Table 3.
Multivariate estimates of variance (R2) in life satisfaction accounted for by racial/ethnic disparities, socioeconomic status (SES), health status, and social relationships by national health survey
| Age and gender | +SES | +Health | +Social relationships | Emotional support omitted | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| NHIS | BRFSS | NHIS | BRFSS | NHIS | BRFSS | NHIS | BRFSS | NHIS | BRFSS | |
| Overall | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 12.7 | 14.8 | 25.5 | 24.5 | 17.5 | 15.9 |
| Disparitiesa | ||||||||||
| Hispanic vs. White | 0.3 | 0.5 | 6.2 | 9.0 | 13.1 | 15.0 | 26.0 | 24.9 | 17.8 | 15.0 |
| Black vs. White | 0.6 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 13.1 | 15.9 | 26.5 | 26.6 | 18.0 | 15.7 |
| Within groups | ||||||||||
| White | 0.1 | 0.2 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 13.5 | 16.0 | 27.1 | 27.4 | 18.4 | 17.3 |
| Black | 0.6 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 7.8 | 9.0 | 12.7 | 21.4 | 20.7 | 14.0 | 13.2 |
| Hispanic | 0.8 | 0.1 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 19.3 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 13.2 |
NHIS = National Health Interview Survey (n = 29,243 in fully adjusted models). BRFSS = Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 329,004 in fully adjusted models). The baseline model included age and gender, while subsequent models added, in turn, socioeconomic status (SES; education, income, home ownership [NHIS only], employment status), health status (functional limitations, self-rated health, and diagnosed chronic diseases), and social ties (marital status, emotional support, and frequency of social contacts [NHIS only])
Disparities analyses compare only Black/White or Hispanic/White participants using a binary race/ethnicity variable