The distribution and magnitude of health disparity in the Vancouver CMA

Much research has established the connection between social status and health in recent years. Although socio-economic variables are commonly used to investigate this relationship, most studies tend to restrict their analysis to administrative units such as Local Health Areas. This thesis examines the spatial pattern of health disparity in the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) by estimating variations in the distribution of health status at two intra-regional scales.Three health measures are examined using quartiles and quintiles of seven single socio-economic indicators and three composite indices. A systematic pattern in health disparity is evident in the Vancouver CMA; however, as the analysis descends the spatial hierarchy and the picture of disparity becomes more detailed, health rates become less stable. Policy makers may have to forego the benefit of seeing finer differences shown at larger scales (DA level) for the more stable results offered at the CT level.