Association between Perceived Ethnic Discrimination and Health: Evidence from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS).

Abstract

The field of aging studies continues to better understand between-racial-group health disparities. Previous work provides empirical evidence for a statistical relationship between perceived discrimination and adverse health across all age groups. We contribute to the literature by investigating the quantitative relationship between Perceived Ethnic Discrimination (PED), Self-Rated Physical Health (SR-PH), Self-Rated Mental Health (SR-MH), and their combined score (SR-PH-MH). The cross-sectional observational study used data collected between 2002 and 2004 from the National Latino and Asian American Study (n=4,559; average age=41; 54% female; 18% Mexican; 36% Non-Mexican Latinos; 12% Chinese; 31% Non-Chinese Asians). We provide descriptive statistics for those below and at or above age 65. Multivariable linear models adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, education, body mass index, and neighborhood perception provide evidence that although a small effect, PED explains between-people variance in SR-PH (β=-0.01; α=0.001), SR-MH (β=-0.03; α=0.001), and SR-PH-MH (β=-0.04; α=0.001). The analysis supports arguments that PED has a non-random association with health. As we continue to explore novel measures of frailty, markers of social stress should be considered.