The purpose of these studies was to examine self-rated health (SRH) within minority populations. The objectives of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) analysis were to determine whether: (1) at baseline, SRH is worse for blacks than whites and whether (2) SRH is worse for blacks than whites over time, after adjusting for baseline characteristics. The analysis of baseline and ten-year follow-up data from CHS, a population-based study of coronary heart disease and stroke in adults aged 65 years and older, included two cohorts, one studied from about 1990-1999 and the second from 1993-2002. The sample included only black and white participants (N=5,849, excluding 39 of other races). SRH is a single item that asks respondents to rate their health as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor. Death was included in this measure to examine differences in SRH over time. Black SRH was significantly worse than white SRH (OR=0.64, p<=0.0001) at baseline. Black SRH remained worse than white SRH over time and a combined black and year effect was significant. SRH trends in black and white populations demonstrate the need to better understand the combined effect of race and time in explaining differences in black and white SRH.

The objectives of the cross-sectional study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and two-spirit (LGBTT-S) American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN or "Native") were to: (1) describe the prevalence of violence, major depression, anxiety, and SRH, and (2) examine the association of severity of violence with depression, anxiety, and SRH controlling for covariates among Native LGBTT-S. Respondents included those who addressed violence questions (N=334) from the Honor Project, a study of the health of LGBTT-S AI/AN. People experiencing severe violence compared to no violence, had an increase in the odds of having anxiety by a factor of 2.19 (p<0.05; CI = 1.04-4.56). We found a significantly improved SRH for those who experienced moderate violence compared to no violence (0.44; p<0.05; CI = 0.07 - 0.81). There is a need to confirm these findings to advocate for meaningful improvements in the health care system's current response to violence within sexual minority groups as a factor impacting health.