The U.S. Racial Health Divide: The Role of Differences in Chronic Disease Onset

Torsheika Maddox, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Sociological and biomedical fields have established a marked disparity in the health outcomes among blacks and whites in the U.S. The aim of this study is to extend research on the racial health divide by testing for racial differences in the onset of chronic disease, demonstrating how timing differences in onset contributes to health disparities in adult prevalence rates, and assessing whether timing differences are a function of differential stress accumulation by young adulthood. Using data from CARDIA, a prospective cohort study, which has psychosocial and biomarker measures, I will test for differences in chronic disease onset, investigate explanations for differences in chronic disease onset, and examine trends in disease onset. Discrete-time hazard models will analyze the antecedents of two chronic diseases, namely stress, and the timing of chronic disease onset. Results will inform research on the racial health gap, while suggesting effects of stress accumulation on chronic diseases onset.