these trajectories.

Methods

Data from 13,699 respondents (age ≥51) in the Health and Retirement Study between 1998 and 2016 were analyzed with growth mixture models. Nine prevalent self-reported morbidities (arthritis, cancer, cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, lung disease, stroke) were summed for the morbidity count.

Results

Three trajectories of morbidity accumulatio

SUBMITTER: O'Neill A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10024041 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature