Keith D. Parker

Health Status and Access to Care Among Rural Minorities

This paper provides a review of the scholarly and applied literature published between 1970 and 1993 on health and health care access problems among racial and ethnic minority group members living in rural U.S. areas. Results on the distribution of specific illnesses and diseases, and utilization of medical services are summarized for two major minority groups—African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Findings generally document the expected pattern of rural and minority disadvantage. A review of the conceptual and methodological limitations of existing research suggests that research does not yet permit any clear understanding of the underlying structures and processes that give rise to racial health disparities. Very little is known about the health of rural minorities living in some areas of the country, for example, the west north central United States (Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota).

Fear of crime: An assessment of related factors

This study examines the relationship between fear of crime and victimization, gender, age, and selected social factors. Data for the study were obtained from a random sample (n = 1,835) of respondents 15 years of age and over. Separate multiple regression techniques were utilized to assess the effects of predictor variables on fear of crime. The findings revealed that victimization was the most powerful predictor of fear of crime for the total sample and for each subsample. Other significant predictor variables include gender, age and race.

Fear of crime and the likelihood of victimization: a bi-ethnic comparison

Fear of crime and the likelihood of future victimization for Hispanics and Blacks in the United States was examined. The sample size was 2,235 (1,696 Black and 539 Hispanic respondents). Fear of crime and the likelihood of victimization were perceived as serious social problems by both Hispanics and Blacks, but Hispanics and women reported higher levels of fear of crime and felt more likely to be victimized than Blacks and men did.

Predictors of Alcohol and Drug Use: A Multi-Ethnic Comparison

In this study socioeconomic status and demographic differences in reported alcohol and drug use among Black, Hispanic, and White respondents to the 1988 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (T. Virag, B. Cox, & J. V. Rachel, 1991) were examined. White respondents reported significantly higher levels of alcohol and drug use than Blacks and Hispanics did. Separate regression analyses of alcohol and drug use by race revealed that education, income, and employment status were significant determinants of alcohol use. Employment status and marital status significantly influenced drug use among all respondents.

Variables associated with adolescent alcohol use: a multiethnic comparison.

Abstract The authors examined the influence of sociodemographic variables on the frequency and intensity of alcohol use among a nationally representative sample of Black, Hispanic, and White adolescents who had participated in the 1991 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1993). The sample consisted of 8,756 U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. The authors found that (a) approximately 19% of the respondents had used alcohol in the last 30 days; (b) among the respondents who had used alcohol, 21% had consumed 1 or more drinks per drinking episode; and (c) there were important similarities as well as important differences in variables that promoted alcohol use among Black, Hispanic, and White adolescents.

Life satisfaction, self‐esteem, and personal happiness among Mexican and African Americans

This study, using data from the Mexican Origin People in the United States: The 7 979 Chicano Survey and the National Survey of Black Americans, examines variation in religious participation and subjective quality of life across age and racial/ethnic groups. Results from multiple regression analyses demonstrate that Mexican and African Americans differ with respect to self‐esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction, even after controls for sociodemographic characteristics are introduced. Results further show that the subjective consequences of age and religious participation, and to a lesser extent socioeconomic status, differ between the two racial/ethnic groups.