Older African-Americans face many barriers that impede access to formal support services. Therefore, informal social networks may be the only source of support for many elderly African-Americans. This study looked at three measures of informal social networks: contacts with family members, contacts with friends, and social involvement outside the home. Data were from the 1984-1988 Longitudinal Survey of Aging. Bivariate associations with lower mortality occurred for all three social network indices. When controlling for sociodemographic, physical health variables, and self-rated health in logistic regression, church attendance retained significance. Men appeared to be at high risk when social network was limited. Other significant factors were: cancer, activities of daily living, sex-specific body mass, and self-rated health.
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