HEALTH TRAJECTORIES - LONG-TERM DYNAMICS AMONG BLACK-AND-WHITE ADULTS

Disability has long been identified as a predictor of self-assessed he alth, but some studies suggest the opposite causal direction. The aim of this study is to examine the dynamic relationships between physical disability and assessments of health among Black and White adults whi le simultaneously considering changing morbidity. Research questions i nclude: Do more negative health assessments lead to greater morbidity and physical disability? Do negative health assessments lead to a cycl e of health decline over time? These questions were addressed for Blac k and White respondents over 15 years using data from three waves of t he National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I: Epidemiologic F ollow-Up Study. Results from structural equation modeling reveal that self-assessed health predicts subsequent change in health, suggesting a cycle between health problems and negative health assessments for bo th White and Black adults. In addition, self-assessed health among Afr ican Americans declined at a faster rate than was the case for White a dults.