This study examined racial and ethnic differences in healthcare use, delayed care, and management of care of older adults with a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Drawing on the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the sample included 3,003 adults (representative of N = 998,795) aged 60 and older from five racial and ethnic groups: non-Hispanic white (n = 2,153), African American (n = 213), Hispanic (n = 336), Asian (n = 306), and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) (n = 59). All self-reported a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted using weighted data. Results from adjusted logistic regressions indicated significant racial and ethnic differences between non-Hispanic white elderly and the other groups examined. Specifically, African Americans were significantly less likely than whites to see a doctor and to have a usual source of care, and were more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) for diabetes mellitus and to have their feet examined by a provider. Hispanics were significantly less likely to take medicine to lower cholesterol but were more likely to test their blood glucose regularly (following ADA guidelines). Asians were significantly less likely than whites to test their blood glucose regularly or have a foot examination. AI/ANs were significantly less likely than whites to see a doctor, visit an ED, and take medication to reduce heart attack risk but were more likely to use insulin, oral diabetic medication, or both. The findings suggest the need for racial- and ethnic-specific interventions for managing diabetes mellitus to help reduce existing racial and ethnic disparities among elderly adults.

Our findings show clear evidence of age differences in satisfaction with and perceived benefit from MHS. The findings provide important implications for future interventions targeted to improve MHS satisfaction. Age-specific strategies should be developed to prevent delay in mental health treatment.

The findings suggest that improving the access to mental health care in certain regions, the South in particular, may be essential to reduce racial disparities at the national level. Policy implications are discussed.

Objective This study examined racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between diabetes self-efficacy and psychological distress among older adults with diabetes mellitus. Method Adults aged 60 or older with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (N = 3,067) were drawn from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Results After controlling for covariates, African Americans and those with higher levels of diabetes self-efficacy tended to have lower levels of psychological distress. Significant interactions were found in the Hispanic/Latino and Asian groups: The effect of diabetes self-efficacy on psychological distress was greater for Hispanics/Latinos and Asians than non-Hispanic Whites. Discussion Findings suggest that diabetes self-efficacy is associated with psychological distress among older diabetic patients and that race/ethnicity moderates the relationship between diabetes self-efficacy and psychological distress. Increasing diabetes self-efficacy will help racial/ethnic minority older patients with diabetes to improve psychological well-being at a greater level.

This study examined the measurement equivalence of the K6 across diverse racial/ethnic and linguistic groups in the U.S. differential item functioning analyses using item response theory were conducted among 44,846 U.S. adults drawn from the California Health Interview Survey. Results show that four items (“nervous,” “restless,” “depressed,” and “everything an effort”) varied significantly across races/ethnicities and four items (“nervous,” “hopeless,” “restless,” and “depressed”) varied significantly across languages. In additional effect size analyses designed to separate effects of race/ethnicity from language, the structure of the White English group was substantially different from both the Hispanic/Latino English group and Hispanic/Latino Spanish group, whereas the Hispanic/Latino Spanish group was not different from the Hispanic/Latino English group. The findings suggest that there was evident measurement nonequivalence in the K6 among racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse adults and that the observed nonequivalence in the K6 appears to be driven by language rather than race/ethnicity.