Title | Marked ethnic, nativity, and socioeconomic disparities in disability and health insurance among US children and adults: the 2008-2010 American community survey |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Authors | Singh, GK, Lin, SC |
Journal | Biomed Res IntBiomed Res Int |
Volume | 2013 |
Pagination | 627412 |
ISBN Number | 2314-6141 (Electronic) |
Accession Number | 24232569 |
Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Asian Americans, Child, Child, Preschool, Data Collection, Disabled Persons, Female, Humans, Indians, North American, Infant, Insurance, Health, Male, Mexican Americans, Retrospective Studies, Socioeconomic Factors, United States/ethnology |
Abstract | We used the 2008-2010 American Community Survey Micro-data Sample (N = 9,093,077) to estimate disability and health insurance rates for children and adults in detailed racial/ethnic, immigrant, and socioeconomic groups in the USA. Prevalence and adjusted odds derived from logistic regression were used to examine social inequalities. Disability rates varied from 1.4% for Japanese children to 6.8% for Puerto Rican children. Prevalence of disability in adults ranged from 5.6% for Asian Indians to 22.0% among American Indians/Alaska Natives. More than 17% of Korean, Mexican, and American Indian children lacked health insurance, compared with 4.1% of Japanese and 5.9% of white children. Among adults, Mexicans (43.6%), Central/South Americans (41.4%), American Indians/Alaska Natives (32.7%), and Pakistanis (29.3%) had the highest health-uninsurance rates. Ethnic nativity disparities were considerable, with 58.3% of all Mexican immigrants and 34.0% of Mexican immigrants with disabilities being uninsured. Socioeconomic gradients were marked, with poor children and adults having 3-6 times higher odds of disability and uninsurance than their affluent counterparts. Socioeconomic differences accounted for 24.4% and 60.2% of racial/ethnic variations in child health insurance and disability and 75.1% and 89.7% of ethnic inequality in adult health insurance and disability, respectively. Health policy programs urgently need to tackle these profound social disparities in disability and healthcare access. |
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