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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How Can America Support The Health Of Its Diverse Aging Population?, Catherine García, Lauren L. Brown, Marc A. Garcia Jul 2024

How Can America Support The Health Of Its Diverse Aging Population?, Catherine García, Lauren L. Brown, Marc A. Garcia

Population Health Research Brief Series

By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older. Rapid population aging in the United States is unfolding alongside a parallel trend of rising racial and ethnic diversity. In the coming decades, African American, Native American, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and multiracial groups are projected to experience significant growth in their proportions of adults who survive past age 65. Despite improvements in health and gains in longevity in recent decades, minorized groups continue to experience significant barriers to healthy aging. This brief provides an overview of the social determinants of healthy aging, provides recommendations for …


America Is Unprepared To Meet The Needs Of Its Growing Older Adult Population, Sierra Kaplan Jul 2024

America Is Unprepared To Meet The Needs Of Its Growing Older Adult Population, Sierra Kaplan

Population Health Research Brief Series

In 2030, nearly 73 million Americans will be aged 65 years or older. As Americans continue to have fewer children than in the past, the number of older adults will outnumber children. Thus, fewer young adults will be around to support and care for the older adult population. Coupled with COVID-19 pandemic-driven disruptions to the healthcare industry, America’s health and aging care system is unprepared to support its large and growing older adult population. Over time, we will see increased health care scarcity and inequality in the distribution of elder care services, especially with continued healthcare worker shortages and drastic …


How Did Cognitive Status Impact Health Care Use Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Katarina Sako, Janet Wilmoth Jun 2024

How Did Cognitive Status Impact Health Care Use Among Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Katarina Sako, Janet Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of older adults. Older adults experiencing dementia and other forms of cognitive decline have impaired executive functioning that made it even more difficult to contend with these disruptions. This brief presents findings from research that used data from the 2021 Health and Retirement Study to examine differences in health care delays and health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults (ages 50+) with versus without cognitive decline. Results show that most older adults did not delay getting health care and did not experience …


How Does Educational Attainment Influence The Perceived Need For Future Assistance With Activities Of Daily Living?, Julia M. Finan Apr 2024

How Does Educational Attainment Influence The Perceived Need For Future Assistance With Activities Of Daily Living?, Julia M. Finan

Population Health Research Brief Series

Adults often underestimate whether they will need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) as they age. This brief summarizes the results of a recent study that used data from the 2011-2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine educational differences in perceived need for future ADL assistance among 54,946 adults aged 40 to 65 years in the United States. Even though adults with less education are more likely to require long-term ADL care services and supports, results show that they are less likely than their more highly educated peers to perceive the need for future ADL assistance.


Older Adults Are At Greater Risk Of Opioid Use Disorder In Communities With High Social Vulnerability, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, Carla Shoff Mar 2024

Older Adults Are At Greater Risk Of Opioid Use Disorder In Communities With High Social Vulnerability, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, Carla Shoff

Population Health Research Brief Series

The prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults has increased and imposes a heavy burden on the health care system in the United States. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to examine how county characteristics contributed to the prevalence of OUD among Medicare beneficiaries age 65+ in U.S. counties in 2021. They found that the prevalence of OUD among these adults is higher in counties with more place-level social vulnerability (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, high housing cost burden).


Cognitive Functioning Is Higher Among Older Adults In Walkable Neighborhoods That Have Low Economic Disadvantage, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Seung-Won Emily Choi, Shannon Halloway, Uchechi A. Mitchell, Benjamin A. Shaw Mar 2024

Cognitive Functioning Is Higher Among Older Adults In Walkable Neighborhoods That Have Low Economic Disadvantage, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Seung-Won Emily Choi, Shannon Halloway, Uchechi A. Mitchell, Benjamin A. Shaw

Population Health Research Brief Series

Living in neighborhoods with poor built and social environments, such as low walkability and high concentrations of low-income populations, is associated with low levels of cognitive functioning among older adults. This brief summarizes findings from a study that aims to understand how U.S. older adults’ (age 65+) exposures to residential neighborhood environments – specifically walkability and concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage – are associated with their cognitive functioning between 2010 and 2018. The authors also examined how these associations vary by older adults’ education level and household income level.


What Factors Increase Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementia?, Elizabeth Vásquez, Kai Zhang Feb 2024

What Factors Increase Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementia?, Elizabeth Vásquez, Kai Zhang

Population Health Research Brief Series

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and ranks 7th in the leading causes of death in the United States (U.S.). This data slice uses nationwide data from 3,155 counties in the U.S. to identify the factors that best predict county-level rates of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRDs) in 2018. The results indicate that insufficient sleep, consuming less than one serving of fruits and vegetables per day, having no high school diploma, Black population percentage, and social vulnerability were among the leading factors predicting county-level ADRD prevalence.


Cognitive Functioning Among U.S. Older Adults Differs By Gender And Urbanicity, Elizabeth Lawrence, Samantha John, Tirth Bhatta Jan 2024

Cognitive Functioning Among U.S. Older Adults Differs By Gender And Urbanicity, Elizabeth Lawrence, Samantha John, Tirth Bhatta

Population Health Research Brief Series

There are no widely accessible and effective medical therapies to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias for the U.S. older adult population, making prevention of cognitive decline particularly important. Many social factors shape cognitive functioning, leading to disparities in cognitive functioning across groups and geographic areas. This data slice uses data from the Health Retirement Study to describe how cognitive functioning among adults ages 50+ differed by gender and across urban, suburban, and ex-urban areas in the U.S. from 1999-2016. The results show that cognitive functioning was higher among women than men, but these gender differences varied by …