Economic Inequality and Population Health

Background: There is growing recognition that unequal economic opportunities are associated with negative population health outcomes. Previous research has documented national- and U.S. state-level associations between measures of economic inequality and multiple indicators of population health status and health risks. In this presentation, we examine associations between more proximate community-level measures of economic inequality and the health status of individuals. Methods: Using individual data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Census Tract-level data, we investigate relationships between local income inequality indices and a set of self-reported health status indicators. Health status measures examined include global health ratings, health care visits and hospitalizations, and the presence of several chronic and acute health conditions. Using multivariate hierarchical models, we also control for potential confounding variables at both the Census Tract and individual levels. Results: Findings support a link between local community economic inequality and several independent health status measures reported by NHIS respondents. Conclusions: Potential mechanisms underlying the observed associations are discussed and recommendations for future research directions are presented.