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African–American Solo Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Representative Profile of Their Health Status

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to document the health profile of 252 African-American grandparents raising their grandchildren solo, compared with 1552 African-American single parents. The 2012 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System is used to compare the specific physical and mental health profiles of these two family groups. The findings suggest solo grandparents have prevalence of many health conditions, including arthritis (50.3 %), diabetes (20.1 %), heart attack (16.6 %) and coronary heart disease (16.6 %). Logistic regression analyses suggest that solo grandparents have much higher odds of several chronic health disorders in comparison with single parents, but this difference is largely explained by age. Although solo grandparents have good access to health care insurance and primary care providers, a substantial percentage (44 %) rate their health as fair or poor. Practice interventions to address African American solo grandparents’ health needs are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson gratefully acknowledges support from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3993, Atlanta, GA, 30302, USA

    Deborah M. Whitley

  2. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, USA

    Esme Fuller-Thomson

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  1. Deborah M. Whitley
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Correspondence to Deborah M. Whitley.

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Whitley, D.M., Fuller-Thomson, E. African–American Solo Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Representative Profile of Their Health Status. J Community Health 42, 312–323 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0257-8

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