title: Socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer mortality and the impact of geographic scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer mortality and to assess the scale effect on the results of the disparity analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using prostate cancer mortality data (N = 14,036) of Texas from 1996 to 2004, this study examines the variations of socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer mortality across different geographic scales. Age-adjusted odds ratios are employed to reveal the disparities by single and composite socioeconomic indicators at county, census tract, and block group levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis shows that (1) disparities in prostate cancer mortality are significant for most socioeconomic indicators, (2) area-level socioeconomic indicators tend to reveal a less extent of disparity than individual-level indicators do, and (3) socioeconomic disparities in prostate cancer mortality at the census tract and block group levels are similar to each other but are completely different from those at the county level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The selection of geographic scale and socioeconomic indicators affects the results of socioeconomic disparity analysis in prostate cancer mortality. Most census tract and block group level socioeconomic indicators are appropriate for analyzing disparities in prostate cancer mortality. County level socioeconomic indicators should be avoided if possible.
authors: Texas State University-San Marcos, Department of Geography, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA. wanneng99@gmail.com
authors: Neng
authors: N
authors: Wan
authors: F Benjamin
authors: FB
authors: Zhan
authors: Zhongliang
authors: Z
authors: Cai
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People; D019352:Censuses; D005843:Geography; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American