%0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology, Series B %D 2022 %T Demographic and Health Characteristics of Older Latino Birth Cohorts in the Health and Retirement Study. %A García, Catherine %A Garcia, Marc A %A Jennifer A Ailshire %K Demographics %K health %K Latinos/Hispanics %K Well-being %X

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Latinos are the fastest aging racial/ethnic minority group in the United States One limitation to understanding the diverse experiences of older Latinos is the lack of nationally representative data necessary to examine factors contributing to changes in population-level health over time. This is needed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the demographic characteristics that influence the health and well-being of older Latinos.

METHODS: We utilized the steady-state design of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 1992 to 2016 to examine the demographic and health characteristics of the five entry birth cohorts of older Latinos aged 51-56 (n=2,882). Adjusted Wald tests were used to assess statistically significant differences in demographic and health characteristics across the five HRS birth cohorts.

RESULTS: Cross-cohort comparisons of demographic and health characteristics of older Latinos indicate significant change over time, with later-born HRS birth cohorts less likely to identify as Mexican-origin, more likely to identify as a racial "other," and more likely to be foreign-born. In addition, we find that later-born cohorts are more educated and exhibit a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

DISCUSSION: Increasing growth and diversity among the older U.S. Latino population make it imperative that researchers document changes in the demographic composition and health characteristics of this population as it will have implications for researchers, policymakers, health care professionals, and others seeking to anticipate the needs of this rapidly aging population.

%B The Journals of Gerontology, Series B %V 77 %P 2060-2071 %G eng %N 11 %R 10.1093/geronb/gbac017 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Aging and Health %D 2022 %T Stress is a Latent Construct: Exploring the Differential Experience of Stress and Discrimination on Depressive Symptoms Among Black Older Adults. %A Brown, Lauren L %A García, Catherine %A Reeves, Alexis N %A Pamplin, John R %A Mitchell, Uchechi A %K Chronic stress %K Mental Health %K Racism %K stress appraisal %X

While evidence highlights the detrimental mental health consequences of chronic stress exposure, the impact of this stress exposure on older Black Americans' mental health varies by exposure to other types of stressors like discrimination as well as subjective evaluations of stress like chronic stress appraisal. Using data from the 2010/2012 Health and Retirement Study, we use latent profile analysis (LPA) to describe 2,415 Black older adults experience with chronic stress exposure, appraisal, and discrimination and examine which stress contexts are associated with depressive symptomology. Analyses revealed five stress clusters-demonstrating the diversity in the stress experience for older Black adults. Black older adults with stress profiles that include lower stress appraisal report fewer depressive symptoms regardless of number of stress exposures. LPA is as an alternative approach to examining the stress-mental health link that can define stress profiles by both exposure and appraisal-based measures.

%B Journal of Aging and Health %V 34 %P 334-346 %G eng %N 3 %R 10.1177/08982643221086333 %0 Thesis %B Gerontology %D 2020 %T Raíces De Salud: How Sociocultural, Cohort, and Contextual Factors Influence Health Among Older Latinos in the United States %A García, Catherine %K Diabetes %K Hypertension %K Latinos/Hispanics %K Social determinants of health %X Objectives: Diabetes and hypertension are major chronic conditions that affect a growing number of aging Latinos in the U.S. and is among one of the leading causes of death and disability. These chronic conditions are understood mainly as a product of proximate individual-level health behaviors without recognizing how social factors, social disadvantages, and social inequalities intersect to influence the disease process among Latinos. This dissertation examined how various social determinants of health, such as social, temporal, and neighborhood characteristics, were associated with diabetes and hypertension among the older Latino population. Methods: A nationally representative sample of older Latino adults from the Health and Retirement Study were used to 1) examine how race/ethnicity, nativity status, and national/cultural origin intersect and get “under the skin” to influence physiological functioning (e.g., cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammation); 2) document compositional profiles of the Latino population by birth cohort, and examine trends in diabetes and hypertension; and 3) examine the types of neighborhoods Latinos live in and how these neighborhoods were associated with the prevalence of diabetes. Results: Results show that there is a complex interplay of social, temporal, and neighborhood factors that intersect and produce cumulative impacts across the life course that influence the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among older Latinos. Discussion: Understanding Latinos’ varied experiences can play a critical role in advancing health equity by expanding our understanding of health disparities beyond proximate individual-level health behaviors. %B Gerontology %I University of Southern California %C Los Angeles %V Doctor of Philosophy %@ 9798664700824 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Innovation in Aging %D 2019 %T Biological risk profiles among Latino subgroups in the Health and Retirement Study. %A García, Catherine %A Jennifer A Ailshire %K Biomarkers %K Latino population %K Racial/ethnic differences %X

Background and Objectives: Latinos residing in the United States exhibit an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases compared to non-Latino whites. This elevated risk contributes to a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among Latino adults. Examining biological risk profiles of older Latinos as a "pan-ethnic group" and by Latino subpopulations may help to explain the increased burden of disease in later life among this population. The objective of this study is to document biological risk profiles among a nationally representative sample of older U.S. Latinos by nativity and country of origin.

Research Design and Methods: We use the 2006-2012 Health and Retirement Study to compare cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory and cumulative biological risk among U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.-born Puerto Ricans, island-born Puerto Ricans, U.S.-born "other" Latinos, foreign-born "other" Latinos, and non-Latino whites.

Results: Older Latinos exhibit heterogeneous biological risk profiles. U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, U.S.-born "other" Latinos, and foreign-born "other" Latinos exhibited a higher rate of cardiovascular risk relative to non-Latino whites. In addition, U.S.-born Mexicans, foreign-born Mexicans, island-born Puerto Ricans, and foreign-born "other" Latinos had a higher rate of metabolic risk than non-Latino whites. Island-born Puerto Ricans were the only group to exhibit higher inflammation than non-Latino whites. The observed differences were largely attenuated by socioeconomic status, indicating that high levels of risk among older Latino subpopulations compared to non-Latino whites are associated with lower socioeconomic status.

Discussion and Implications: Older U.S. Latinos are a demographically diverse population with unique sociocultural characteristics which may contribute to differences in biological risk across the life course that influence disease progression. Examining Latinos by nativity and country of origin may help identify risks specific to individual subpopulations that can lead to culturally appropriate interventions which help prevent and reduce the burden of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

%B Innovation in Aging %V 3 %P igz017 %8 2019 May %G eng %N 2 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31276052?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1093/geroni/igz017 %0 Journal Article %J Biodemography and Social Biology %D 2019 %T Does salivary telomere length explain race/ethnic differences in aging? %A Brown, Lauren %A García, Catherine %A Jennifer A Ailshire %K Aging %K Biomarkers %K ethnicity %K race %K Telomere length %X ABSTRACT Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker that can be used to characterize variability in aging and may explain race/ethnic differences in aging. Yet, it remains unclear if TL is related to aging-associated health risks in multi-ethnic populations or if it explains race/ethnic differences in health. We examine whether salivary TL (STL) explains any of the race/ethnic variability in 15 indicators of high-risk biological, physical, and cognitive health among 4,074 White, Black, and Latinx older adults ages 54+ in the 2008 Health and Retirement Study. TL was assayed from saliva using quantitative PCR (T/S ratio). Decomposition analyses from logistic regression models show variation in STL does not account for any of the observed race/ethnic differences health. In age-adjusted, race-stratified models, STL was associated with HDL, total cholesterol, and lung function among Whites, but was not associated with any markers of health among Black or Latinx groups. In this diverse national sample of older adults, STL does not account for race/ethnic differences in late life health, is associated with relatively few indicators of health among Whites, and is not associated with indicators of health among Black or Latinx groups. STL may not be a useful biomarker for understanding racial/ethnic differences in population aging among older adults. %B Biodemography and Social Biology %V 65 %P 351-369 %@ 1948-5565 %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1080/19485565.2020.1798736