Tracing Health across Generations: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Intergenerational Transmission of Health

• In Event: 20820 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 8. The Life Course and Health I

Abstract

Social scientists have long recognized the strong intergenerational ties in health behaviors and outcomes, yet racial-ethnic variations in this process remain understudied. This study addresses this gap by examining how health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption) and health outcomes (self-rated health, psychological distress) are transmitted from parents to children and how these patterns vary across racial-ethnic groups using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Findings reveal notable racial disparities in intergenerational health transmission, with the strongest effects among Hispanics, followed by non-Hispanic Blacks, and the weakest among non-Hispanic Whites. For instance, the odds of smoking among Black and Hispanic children are 2.42 and 3.02 times higher, respectively, than their White counterparts when their parents smoke. Similarly, the transmission effect of self-rated health is 3.47 times stronger for Hispanics and 1.97 times stronger for Blacks than for Whites. These findings suggest lower health mobility among Black and Hispanic families, where children are more likely to replicate their parents’ adverse health conditions. Preliminary mediation analysis indicates that while children’s educational attainment mediates health transmission across all groups, White families are more likely to translate parental health advantages into higher offspring education, and the protective effect of education against health disadvantages is strongest among Whites. Future research will explore non-educational mechanisms, such as socialization, in shaping intergenerational health transmission across racial-ethnic groups.

Author

• Yajie Xiong, University of Maryland-College Park