title: Identifying the impact of social determinants of health on disease rates using correlation analysis of area-based summary information.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We developed a statistical tool that brings together standard, accessible, and well-understood analytic approaches and uses area-based information and other publicly available data to identify social determinants of health (SDH) that significantly affect the morbidity of a specific disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We specified AIDS as the disease of interest and used data from the American Community Survey and the National HIV Surveillance System. Morbidity and socioeconomic variables in the two data systems were linked through geographic areas that can be identified in both systems. Correlation and partial correlation coefficients were used to measure the impact of socioeconomic factors on AIDS diagnosis rates in certain geographic areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We developed an easily explained approach that can be used by a data analyst with access to publicly available datasets and standard statistical software to identify the impact of SDH. We found that the AIDS diagnosis rate was highly correlated with the distribution of race/ethnicity, population density, and marital status in an area. The impact of poverty, education level, and unemployment depended on other SDH variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Area-based measures of socioeconomic variables can be used to identify risk factors associated with a disease of interest. When correlation analysis is used to identify risk factors, potential confounding from other variables must be taken into account.
authors.affiliation: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Herpatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. RSong@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Ruiguang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: H Irene
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Kathleen McDavid
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Tanya Telfair
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: Lillian S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hazel D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000367:Age Factors; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology