Fellow comoderator Dr. Mike Dean, chief of pediatric critical care at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, asked whether it would suffice to simply determine whether patients lived in an area of extreme poverty according to census data rather than using a more complex and completely automated index. Dr. Beck said that approach would be feasible and that a significant effect size was observed even when the variable of extreme poverty was evaluated in isolation
Overall, 57% of children in the analysis lived in a census tract where more than 3.3% of the population lived below the 50% poverty line, 65% lived in a tract with a median home value of $106,700 or less, and 36% lived in a tract where 18% or more of adults lacked a high school education.
A total of 64% of the cohort was male, 53% were black, their mean age was 5.9 years, and 65% had public insurance or no insurance.
Dr. Beck, his coauthors, and Dr. Dean report no relevant financial relationships. Dr. Wilson reports a research grant from Child Health Corp. of America.