Table 1 Cut-points for dichotomized neighborhood-level moderators
Moderator | Description and cut-point for dichotomizing |
|---|---|
Gini Inequality | The Gini Index, or index of income concentration, is a statistical measure of income inequality ranging from 0 to 1. A measure of 1 indicates perfect inequality, i.e., one household having all the income and rest having none. A measure of 0 indicates perfect equality, i.e., all households having an equal share of income [31]. Dichotomized at 0.4106, the World Bank estimate of Gini for the USA in 2013 [32] |
Unemployment rate | Number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor force. Dichotomized at 6.6, the US seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January 2014 [33] |
Percentage college graduates | Percentage with bachelor’s degree or higher. Dichotomized at 41.0, the percentage of US citizens aged 55–64 with tertiary education, 2014 [34] |
Population density | Total population divided by the land area measured in square miles. Dichotomized at 1000 people/square mile, the definition of a rural tract |
Median household income | 50th percentile household income for the census tract. Dichotomized at 68,426, the median household income in the USA in 2014, for family households [35] |
Poverty (%) | Percentage in census tract living in poverty. Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If the total income for a family or unrelated individual falls below the relevant poverty threshold, then the family (and every individual in it) or unrelated individual is considered in poverty. Dichotomized at 17.6%, a median split in our study sample |
ED visits per 1000 enrollees | Number of emergency department visits per 1000 Medicaid/Medicare enrollees. Dichotomized at 416, the US average in 2013 [36] |