%0 Journal Article %J J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci %D 2015 %T How do race and Hispanic ethnicity affect nursing home admission? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. %A Thomeer, Mieke Beth %A Mudrazija, Stipica %A Jacqueline L. Angel %K Activities of Daily Living %K African Continental Ancestry Group %K Disability Evaluation %K European Continental Ancestry Group %K Hispanic Americans %K Homes for the Aged %K Humans %K Nursing homes %K Proportional Hazards Models %K Socioeconomic factors %K United States %X

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates how health- and disability-based need factors and enabling factors (e.g., socioeconomic and family-based resources) relate to nursing home admission among 3 different racial and ethnic groups.

METHOD: We use Cox proportional hazard models to estimate differences in nursing home admission for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics from 1998 to 2010 in the Health and Retirement Study (N = 18,952).

RESULTS: Racial-ethnic differences in nursing home admission are magnified after controlling for health- and disability-based need factors and enabling factors. Additionally, the degree to which specific factors contribute to risk of nursing home admission varies significantly across racial-ethnic groups.

DISCUSSION: Our findings indicate that substantial racial and ethnic variations in nursing home admission continue to exist and that Hispanic use is particularly low. We argue that these differences may demonstrate a significant underuse of nursing homes for racial and ethnic minorities. Alternatively, they could signify different preferences for nursing home care, perhaps due to unmeasured cultural factors or structural obstacles.

%B J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci %I 70 %V 70 %P 628-38 %8 2015 Jul %G eng %U http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/09/08/geronb.gbu114.abstract %N 4 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25204311?dopt=Abstract %2 PMC4462672 %4 Hispanic ethnicity/Long-term care/Nursing homes/ethnicity/race/ethnic differences %$ 999999 %R 10.1093/geronb/gbu114