Sex and Race Disparities in Health: Cohort Variations in Life Course Patterns

Abstract

This study assesses changes in sex and race disparities in health over the life course and across cohorts by conducting growth curve analyses of nationally representative longitudinal data that spans 15 years. It finds that changes in disparities in depressive symptoms, disability and self-assessments of health across the life course are cohort-related phenomena: (1. there is significant inter-cohort heterogeneity in health trajectories; (2. intra-cohort sex and race inequalities exist in levels of health but not in growth rates of all health problems; (3. there are inter-cohort variations in the intra-cohort heterogeneity — sex and race gaps change across cohorts in levels of health. Changes in the sex gap in growth rates of depression are also strongly contingent upon cohort membership.