Table 1. County Demographic Characteristics by Catholic Hospital Market Sharea.
| Characteristic | Overall | Market Share | Difference (95% CI) | P Valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | High or Dominant | ||||
| County characteristics | |||||
| Counties, No. | 2291 | 1197 | 1094 | NA | NA |
| Female population of reproductive age (millions), No. | 464 | 222 | 243 | NA | NA |
| Female population of reproductive age, % of national total | 74.1 | 35.4 | 38.7 | NA | NA |
| Demographic characteristics | |||||
| Female, mean (SD), % | 49.9 (2.3) | 49.9 (2.5) | 49.8 (2.0) | −0.1 (−0.3 to 0.1) | .46 |
| Female of reproductive age (15-44 y), mean (SD), % | 17.2 (2.8) | 17.3 (2.8) | 17.2 (2.7) | −0.0 (−0.3 to 0.2) | .81 |
| Race, mean (SD), % | |||||
| White | 85.0 (15.8) | 83.4 (17.5) | 86.7 (13.5) | 3.2 (1.9 to 4.5) | <.001 |
| Black | 7.7 (13.6) | 9.3 (15.6) | 6.0 (10.9) | −3.3 (−4.4 to −2.2) | <.001 |
| Asian | 1.2 (2.4) | 1.2 (2.4) | 1.2 (2.3) | 0.0 (−0.2 to 0.2) | .92 |
| Other | 6.1 (8.6) | 6.1 (9.4) | 6.2 (7.7) | 0.1 (−0.6 to 0.8) | .78 |
| Hispanic ethnicity, mean (SD), % | 8.4 (12.5) | 8.0 (11.6) | 8.9 (13.5) | 0.9 (−0.1 to 1.9) | .08 |
| Education, some college or more, mean (SD), % | 51.5 (10.4) | 50.5 (10.7) | 52.6 (10.0) | 2.1 (1.3 to 3.0) | <.001 |
| Annual household income, median, mean (SD), $US in thousands | 48.3 (12.1) | 47.3 (13.1) | 49.4 (11.0) | 2.1 (1.1 to 3.1) | <.001 |
| Rural county, No. (%) | 1772 (77.3) | 939 (78.4) | 833 (76.1) | NA | .19 |
| Census regions, No. (%) | |||||
| Northeast | 154 (6.7) | 113 (9.4) | 41 (3.7) | NA | <.001 |
| Midwest | 964 (42.1) | 426 (35.6) | 538 (49.2) | NA | |
| South | 850 (37.1) | 509 (42.5) | 341 (31.2) | NA | |
| West | 323 (14.1) | 149 (12.4) | 174 (15.9) | NA | |
| Catholic population, mean (SD), % | 14.1 (13.8) | 12.6 (13.5) | 15.8 (13.8) | 3.2 (2.0 to 4.3) | <.001 |
Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.
The unit of observation was the county. County characteristics were obtained from the 5-year 2016 American Community Survey,22 except the percentage of Catholic individuals, which was obtained from the 2010 US Religion Census (179 missing).23 County rurality was based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services definitions, and rural counties include 3 county type designations: micro, rural, and counties with extreme access considerations. The table excludes 810 counties with minimal (≤2%) market share of Catholic hospital.
P values test the difference in means between counties with low (>2% to ≤20%) and high or dominant (>20%) Catholic hospital market shares for continuous variables, with the χ2 test used for categorical variables.