Centre for Policy on Ageing



Correlates of social function — a comparison of a black and a white sample of older persons in Los Angeles
Author(s)	William E Cunningham, Ron D Hays, Tanya M Burton
Journal title	Journal of Applied Gerontology, vol 22, no 1, March 2003
Pages	pp 3-18
Keywords	Mental health [elderly] ; White people ; Black people ; Comparison ; United States of America.
Annotation	The social functioning of 560 Black and 1,350 White older people living in the community in Los Angeles is compared. A 5-item social functions scale that assessed visiting with family and friends, participating in community activities, and taking care of other people was administered; the instrument also assessed basic and intermediate activities of daily living (ADLs). In multivariate analysis social function was substantially higher for Blacks than for Whites, although ADL scores were somewhat lower for Blacks. Being male and being married were positively associated with social function for Blacks. Owning a home and history of falls were negatively associated with social function for Whites. The high social function for Blacks, despite more physical limitations, suggests that even physically impaired Black older people in the South Central Los Angeles community may remain actively involved in the family and community. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-030430201 A
Classmark	D: TKA: TKE: 48: 7T
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.