Period Trends in Self-Rated Health at Midlife: Variations by Race/Ethnicity, Union Status, and Education

Abstract

Research shows rising midlife morbidity among US non-Hispanic white adults, but it is unclear if and how self-rated health of racial/ethnic minority adults has changed in recent years. More research is also needed to understand factors moderating self-rated health trends among middle-aged white adults. Given the racial/ethnic and educational differences in family experiences in recent decades, scholars have called for analysis of union status and educational differentials in self-rated health trends across racial/ethnic groups. We used data from 2000–2018 National Health Interview Survey to analyze racial/ethnic variations in self-rated health trends at midlife across union status and educational groups. The findings showed that recent trends in self-rated health differed not just by race/ethnicity, but also by union status and education. Changes in self-rated health were more pronounced among non-Hispanic white men and women than among racial/ethnic minorities. However, not all groups of middle-aged white adults experienced self-rated health decline. Also, worsening self-rated health at midlife extends to some nonwhites. Compared to the health decline among many racial/ethnic/gender and educational groups, married black women with college degree or higher reported significant improvement in their self-rated health over time. The findings demonstrate the interactions among race/ethnicity, gender, union status, and education in recent self-rated health trends.