Table 2.
Comparison of lower-income and higher-income neighbourhood variables in Baltimore City, defined by median household income
| Characteristic | Overall | Low income (n=28) | High income (n=27) | P value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood demographics† | ||||
| Median household income (US$) | 36 362 (30 229, 47 745) | 30 230 (25 050, 33 240) | 47 760 (41 220, 60 160) | <0.001 |
| African-Americans (%) | 76.2 (34.7, 92.8) | 91.1 (76.1, 95.8) | 49.7 (12.0, 74.4) | <0.001 |
| Whites (%) | 17.6 (3.8, 52.8) | 5.0 (1.7, 17.6) | 41.7 (20.3, 75.1) | <0.001 |
| Residents 25 years or older with a bachelor’s degree or more (%) | 17.7 (8.3, 32.2) | 9.4 (7.0, 17.4) | 30.4 (20.7, 49.1) | <0.001 |
| Percentage of population > 65 years of age (%) | 11.4 (9.0, 13.0) | 12.1 (9.1, 12.8) | 10.9 (9.0, 14.6) | 0.59 |
| Neighbourhood store densities | ||||
| Tobacco store (density per 10 000 residents) | 22.5 (11.3, 39.0) | 30.5 (19.7, 44.9) | 16.5 (9.1, 27.2) | 0.01 |
| Alcohol store (density per 10 000 residents) | 4.5 (2.4, 4.7) | 5.5 (4.0, 7.9) | 2.9 (2.1, 4.7) | 0.001 |
| Fast food density (per 10 000 residents) | 1.5 (0.0, 2.8) | 1.1 (0.0, 2.6) | 1.7 (0.8, 3.3) | 0.57 |
| Neighbourhood health outcomes | ||||
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 71.9 (68.2, 74.3) | 68.2 (65.2, 71.7) | 74.3 (72.2, 76.5) | <0.001 |
| Aged-adjusted mortality (per 10 000 residents) | 115.7 (99.3, 134.4) | 130.8 (113.2, 143.8) | 102.1 (87.3, 118.4) | <0.001 |
| Deaths due to chronic lower respiratory disease (per 10 000 residents) | 3.7 (2.9, 5.7) | 3.7 (2.8, 4.9) | 4.5 (3.0, 6.6) | 0.35 |
Results are presented as median (25th, 75th percentiles).
*
P values represent comparisons between the two neighbourhood income categories, by t-tests for continuous variables or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables, where appropriate.
†
Note that we only included African-American and white for race as other races made up <1% of the majority of the neighbourhoods.