The authors find variation in the data used to define deprivation, the geographic boundaries used to define each area, and whether or not the indices rank areas.
"Developing an
understanding of the key characteristics of each index, and the variability between indices, is an important step for public health practitioners and health outcome researchers to take before index selection and application," Trinidad and coauthors conclude.
They consider the input variable domains, the geographical definition of neighborhood, and the nature of the output measure or measures as the most important characteristics to consider in comparing the indices. The authors discuss each in depth in their article.
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