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Citation

Thomas Tobin, Courtney S.; Gutiérrez, Ángela; Farmer, Heather R.; Erving, Christy L.; & Hargrove, Taylor W. (2023). Intersectional Approaches to Minority Aging Research. Current Epidemiology Reports, 10(1), 33-43. PMCID: PMC9830125

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Growing racial/ethnic diversity among America's older adults necessitates additional research specifically focused on health and well-being among aging minoritized populations. Although Black and Latinx adults in the USA tend to face worse health outcomes as they age, substantial evidence points to unexpected health patterns (e.g., the race paradox in mental health, the Latino health paradox) that challenge our understanding of health and aging among these populations. In this review, we demonstrate the value of intersectionality theory for clarifying these health patterns and highlight the ways that intersectionality has been applied to minority aging research. To advance the field, we also make several recommendations for incorporating intersectional approaches in future scholarship on minority aging.
RECENT FINDINGS: Scholars have applied intersectional approaches to health and aging to unravel how social statuses and social conditions, such as race, ethnicity, gender, nativity, incarceration history, geographic region, and age, produce distinct shared experiences that shape health trajectories through multiple mechanisms.
SUMMARY: We highlight common intersectional approaches used in minority aging research and underscore the value of this perspective for elucidating the complex, and often unexpected, health patterns of aging minoritized populations. We identify several key lessons and propose recommendations to advance scholarship on minority aging.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40471-022-00317-5

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2023

Journal Title

Current Epidemiology Reports

Author(s)

Thomas Tobin, Courtney S.
Gutiérrez, Ángela
Farmer, Heather R.
Erving, Christy L.
Hargrove, Taylor W.

Article Type

Review

PMCID

PMC9830125

Continent/Country

United States of America

State

Nonspecific

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latinx
Black

ORCiD

Hargrove - 0000-0002-8759-1944