Socioeconomic Disparities in Prostate Cancer Mortality and the Impact of Geographic Scale

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. Conclusion: 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.