Mortality, ethnicity, and education in an occupational cohort. Issue 3 (9th September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jonas, Saran; Grieco, Giacinto; Norman, Robert; Grumet, Surah; Kedan, Ilan
• Is Part Of: Ethnicity and inequalities in health and social care. Volume 7:Issue 3(2014)
• Page Start: 137
• Page End: 145
• Publication Date: 2014-09-09
• Subjects: Discrimination in medical care -- Periodicals; Minorities -- Medical care -- Periodicals; Social work with minorities -- Periodicals; Cultural competence -- Periodicals; 362.84
• DOI: 10.1108/EIHSC-11-2013-0050
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1757-0980

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Purpose</title> <p> – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between occupational degree requirement and mortality between ethnic groups in a cohort of urban workers. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Design/methodology/approach</title> <p> – The study included 118, 606 health-insured full-time workers from the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). Mortality rates (MR) and mortality rate ratios (MRR) were calculated for major ethnic categories. Estimates were adjusted for age, sex, and occupational degree requirement. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Findings</title> <p> – Prior to adjustment for degree requirement, mortality rates (MRs) by ethnic groups in the Health and Hospitals Corporation were in line with national estimates: highest for blacks, followed by whites, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islander (APIs). After adjustment, the MR for blacks became comparable to whites (mortality rate ratio (MRR)=1.02). The low-Hispanic MR did not change; the Hispanic advantage persisted (MRR=0.66), as did the API advantage (MRR=0.50). </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Research limitations/implications</title> <p> – Higher education may not substantially change the MR for Hispanics, and it may only account for a portion of the survival advantage among APIs. The findings also suggest that without reducing the disparity in higher education attainment between blacks and whites, equality in other socioeconomic factors may not abolish the disparity in mortality between these groups. </p> </sec> <sec> <title content-type="abstract-heading">Originality/value</title> <p> – This study bypassed common limitations of ethnic mortality studies, with intrinsic parity for certain socio-economic status factors (full-time employment and health care access) across cohort members and consistent ethnic classification across time-points. This includes a cohort of API workers with complete self-identification of ethnicity, which has not been accomplished by previous investigations.</p> </sec> </abstract>