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Socioeconomic characteristics of residential areas and risk of death: is variation in spatial units for analysis a source of heterogeneity in observed associations?
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Socioeconomic characteristics of residential areas and risk of death: is variation in spatial units for analysis a source of heterogeneity in observed associations?

Jaana I. Halonen, Jussi Vahtera, Tuula Oksanen, Jaana Pentti, Marianna Virtanen, Markus Jokela, Ana V. Diez-Roux and Mika Kivimaeki
BMJ open, v 3(4), pe002474
01 Jan 2013
PMID: 23558735
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/4/e002474.full.pdfView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002474View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

General & Internal Medicine Life Sciences & Biomedicine Medicine, General & Internal Science & Technology
Objectives Evidence on the association between the adverse socioeconomic characteristics of residential area and mortality is mixed. We examined whether the choice of spatial unit is critical in detecting this association. Design Register-linkage study. Setting Data were from the Finnish Public Sector study's register cohort. Participants The place of residence of 146600 cohort participants was linked to map grids and administrative areas, and they were followed up for mortality from 2000 to 2011. Residential area socioeconomic deprivation and household crowding were aggregated into five alternative areas based on map grids (250x250m, 1x1km and 10x10km squares), and administrative borders (zip-code area and town). Primary and secondary outcome measures All-cause mortality. Results For the 250x250m area, mortality risk increased with increasing socioeconomic deprivation (HR for top vs bottom quintile 1.36, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.52). This association was either weaker or missing when broader spatial units were used. For household crowding, excess mortality was observed across all spatial units, the HRs ranging from 1.14 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.25) for zip code, and 1.21 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.31) for 250x250m areas to 1.28 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.50) for 10x10km areas. Conclusions Variation in spatial units for analysis is a source of heterogeneity in observed associations between residential area characteristics and risk of death.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#10 Reduced Inequalities

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Domestic collaboration
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Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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