Table 2.
Cross-sectional standardized associations of the state-level current political exposures with the current health outcomes, adjusted for child and elderly poverty, for 50 US states and the District of Columbia, 2022–2024.
| Variable: health outcomes | Political exposure: standardized effect estimate (95% CI) and P value (for different from 0) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook PVI | P | State liberalism index | P | State trifecta | US House | US Senate | ||||||
| DW-Nominate | P | DW-nominate | P | |||||||||
| D vs R | P | Mixed vs R | P | |||||||||
| Infant mortality: deaths per 1000 live births | −0.32 (−0.62, −0.02) | * | −0.56 (−0.84, −0.29) | *** | −0.94 (−1.57, −0.30) | ** | −0.24 (−0.83, 0.35) | **** | −0.43 (−0.68, −0.18) | *** | −0.46 (−0.72, −0.21) | *** |
| Premature mortality rate (age-standardized death rate for persons under age 65 per 100 000 persons) | −10.53 (−20.21, −0.84) | * | −12.42 (−22.18, −2.65) | * | −25.49 (−46.62, −4.35) | * | −13.00 (−32.46, 6.47) | **** | −8.87 (−17.53, −0.20) | * | −10.83 (−19.65, −2.02) | * |
| Percentage adults without health insurance (ages 35–64) | −1.54 (−2.51, −0.58) | ** | −1.96 (−2.89, −1.02) | *** | −2.76 (−4.90, −0.61) | * | −2.33 (−4.31, −0.36) | * | −1.05 (−1.94, −0.16) | * | −1.53 (−2.41, −0.66) | *** |
| Childhood immunization: % children aged 24 months who have received full set of vaccines | 2.35 (0.38, 4.32) | * | 2.60 (0.60, 4.61) | * | 3.06 (−1.56, 7.67) | **** | −0.07 (−4.32, 4.18) | **** | 2.78 (1.06, 4.49) | ** | 2.70 (0.95, 4.46) | ** |
| Flu vaccinations: % adults aged ≥65 vaccinated | 2.85 (1.60, 4.09) | *** | 2.44 (1.08, 3.81) | *** | 4.35 (1.36, 7.34) | ** | 3.23 (0.47, 5.98) | * | 1.71 (0.48, 2.95) | ** | 1.86 (0.59, 3.13) | ** |
| COVID-19 vaccination: % adults aged ≥65 vaccinated who received booster | 3.72 (2.39, 5.05) | *** | 3.73 (2.35, 5.12) | *** | 5.95 (2.77, 9.13) | *** | 4.03 (1.10, 6.96) | ** | 2.62 (1.35, 3.88) | *** | 3.26 (1.99, 4.52) | *** |
| Food insecurity: % of households | −0.39 (−0.79, 0.01) | **** | −0.37 (−0.78, 0.05) | **** | −0.68 (−1.58, 0.23) | **** | −0.68 (−1.51, 0.15) | **** | −0.22 (−0.59, 0.15) | **** | −0.56 (−0.90, −0.21) | ** |
| Maternity care deserts: % of female population aged 15–44 living in counties designated as a maternity care desert | −4.75 (−4.87, −2.43) | *** | −2.93 (−4.36, −1.51) | *** | −6.21 (−9.31, −3.11) | *** | −3.43 (−6.29, −0.57) | * | −3.17 (−4.29, −2.05) | *** | −2.24 (−3.58, −0.89) | ** |
For the current analyses, we include the most recent data available, as follows: for DW-Nominate, 2022–2024; for Cook PVI, 2022; for state liberalism index, 2020; for state trifecta, 2022–2024; for infant mortality rates, 2022–2024; for premature mortality rates, 2022–2024; for % of adults without health insurance, 2022; for childhood immunization, 2022; for flu vaccinations among adults ≥65, 2022; for COVID-19 vaccinations among adults ≥65, 2023–2024; for food insecurity, 2020–2022; for maternity care deserts, 2021–2022; for child and elderly poverty, 2022. P values: *.01 to <.05; **.001 to <.01; ***<.001; ****>.05.
Abbreviations: Cook PVI, Cook Partisan Voting Index; D, Democratic; R, Republican.