Table 2. Quantile and mean comparisons of Republican and Democratic counties across select public-health measures.
| Variable | % Mean Difference | % Median Difference | % Top Quartile Difference | % Bottom Quartile Difference | t-test p value | t-test t statistic | category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asthma | -15.53% | -2.09% | -24.20% | 6% | 1.75E-12 | -7.227185 | Respiratory diseases |
| Interstitial lung disease | -7.59% | -7.41% | -6.82% | -6% | 6.27E-11 | -6.661729 | Respiratory diseases |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary | 33.27% | 31.82% | 31.19% | 33% | 2.00E-85 | 22.186229 | Respiratory diseases |
| Coal workers pneumoconiosis | 360.40% | 50.00% | 75.00% | 0% | 7.99E-10 | 6.1667217 | Respiratory diseases |
| Mortality risk, age 0–5 | -2.31% | 11.48% | -10.87% | 17% | 0.252621008 | -1.145192 | Life expectancy and Mortality |
| Mortality risk, age 25–45 | 0.57% | 11.03% | -8.44% | 19% | 0.769660064 | 0.2929605 | Life expectancy and Mortality |
| Mortality risk, age 45–65 | 3.77% | 9.50% | -1.84% | 13% | 0.012094384 | 2.5172813 | Life expectancy and Mortality |
| Mortality risk, age 65–85 | 5.05% | 6.41% | 2.53% | 7% | 2.98E-13 | 7.460388 | Life expectancy and Mortality |
| Mortality risk, age 5–25 | 8.86% | 24.67% | -0.44% | 32% | 4.31E-05 | 4.1224536 | Life expectancy and Mortality |
| Part B Drugs Actual Costs | -97.17% | -85.75% | -91.46% | -60% | 0.00270063 | -3.012516 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Emergency Department Visits | -97.13% | -81.77% | -89.77% | -65% | 0.002669971 | -3.016033 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| prct_male_medicaid | -12.54% | -9.83% | -15.64% | -5% | 2.80E-10 | -6.419353 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| prct_female_medicaid | -11.51% | -7.56% | -15.69% | -5% | 2.46E-09 | -6.05624 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Actual Per Capita Costs | -5.00% | -3.64% | -7.12% | -3% | 1.83E-10 | -6.464521 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Percent Male | 2.11% | 2.24% | 1.60% | 2% | 4.33E-20 | 9.4117126 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Uninsured %: < = 400% of Poverty | 2.67% | -1.50% | 3.01% | -2% | 0.171888273 | 1.367543 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Uninsured %: All Incomes | 6.38% | 1.96% | 4.48% | 11% | 0.005906647 | 2.7616682 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| Uninsured %: < = 138% of Poverty | 9.40% | 11.25% | 12.44% | 0% | 3.19E-06 | 4.6948186 | Insurance and Healthcare cost |
| HIV AIDS | -58.75% | -57.86% | -67.85% | -45% | 3.27E-30 | -12.12769 | Infectious diseases |
| Tuberculosis | -43.03% | -40.74% | -46.67% | -35% | 1.28E-35 | -13.4303 | Infectious diseases |
| Meningitis | -16.06% | -6.98% | -25.40% | 0% | 2.10E-17 | -8.782586 | Infectious diseases |
| Lower respiratory infections | 2.62% | 1.57% | -1.82% | 9% | 0.124374871 | 1.5385809 | Infectious diseases |
| Life Expectancy (White) | -2.28% | -2.57% | -2.97% | -2% | 1.34E-21 | -9.967263 | Health Outcomes |
| Life Expectancy | -1.41% | -1.82% | -2.21% | -1% | 1.07E-08 | -5.804499 | Health Outcomes |
| Mentally Unhealthy Days | -0.59% | 0.76% | 1.82% | -3% | 0.399461955 | -0.843066 | Health Outcomes |
| Physically Unhealthy Days | -0.59% | 0.99% | -0.48% | 1% | 0.530765566 | -0.627172 | Health Outcomes |
| Years of Potential Life Lost Rate | 5.60% | 16.53% | 0.73% | 23% | 0.00682826 | 2.7151188 | Health Outcomes |
| Age-Adjusted Mortality | 7.07% | 16.06% | 1.65% | 22% | 1.27E-04 | 3.8574268 | Health Outcomes |
| % Food Insecure | -13.59% | -4.74% | -19.69% | 1% | 2.84E-12 | -7.147556 | Health Behaviors |
| % Insufficient Sleep | -5.18% | -5.05% | -6.50% | -4% | 4.73E-14 | -7.719342 | Health Behaviors |
| % Excessive Drinking | -2.24% | -4.20% | -4.44% | 1% | 0.031192086 | -2.159568 | Health Behaviors |
| % Smokers | 4.07% | 5.65% | 1.45% | 10% | 0.001194561 | 3.2560056 | Health Behaviors |
| Food Environment Index | 5.89% | 2.67% | -0.30% | 11% | 4.28E-08 | 5.5554343 | Health Behaviors |
| obesity_crude | 8.91% | 12.63% | 2.59% | 20% | 2.73E-14 | 7.8114067 | Health Behaviors |
| diabetes_crude | 14.08% | 21.43% | 12.33% | 20% | 9.06E-13 | 7.289131 | Health Behaviors |
| Drug Overdose Mortality Rate | 14.97% | 13.37% | 11.53% | 15% | 6.15E-06 | 4.5607718 | Health Behaviors |
| opioid_prescribing_rate | 16.94% | 23.90% | 25.76% | 13% | 3.90E-09 | 5.9619381 | Health Behaviors |
| physical_inactivity_crude | 16.97% | 18.88% | 11.79% | 29% | 2.80E-32 | 12.557282 | Health Behaviors |
| % 65 and over | 19.68% | 21.38% | 17.73% | 25% | 1.62E-47 | 15.595938 | Demographic |
| % Non-Hispanic White | 50.20% | 69.16% | 22.38% | 102% | 2.72E-85 | 23.428989 | Demographic |
| % Rural | 93.91% | 233.63% | 80.54% | 788% | 2.51E-66 | 19.412684 | Demographic |
| Interpersonal violence | -38.67% | -27.68% | -41.59% | -9% | 3.10E-23 | -10.42015 | Deaths of Despair |
| Alcohol use disorders | -25.97% | -21.51% | -19.34% | -16% | 4.65E-08 | -5.545754 | Deaths of Despair |
| Drug use disorders | 8.55% | 2.25% | 16.33% | -4% | 0.001438594 | 3.1974805 | Deaths of Despair |
| MHP Rate | -52.14% | -60.95% | -50.92% | -66% | 7.32E-37 | -13.68433 | Clinical Care |
| Dentist Rate | -36.14% | -41.90% | -33.63% | -40% | 2.84E-35 | -13.25697 | Clinical Care |
| PCP Rate | -33.90% | -37.34% | -34.07% | -33% | 1.03E-32 | -12.68707 | Clinical Care |
| % With Access | -18.96% | -24.06% | -18.62% | -25% | 1.26E-27 | -11.43411 | Clinical Care |
| % Vaccinated | -6.02% | -4.55% | -4.08% | -8% | 3.03E-08 | -5.60294 | Clinical Care |
| % Screened | -0.95% | -2.44% | 0.00% | -3% | 0.305959851 | -1.024512 | Clinical Care |
| Preventable Hosp. Rate | 5.12% | 6.49% | 3.77% | 13% | 0.026039081 | 2.2310975 | Clinical Care |
| Hypertensive heart disease | -22.88% | -17.79% | -26.35% | -14% | 2.03E-09 | -6.090275 | Cardiovascular diseases |
| Cardiomyopathy & myocarditis | -13.50% | -15.48% | -16.10% | -6% | 2.64E-11 | -6.791812 | Cardiovascular diseases |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 7.69% | 11.17% | 4.65% | 15% | 2.99E-09 | 6.0209145 | Cardiovascular diseases |
| Ischemic heart disease | 13.42% | 16.28% | 13.25% | 20% | 1.94E-16 | 8.4505235 | Cardiovascular diseases |
| Stomach cancer | -20.13% | -18.81% | -25.95% | -13% | 1.79E-42 | -14.92076 | Cancers |
| Liver cancer | -12.99% | -12.05% | -12.69% | -10% | 2.68E-20 | -9.572363 | Cancers |
| Testicular cancer | 16.58% | 21.74% | 18.52% | 25% | 9.01E-27 | 11.261797 | Cancers |
| Malignant skin melanoma | 26.76% | 27.04% | 22.20% | 31% | 9.65E-98 | 24.990984 | Cancers |
Every county was assigned as either Republican or Democratic depending on the majority vote in 2016, and the mean, median, 1st quartile, and 3rd quartile values for different public health-related variables were calculated. The differences in these values for Republican and Democratic counties are presented in Table 2, along with the Student t-test statistics and p values for the mean comparisons.