Health as a Factor in Institutionalization: Disparities between African Americans and Whites

The purpose of this article is to examine African American and White disparities in factors associated with institutionalization and differences in the effects of health on the use of this form of long-term care. The research was conceptualized within the context of the double-jeopardy hypothesis. Data for this study were taken from the first and third wave of the Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 7,440 persons aged 70 and older). Results showed that African Americans were in poorer health than Whites. Help received from relatives for IADL's did not vary by race. However, African Americans received less help from relatives for ADLs than did their White peers. Despite poorer health and less reliance on help from relatives, African Americans were less likely than Whites to be institutionalized. Further research is called for that examines the interconnections between race, discrimination, culture, and the later life experiences and opportunities of the elderly.