Intersecting Paths to Health: A Factor Analysis Approach to Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants in Indiana

Siavash Ghorbany, Ming Hu (), Siyuan Yao, Chaoli Wang, Matthew Sisk, Quynh C. Nguyen and Kai Zhang
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Siavash Ghorbany: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Ming Hu: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Siyuan Yao: Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Chaoli Wang: Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Matthew Sisk: Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
Quynh C. Nguyen: National Institute of Nursing Research, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Kai Zhang: Department of Population and Community Health, College of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 2, 1-23

Abstract: Public health is the basis of society’s well-being and the nation’s development. Despite the importance of this factor and huge investments in the health sector in the United States, public health is facing enormous challenges due to the unknown nature of the influential variables in this sector. This research aims to investigate the influential variables on public health from different sources including the demographic features, built environment, socioeconomic variables, and environmental factors impact on 30 major health issues. To achieve this goal, this study utilizes exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression methods on the data obtained from the state of Indiana. The results indicated that health issues and influential factors can be divided into five main factors. This study identifies Health Burdens and Socioeconomic Disparities as a key factor, encompassing a wide range of health issues and socioeconomic variables, highlighting a significant association between socioeconomic disparities, poor health outcomes, and environmental exposures. The analysis underscores the intricate relationship between socioeconomic status, health behaviors, chronic diseases, and environmental factors, suggesting that effective interventions must address healthcare access, quality, and broader determinants of health to improve outcomes in affected communities. The results of this study can be helpful to public health policymakers, urban planners, and future public health researchers.

Keywords: public health; health equity; health burdens; socioeconomic disparities; chronic health conditions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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