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James Nazroo

The University of Manchester, Sociology, Faculty Member

The University of Manchester, Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research, Faculty Member

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Professor of Sociology and Director of the ESRC Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) at the University of Manchester, UK, research interests include ethnic/race inequalities, inequalities in later life, life course and generation and health inequalities.

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Papers by James Nazroo

Duration, timing and order: How housing histories relate to later life wellbeing

by Bram Vanhoutte and James Nazroo

Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 2017

Accumulation, critical period and social mobility are three powerful, interrelated life course me... more Accumulation, critical period and social mobility are three powerful, interrelated life course mechanisms often tested using relatively crude empirical measures. This contribution wants to highlight the possibilities of life history data in grasping the importance of duration, timing and order of housing over the life course, by examining its association with wellbeing in later life. Housing is a key dimension of life course socioeconomic position, as the most common form of wealth accumulation in the UK. Our study makes use of the residential life history data, from birth up until the age of 50, collected in wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), in a combination of sequence analysis, cluster analysis and regression techniques. A longer duration of renting and owning accommodation is related to respectively worse and better later life affective and eudemonic wellbeing. Moving more in childhood is not associated with later life wellbeing, while frequent moving in young adulthood has a positive association with affective and eudemonic wellbeing. Moving more in midlife is associated with lower life satisfaction. Ten distinct housing careers emerge, illustrating the importance of accommodating heterogeneity in the population. Downward housing trajectories are associated with significantly lower later life wellbeing, while growing up abroad as a child is associated with higher later life wellbeing.

O-90 The NHS Breast Screening Programme – Are we communicating well with South Asian Origin Women?

Ejc Supplements, 2010

Dutch versus English advantage in the epidemic of central and generalised obesity is not shared by ethnic minority groups: comparative secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

International Journal of Obesity, 2011

Objective and Perceived Ethnic Density and Health: Findings From a United Kingdom General Population Survey

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009

Why does birthweight vary among ethnic groups in the UK? Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Journal of Public Health, 2008

Occurrence of hallucinations in a community sample

Schizophrenia Research, 1998

Tackling inequalities in health: evaluating the New Deal for Communities initiative

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2008

To assess health improvement and differential changes in health across various sociodemographic g... more To assess health improvement and differential changes in health across various sociodemographic groups in neighbourhood renewal areas. A longitudinal survey of 10,390 residents in New Deal for Communities (NDC) areas and 977 residents in comparator areas in England. Measures and methods: Changes on several outcomes across five domains (health, unemployment, education, crime and the physical environment) were assessed by sex, age, educational and ethnic group. Small overall improvements were seen on all domains in NDC areas but similar improvements were also seen in comparator areas. In NDC areas, higher educational groups were more likely to stop smoking, less likely to develop a limiting long-term illness, more likely to find employment and more likely to participate in education or training (p for trend &amp;amp;lt;0.05). Older people and women were less likely to find employment and experienced smaller increases in income. These patterns were generally mirrored in comparator areas, although the education gradient in participation in education or training was less steep in NDC areas. Evidence from two-year follow-up does not support an NDC effect, either overall or for particular population groups. Residents with lower education experienced the least favourable health profiles at baseline and the smallest improvements. Programme leaders should consider how to encourage participation among those with the lowest education. A shallower social gradient in participation in education and training in NDC areas and a lack of gradient in income, crime and environmental outcomes indicate that some aspects of the programme may be reaching all sections of the community.

Age Identity, Age Perceptions, and Health: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences, 2007

Abstract: This study explores the association between age identity, perceptions of age, and healt... more Abstract: This study explores the association between age identity, perceptions of age, and health. It uses data from the first and second waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The sample consists of 8780 men and women. Four independent variables were used: perceptions of when middle age ends and old age starts, and the ages respondents would like to be and felt they were (desired and self-perceived ages). The outcomes variables were: self-assessed health, self-reported limiting long-standing illness or disability, hypertension, and diabetes. Statistical analysis included descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate tests. A series of logistic regression models were estimated, which were adjusted for age, sex, marital/cohabitation status, and socioeconomic position. The analysis showed that self-perceived age and perceived chronological end of middle age related to all four health outcomes over and above other covariates. In contrast, desired age did not relate to any of the outcomes, while perceived start of old age related only to self-reported health dimensions. These findings indicate the importance of age identity and age perceptions for health in old age.

Rethinking the relationship between ethnicity and mental health: the British Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1998

... Afro-Caribbeans. Soc Psychiatry 22: 139±149 McKenzie K, van Os J, Fahy T, Jones P, Harvey I, ... more

Behavioural characteristics and accidents: findings from the Health Survey for England, 1997

Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2003

This study analysed the relationship between major and minor accidents, and major accidents invol... more This study analysed the relationship between major and minor accidents, and major accidents involving a moving vehicle, and behavioural and emotional factors in children, aged 4–15 years, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and adjusting for demographic, socio-economic and family type factors. Data from a large representative national sample of about 6000 children were analysed using simple and multiple logistic regression. The analysis shows that the prevalence of SDQ scales, such as hyperactivity and conduct disorder were significantly higher in boys, lower social classes and step- and single-parent families. After adjusting for the demographic, socio-economic and family type factors, children who scored borderline or high for hyperactivity were almost two times more likely to report having major accidents. Children who scored high for hyperactivity and emotional symptoms were one and a half times more likely to report having minor accidents. For major accidents involving moving vehicles, the relationships with the behavioural and emotional factors were generally stronger than for major accidents in general. Hyperactivity, in particular, was significantly associated with the occurrence of major and minor accidents, and major accidents involving moving vehicles. The behavioural risk factors were significantly more common in the lower social classes, families receiving benefits and step- and single-parent families.

Why the(y) wait? Key informant understandings of factors contributing to late presentation and poor utilization of HIV health and social care services by African migrants in Britain

Aids Care-psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of Aids/hiv, 2007

Making sense of information about HPV in cervical screening: a qualitative study

British Journal of Cancer, 2005

Gender differences in the onset of depression following a shared life event: a study of couples

Psychological Medicine, 1997

Gender differences in clinically relevant depression are well established, appear to be greatest ... more Gender differences in clinically relevant depression are well established, appear to be greatest in childbearing years and may be the result of gender differences in social roles. A community sample of 100 couples who had recently experienced at least one threatening life event that was potentially depressogenic for both of them was studied using a semi-structured interviewer-rated interview. Onset of depression was assessed using the Present State Examination, and, rather than assuming that a gender difference in roles existed uniformly across the couples, they were characterized according to their actual role activity and commitment. Women were found to have a greater risk of a depressive episode following the life event than men, and this difference was of a similar magnitude to other reports of gender differences in depression. Consistent with a role hypothesis, this greater risk was entirely restricted to episodes that followed events involving children, housing or reproductive problems. In addition, it was found that women&#39;s greater risk of a depressive episode following such events was only present among those couples where there were clear gender differences in associated roles. There was some suggestion that differences in roles on the one hand resulted in women being more likely to hold themselves responsible for such events and, on the other hand, enabled men to distance themselves from them. These results support the hypothesis that gender differences in rates of depression in the general population are, to a considerable extent, a consequence of role differences.

The Circumstances and Attitudes of Different Muslim Groups in England and Europe

In this chapter, the authors use census and survey data to develop a picture of the characteristi... more In this chapter, the authors use census and survey data to develop a picture of the characteristics and attitudes of different Muslim groups in Britain. They also use data from the Muslims in Europe (ME) study to show that many from the minority groups in London consider themselves able to access a form of flexible British identity acceptable for individuals of minority groups with widely differing demands. This sense of Britishness is much stronger than similar feelings of certain minorities in Madrid and Berlin and is regarded as important in counteracting the negative views of Islamaphobia that so often appear in the popular press.

Subgroup differences in psychosocial factors relating to coronary heart disease in the UK South Asian population

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2010

To explore the differences in psychosocial risk factors related to coronary heart disease (CHD) b... more To explore the differences in psychosocial risk factors related to coronary heart disease (CHD) between South Asian subgroups in the UK. South Asian people suffer significantly higher rates of CHD than other ethnic groups, but vulnerability varies between South Asian subgroups, in terms of both CHD rates and risk profiles. Psychosocial factors may contribute to the excess CHD propensity that is observed; however, subgroup heterogeneity in psychosocial disadvantage has not previously been systematically explored.With a cross-sectional design, 1065 healthy South Asian and 818 white men and women from West London, UK, completed psychosocial questionnaires. Psychosocial profiles were compared between South Asian religious groups and the white sample, using analyses of covariance and post hoc tests.Of the South Asian sample, 50.5% was Sikh, 28.0% was Hindu, and 15.8% was Muslim. Muslim participants were more socioeconomically deprived and experienced higher levels of chronic stress, including financial strain, low social cohesion, and racial discrimination, compared with other South Asian religious groups. In terms of health behaviors, Muslim men smoked more than Sikhs and Hindus, and Muslims also reported lower alcohol consumption and were less physically active than other groups.This study found that Muslims were exposed to more psychosocial and behavioral adversity than Sikhs and Hindus, and highlights the importance of investigating subgroup heterogeneity in South Asian CHD risk.

NCeSS Project: Data Mining for Social Scientists

An investigation of the circumstances of older people with sight loss: analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

A reflection on seven years as editors and welcome to the new editors

Ethnicity & Health, 2009

Context, cause and meaning: qualitative insights

… psychiatric illness rates …, Jan 1, 2002

3 Idioms of mental distress

Ethnic differences in the context and experience of …

Duration, timing and order: How housing histories relate to later life wellbeing

by Bram Vanhoutte and James Nazroo

Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 2017

Accumulation, critical period and social mobility are three powerful, interrelated life course me... more Accumulation, critical period and social mobility are three powerful, interrelated life course mechanisms often tested using relatively crude empirical measures. This contribution wants to highlight the possibilities of life history data in grasping the importance of duration, timing and order of housing over the life course, by examining its association with wellbeing in later life. Housing is a key dimension of life course socioeconomic position, as the most common form of wealth accumulation in the UK. Our study makes use of the residential life history data, from birth up until the age of 50, collected in wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), in a combination of sequence analysis, cluster analysis and regression techniques. A longer duration of renting and owning accommodation is related to respectively worse and better later life affective and eudemonic wellbeing. Moving more in childhood is not associated with later life wellbeing, while frequent moving in young adulthood has a positive association with affective and eudemonic wellbeing. Moving more in midlife is associated with lower life satisfaction. Ten distinct housing careers emerge, illustrating the importance of accommodating heterogeneity in the population. Downward housing trajectories are associated with significantly lower later life wellbeing, while growing up abroad as a child is associated with higher later life wellbeing.

O-90 The NHS Breast Screening Programme – Are we communicating well with South Asian Origin Women?

Ejc Supplements, 2010

Dutch versus English advantage in the epidemic of central and generalised obesity is not shared by ethnic minority groups: comparative secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

International Journal of Obesity, 2011

Objective and Perceived Ethnic Density and Health: Findings From a United Kingdom General Population Survey

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009

Why does birthweight vary among ethnic groups in the UK? Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Journal of Public Health, 2008

Occurrence of hallucinations in a community sample

Schizophrenia Research, 1998

Tackling inequalities in health: evaluating the New Deal for Communities initiative

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2008

To assess health improvement and differential changes in health across various sociodemographic g... more To assess health improvement and differential changes in health across various sociodemographic groups in neighbourhood renewal areas. A longitudinal survey of 10,390 residents in New Deal for Communities (NDC) areas and 977 residents in comparator areas in England. Measures and methods: Changes on several outcomes across five domains (health, unemployment, education, crime and the physical environment) were assessed by sex, age, educational and ethnic group. Small overall improvements were seen on all domains in NDC areas but similar improvements were also seen in comparator areas. In NDC areas, higher educational groups were more likely to stop smoking, less likely to develop a limiting long-term illness, more likely to find employment and more likely to participate in education or training (p for trend &amp;amp;lt;0.05). Older people and women were less likely to find employment and experienced smaller increases in income. These patterns were generally mirrored in comparator areas, although the education gradient in participation in education or training was less steep in NDC areas. Evidence from two-year follow-up does not support an NDC effect, either overall or for particular population groups. Residents with lower education experienced the least favourable health profiles at baseline and the smallest improvements. Programme leaders should consider how to encourage participation among those with the lowest education. A shallower social gradient in participation in education and training in NDC areas and a lack of gradient in income, crime and environmental outcomes indicate that some aspects of the programme may be reaching all sections of the community.

Age Identity, Age Perceptions, and Health: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences, 2007

Abstract: This study explores the association between age identity, perceptions of age, and healt... more Abstract: This study explores the association between age identity, perceptions of age, and health. It uses data from the first and second waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The sample consists of 8780 men and women. Four independent variables were used: perceptions of when middle age ends and old age starts, and the ages respondents would like to be and felt they were (desired and self-perceived ages). The outcomes variables were: self-assessed health, self-reported limiting long-standing illness or disability, hypertension, and diabetes. Statistical analysis included descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate tests. A series of logistic regression models were estimated, which were adjusted for age, sex, marital/cohabitation status, and socioeconomic position. The analysis showed that self-perceived age and perceived chronological end of middle age related to all four health outcomes over and above other covariates. In contrast, desired age did not relate to any of the outcomes, while perceived start of old age related only to self-reported health dimensions. These findings indicate the importance of age identity and age perceptions for health in old age.

Rethinking the relationship between ethnicity and mental health: the British Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1998

... Afro-Caribbeans. Soc Psychiatry 22: 139±149 McKenzie K, van Os J, Fahy T, Jones P, Harvey I, ... more

Behavioural characteristics and accidents: findings from the Health Survey for England, 1997

Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2003

This study analysed the relationship between major and minor accidents, and major accidents invol... more This study analysed the relationship between major and minor accidents, and major accidents involving a moving vehicle, and behavioural and emotional factors in children, aged 4–15 years, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and adjusting for demographic, socio-economic and family type factors. Data from a large representative national sample of about 6000 children were analysed using simple and multiple logistic regression. The analysis shows that the prevalence of SDQ scales, such as hyperactivity and conduct disorder were significantly higher in boys, lower social classes and step- and single-parent families. After adjusting for the demographic, socio-economic and family type factors, children who scored borderline or high for hyperactivity were almost two times more likely to report having major accidents. Children who scored high for hyperactivity and emotional symptoms were one and a half times more likely to report having minor accidents. For major accidents involving moving vehicles, the relationships with the behavioural and emotional factors were generally stronger than for major accidents in general. Hyperactivity, in particular, was significantly associated with the occurrence of major and minor accidents, and major accidents involving moving vehicles. The behavioural risk factors were significantly more common in the lower social classes, families receiving benefits and step- and single-parent families.

Why the(y) wait? Key informant understandings of factors contributing to late presentation and poor utilization of HIV health and social care services by African migrants in Britain

Aids Care-psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of Aids/hiv, 2007

Making sense of information about HPV in cervical screening: a qualitative study

British Journal of Cancer, 2005

Gender differences in the onset of depression following a shared life event: a study of couples

Psychological Medicine, 1997

Gender differences in clinically relevant depression are well established, appear to be greatest ... more Gender differences in clinically relevant depression are well established, appear to be greatest in childbearing years and may be the result of gender differences in social roles. A community sample of 100 couples who had recently experienced at least one threatening life event that was potentially depressogenic for both of them was studied using a semi-structured interviewer-rated interview. Onset of depression was assessed using the Present State Examination, and, rather than assuming that a gender difference in roles existed uniformly across the couples, they were characterized according to their actual role activity and commitment. Women were found to have a greater risk of a depressive episode following the life event than men, and this difference was of a similar magnitude to other reports of gender differences in depression. Consistent with a role hypothesis, this greater risk was entirely restricted to episodes that followed events involving children, housing or reproductive problems. In addition, it was found that women&#39;s greater risk of a depressive episode following such events was only present among those couples where there were clear gender differences in associated roles. There was some suggestion that differences in roles on the one hand resulted in women being more likely to hold themselves responsible for such events and, on the other hand, enabled men to distance themselves from them. These results support the hypothesis that gender differences in rates of depression in the general population are, to a considerable extent, a consequence of role differences.

The Circumstances and Attitudes of Different Muslim Groups in England and Europe

In this chapter, the authors use census and survey data to develop a picture of the characteristi... more In this chapter, the authors use census and survey data to develop a picture of the characteristics and attitudes of different Muslim groups in Britain. They also use data from the Muslims in Europe (ME) study to show that many from the minority groups in London consider themselves able to access a form of flexible British identity acceptable for individuals of minority groups with widely differing demands. This sense of Britishness is much stronger than similar feelings of certain minorities in Madrid and Berlin and is regarded as important in counteracting the negative views of Islamaphobia that so often appear in the popular press.

Subgroup differences in psychosocial factors relating to coronary heart disease in the UK South Asian population

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2010

To explore the differences in psychosocial risk factors related to coronary heart disease (CHD) b... more To explore the differences in psychosocial risk factors related to coronary heart disease (CHD) between South Asian subgroups in the UK. South Asian people suffer significantly higher rates of CHD than other ethnic groups, but vulnerability varies between South Asian subgroups, in terms of both CHD rates and risk profiles. Psychosocial factors may contribute to the excess CHD propensity that is observed; however, subgroup heterogeneity in psychosocial disadvantage has not previously been systematically explored.With a cross-sectional design, 1065 healthy South Asian and 818 white men and women from West London, UK, completed psychosocial questionnaires. Psychosocial profiles were compared between South Asian religious groups and the white sample, using analyses of covariance and post hoc tests.Of the South Asian sample, 50.5% was Sikh, 28.0% was Hindu, and 15.8% was Muslim. Muslim participants were more socioeconomically deprived and experienced higher levels of chronic stress, including financial strain, low social cohesion, and racial discrimination, compared with other South Asian religious groups. In terms of health behaviors, Muslim men smoked more than Sikhs and Hindus, and Muslims also reported lower alcohol consumption and were less physically active than other groups.This study found that Muslims were exposed to more psychosocial and behavioral adversity than Sikhs and Hindus, and highlights the importance of investigating subgroup heterogeneity in South Asian CHD risk.

NCeSS Project: Data Mining for Social Scientists

An investigation of the circumstances of older people with sight loss: analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

A reflection on seven years as editors and welcome to the new editors

Ethnicity & Health, 2009

Context, cause and meaning: qualitative insights

… psychiatric illness rates …, Jan 1, 2002

3 Idioms of mental distress

Ethnic differences in the context and experience of …