An ecological approach to monitor geographic disparities in cancer outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Area-level indices are widely used to assess the impact of socio-environmental characteristics on cancer outcomes. While area-level measures of socioeconomic status (SES) have been previously used in cancer settings, fewer studies have focused on evaluating the impact of area-level health services supply (HSS) characteristics on cancer outcomes. Moreover, there is significant variation in the methods and constructs used to create area-level indices.

Methods

In this study, we introduced a psychometrically-induced, reproducible approach to develop area-level HSS and SES indices. We assessed the utility of these indices in detecting the effects of area-level characteristics on prostate, breast, and lung cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis in the US. The informati

SUBMITTER: Jayasekera J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6588275 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature