Blacks’ Utilization of Healthcare by Region: A Life Course Perspective

Cassandra Koehn, Miami University
Anthony Bardo, Miami University
J. Scott Brown, Miami University
Scott M. Lynch, Princeton University

Previous literature suggests that Blacks utilize healthcare less than whites, and a few studies have found geographic variation in healthcare utilization rates. This body of previous work has two major gaps; 1) studies rarely examine within group variation and 2) no studies account for effects of early life region. Blacks socialized in regions with historically greater formally segregated healthcare may utilize the healthcare system less than those socialized in regions with less formally segregated care. Also, Blacks who were socialized before the Civil Rights movement may be less likely to utilize healthcare than those who were socialized after. Using the Americans Changing Lives Survey 1986-2002, we model the effects of region socialized up until age 16, time period of socialization, current region, and a host of socioeconomic measures on healthcare utilization among a sample of Blacks who were socialized before and after the Civil Rights movement (N=409).