Cumulative Inequality at the End of Life?: Racial Disparities in Impairment in the Time Before Death

Abstract

Objectives: Drawing from cumulative inequality (CI) theory, the current study examined racial disparities in impairment as individuals approached death to determine whether proposed mechanisms hypothesized to fuel or diminish racial disparities at late ages were at work at the end of individualized life spans.

Method: Black-white disparities were analyzed among decedents using latent growth curves based on the data from the North Carolina Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) (N = 1,926).

Results: Consistent with previous literature, racial inequalities in functional disparities diminish at late ages. However, significant black-white disparities emerge as older adults approach death, exponentially increasing within the 2 years immediately preceding death. Further, these disparities are not fully mediated by socioeconomic status.

Discussion: The results confirm that CI in health outcomes is observable in late life among individual life spans, suggesting the years surrounding death may be a particularly vulnerable period for health inequality. Future research should examine how advantaged statuses translate to increased access to health-related resources that aid in maintaining greater functional independence until the last stage of life.

Keywords: Cumulative advantage/disadvantage; Disability; Minority aging (race/ethnicity).