Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Monitoring Socioeconomic Gradients in Health: A Comparison of Area-Based Socioeconomic Measures—The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project

• DOI: 10.2105/ajph.93.10.1655
• Publication Date: 2008-12-02T00:04:35Z
• Authors: Nancy Krieger; Jarvis T. Chen; Pamela D. Waterman; David H. Rehkopf; S. V. Subramanian
• Keywords: Geocoding

Use of multilevel frameworks and area-based socioeconomic measures (ABSMs) for public health monitoring can potentially overcome the absence data in most US surveillance systems. To assess whether ABSMs meaningfully be used diverse race/ethnicity-gender groups, we geocoded linked from Massachusetts Rhode Island to 1990 block group, tract, zip code ABSMs. Outcomes comprised death, birth, cancer incidence, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, childhood lead poisoning, nonfatal weapons-related injuries. Among White, Black, Hispanic women men, economic deprivation (e.g., percentage below poverty) were sensitive expected gradients health, with consistent results maximal geocoding linkage evident tract-level analyses.