Measuring Spatial Social Polarization in Public Health Research: A Scoping Review of Methods and Applications.
Spatial social polarization (SSP) refers to the uneven spatial distribution and subsequent concentration of polarized social and/or economic groups in a specified geographic area. However, there is heterogeneity in how SSP is measured and operationalized in research. To this end, we conducted a scop...
| Published in: | Journal of Urban Health Vol. 102; no. 2; pp. 213 - 240 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Literature Review |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Apr2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=184745569&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 184745569 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 10993460 GMF jtl: Journal of Urban Health issn: 10993460 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2025 vid: 102 iid: 2 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 184745569 10.1007/s11524-024-00957-6 ppf: 213 ppct: 27 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 989KB tig: atl: Measuring Spatial Social Polarization in Public Health Research: A Scoping Review of Methods and Applications. aug: au: McCulley, Edwin M. Frueh, Lisa Myers, Deiriai Jaros, Samuel Abdel Magid, Hoda S. Bayer, Felicia Lovasi, Gina S. affil: https://ror.org/04bdffz58 Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, 3600 Market St, 7th Floor, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA https://ror.org/04bdffz58 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA https://ror.org/04bdffz58 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA https://ror.org/01z7r7q48 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA https://ror.org/00f54p054 Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA https://ror.org/03taz7m60 Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA su: Polarization (Social sciences) Human geography Public health research Race Health equity sug: subj: Polarization (Social sciences) Human geography Public health research Race Health equity Research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences keyword: Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Economics Applied Economics Methodology Public health Scoping review Social epidemiology Spatial epidemiology Spatial social polarization Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Economics Applied Economics Methodology Public health Scoping review Social epidemiology Spatial epidemiology Spatial social polarization ab: Spatial social polarization (SSP) refers to the uneven spatial distribution and subsequent concentration of polarized social and/or economic groups in a specified geographic area. However, there is heterogeneity in how SSP is measured and operationalized in research. To this end, we conducted a scoping review to characterize the use of SSP measures in public health research, providing a foundation for those seeking to navigate this complex literature, select measurement options, and identify opportunities for methodological development. Using a structured search strategy, we searched PubMed for any primary research, published since 2007, that examined the relationship between SSP and health outcomes. Across 117 included studies, we found a body of evidence that was primarily set in the United States (n = 104), published between 2020 and 2022 (n = 52), and focused on non-communicable diseases (n = 40). We found that defining SSP in the context of privilege, deprivation, and segregation returns a variety of measures. Among measures, we categorized 18 of them as SSP measures, with the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (n = 43) being the most common, and 5 of them as composite indices based on numerous underlying variables spanning several domains like education and race/ethnicity. While most employed a single SSP measure (n = 64), some included up to 5 measures to examine the robustness of findings or to identify how a multidimensional approach to SSP affected associations. Our findings fill a critical literature gap by summarizing options for operationalizing SSP measures and documenting their respective methodologies. Future research should consider using multiple SSP measures to capture the multidimensionality of SSP, widen the scope of health outcomes, and clearly explain the choice of measure(s) and methods used to derive them. Our findings can inform future research questions and help guide researchers in the selection and utilization of the various SSP measures. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Literature Review src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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