Race and the Self-reported Health of Elderly Persons

Abstract

This research examined race differences in the structure and measurement of six self-reports of health that are widely used in studies of elderly persons. Second-order confirmatory factor analyses (LISREL) revealed race differences only in the validity of subjective interpretations of health state and in the measurement error of a chronic conditions indicator. No race differences were found in the form of the four-factor model of self-reported health. Results, interpreted within a cognitive illness-labeling framework, have implications for future race-comparative health research.