The idea of SES (Socio Economic Status) contains three key
concepts (occupational status, income, and education) that are used to help
determine the social ranking of a single person, or a group of individuals that
share common characteristics such as race or culture (Today’s Research on Aging).
In this and future blogs, the focus will be on Mexican American (MA) elderly
and how their SES effects their health. While there are many other groups of
people I could have focused on, I have chosen to study the MA because they are
part of one of the fastest growing segments of the population; Hispanics. In a
count conducted by the Census Bureau in 1990 the number of individuals of
Hispanic heritage accounted for 3.7% of the population that was over the age of
65 (Bureau of the Census). This number is expected to increase to 15.5% by 2050
(Bureau of the Census). Of this growing
number of Hispanics, 61% are of Mexican origin (10 Health Status of Hispanic
Elderly). With such a large number of individuals it is imperative that any
disparities experienced by this group of individuals due to a lack of
socioeconomic resources be addressed. However, the pinpointing of any
disparities may be difficult since many people of all income levels report
overall bad health since they are at such an advanced age (Today’s Research on
Aging). While this may be the case it should not stop further inquiry. There
are still many variables that effect how an aging person’s health is affected
due to their SES. These may include but are not limited to the key concepts
mentioned above.
Work Cited
Bureau of the Census
National Research Council. "10 Health Status of
Hispanic Elderly." Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Health of
Older Americans. Washington,
DC: The National Academies Press,
1997. 1. Print.
Today’s Research on Aging. Population Reference Bureau, (2008), 11, 1-4. Retrieved from www.prb.org.
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