Aging in Latin America: Health, Disparities, and Outcomes Among Older adults

Chair(s)

• MO

  Margarita Maria Osuna, B.S

  PhD Student
  Gerontology
  University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Discussant(s)

• 

  Rafael Samper-Ternent, MD, PhD (he/him/his)

  Associate Professor
  School of Public Health
  The University of Texas Health Houston
  Houston, Texas, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• MO

  Margarita Maria Osuna, B.S

  PhD Student
  Gerontology
  University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  Los Angeles, California, United States
• JS

  Joseph Saenz, PhD

  Assistant Professor
  Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
  Arizona State University
  Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• 

  Catherine García, PhD (she/they)

  Assistant Professor
  Human Development and Family Science
  Syracuse University
  Syracuse, New York, United States
• 

  Natalia Gomes Goncalves, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Postdoctoral researcher
  Division of Geriatrics
  University of São Paulo Medical School
  São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Older adults in Latin America are living in contexts of high levels of poverty, low education, poor health literacy and reduced healthcare access. This symposium is focused on heath-disparities among older adults living in Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. The symposium explores connections between aging and health such as longevity, cognition, disability, and wellbeing in the context of Latin America, aiming to shed light on health-related dimensions and disparities among older Latinos. Using data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging, Gomes examines the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Using the longitudinal Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions Project and the Puerto Rico Contextual Data Resource, García, examines how the relationships between racial identity, neighborhood-level racial density, and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status are related to the probability of experiencing all-cause mortality among island-dwelling Puerto Ricans. Using four nationally representative surveys of older adults in Latin America, Osuna studies how disability prevalence varies among older adults in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil. Lastly, Saenz studies evaluates how level of exposure to a major drought Mexico is related with health among older adults, for this study they use data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study . Results underline what populations in Latin American have increased risk of experiencing poorer health outcomes and disparities that may exist. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the conditions under which Latin American older adults are aging and the implications this can have in the future.

Presentations:

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST

  Cross-National Comparison of Disability in Latin American Older Adults
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Margarita Maria M. Osuna, B.S – University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST

  Potential Implications of the 2011–2012 Drought in Mexico on Older Adult Health
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Joseph Saenz, PhD – Arizona State University
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST

  Race, Neighborhood Dynamics, and Mortality Patterns in Older Puerto Ricans
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Catherine García, PhD (she/they) – Syracuse University
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST

  Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline: Evidence From the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Natalia Gomes Goncalves, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of São Paulo Medical School