County-Level Social Vulnerability Is Positively Associated with Cardiometabolic Disease in Colorado

Laura E. Wild, McKailey Walters, Alaina Powell, Katherine A. James, Laura Corlin and Tanya L. Alderete
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Laura E. Wild: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
McKailey Walters: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Alaina Powell: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Katherine A. James: Department Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO 80045, USA
Laura Corlin: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Tanya L. Alderete: Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Cardiometabolic diseases are a group of interrelated diseases that pose greater burden among socially vulnerable communities. The social vulnerability index (SVI) identifies communities vulnerable to emergencies and may also help determine communities at risk of adverse chronic health outcomes. However, no studies have examined the relationship between the SVI and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Colorado or focused on rural settings. The aim of this ecological study was to determine whether the county-level SVI is associated with county-level cardiometabolic health indicators with a particular focus on rurality and racial/ethnic diversity. We obtained 2014 SVI scores from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (scored 0–1; higher = more vulnerable) and 2013–2015 cardiometabolic health estimates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The distribution of social determinants of health was spatially evaluated. Bivariate relationships between the SVI and cardiometabolic indicators were estimated using simple linear regression models. The highest SVI scores were observed in rural areas, including the San Luis Valley (mean: 0.78, median: 0.91), Southeast (mean: 0.72, median: 0.73), and Northeast (mean: 0.66, median: 0.76) regions. Across Colorado, the SVI accounted for 41% of the variability in overweight and obesity prevalence ( p < 0.001), 17% of the variability in diabetes prevalence ( p = 0.001), and 58% of the age-adjusted myocardial infarction hospitalization rate ( p < 0.001). SVI values may be useful in determining a community’s burden of cardiometabolic diseases.

Keywords: the social vulnerability index; cardiometabolic disease; rural communities; rural health; Colorado; San Luis Valley (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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