Section outline

  • Lecture:  Basic analytic issues in HDR

    Given the complex social and biologic context in which health disparities are manifested, research in this areas requires nuanced application of statistical concepts related to confounding, mediation, moderation, and clustering. In this lecture, we will highlight aspects of statistical analysis of particular relevance to health disparities, including how to quantify disparities and evaluate determinants of inequalities, how to best build multivariate models, how to investigate race/SES interactions, principles of sub-group reporting and statistical power in health disparities research, as well as an overview of multilevel analyses.

    Faculty:  Mahasin Mujahid

    Location:     Mission Hall 1406

    • Session Slides:

    • USCF Guest Lecture Basic Analytic Issues 2017 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Required Reading:

    • Lorch mediation File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Headen EM File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • nihms734961 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Optional Reading:

    • Merlo multilevel File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Assignment:

      Please post to the forum by 1pm on the day of class

      1. What are 3 different ways to account for SES in an analytic model when investigating racial/ethnic health disparities? (describe a fourth for extra bonus points!). Briefly discuss the interpretations/implications of each approach as it relates to the interest in understand health disparities by race/ethnicity. 

      2. Describe a potential effect modifier, mediator, or contextual variable (for definition of contextual variable, see first page of option Merlo reading) for an association of interest to you and relevant to health disparities. For example, for investigating the association between SES and maternal mortality, I might be interested in the contextual variable of exposure to violence in the neighborhood. Describe how you would study whether this relationship exists.

      3. Respond to one other person's post on the forum with a comment or suggestion.