Source
RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. dubowitz@rand.org
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To quantify contributions of individual sociodemographic factors, neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES), and unmeasured factors to racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors for non-Hispanic (NH) whites, NH blacks, and Mexican Americans.
METHODS:
We used linear regression and Oaxaca decomposition analyses.
RESULTS:
Although individual characteristics and NSES contributed to racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors, differential responses by individual characteristics and NSES also played a significant role.
CONCLUSIONS:
There are racial/ethnic differences in the way that individual-level determinants and NSES affect health behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms for differential responses could inform community interventions and public health campaigns that target particular groups.