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Comparative Study
. 2001 Aug;91(8):1246-50.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.91.8.1246.

The effect of primary care physician supply and income inequality on mortality among blacks and whites in US metropolitan areas

L Shi  1 , B Starfield
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The effect of primary care physician supply and income inequality on mortality among blacks and whites in US metropolitan areas

L Shi et al. Am J Public Health. 2001 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed whether income inequality and primary care physician supply have a different effect on mortality among Blacks compared with Whites.

Methods: We conducted a multivariate ecologic analysis of 1990 data from 273 US metropolitan areas.

Results: Both income inequality and primary care physician supply were significantly associated with White mortality (P < .01). After the inclusion of the socioeconomic status covariates, the effect of income inequality on Black mortality remained significant (P < .01), but the effect of primary care physician supply was no longer significant (P > .10), particularly in areas with high income inequality.

Conclusions: Improvement in population health requires addressing socioeconomic determinants of health, including income inequality and primary care availability and access.

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