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Monitoring change in health disparity
Jeffrey N Pearcy1, Kenneth G Keppel
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Office of Analysis and Epidemiology, 3311 Toledo Rd, Room 6313, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA. jpearcy@cdc.gov
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice : JPHMP
|August 19, 2008
Summary
Measuring health disparity requires careful consideration of absolute and relative differences. Reductions in relative disparity, with faster improvement in disadvantaged groups, best indicate progress toward eliminating health disparities.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Disparities Research
Background:
- Effective monitoring of health disparity reduction programs requires robust assessment methods.
- Understanding the nuances of absolute vs. relative disparity measures is crucial for accurate progress evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in homicide rate disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White populations from 1989-2003.
- To evaluate the impact of different measurement approaches (absolute vs. relative) on assessing progress in reducing disparities.
Main Methods:
- Annual calculation of absolute and relative homicide rate disparities.
- Joinpoint regression analysis to identify significant change points in homicide rates.
- Measurement of absolute and relative disparity changes within identified intervals.
Main Results:
- Three significant change points were identified in homicide rates and disparity trends between 1989-2003.
- Both absolute and relative disparities declined during 1991-1994 and 1994-1999.
- Only the 1994-1999 interval showed disparity reductions substantial enough to suggest potential elimination within five years if trends continued.
Conclusions:
- Reduction in relative disparity, driven by a faster rate of improvement in the group with the less favorable rate, is the strongest indicator of progress.
- Assessing disparity trends over longer periods is essential for accurate interpretation of progress.
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