The Area Deprivation Index Corresponds Effectively With Other Measures of Objective Socioeconomic Status in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background and PurposeHow the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) performs compared to other measures of socioeconomic status (SES) is unknown. The study purpose is to compare the ADI and other measures of SES in their ability to predict pain severity/interference.MethodsFour measures of SES were compared—ADI, income, education, and subjective social status (SSS).ResultsPain severity/interference correlated positively with ADI (r = .396/r = .33), and negatively with income (r = –.507/r = –.428) and education (r = –.271/r = –.102). Criterion scores of the pain severity model suggest income performs best (AIC = 428.29/BIC = 436.22), followed by ADI (AIC = 437.24/BIC = 445.17), with education performing least well (AIC = 446.35/BIC = 454.29). Similar results were seen for the pain interference model.ConclusionsNeighborhood-level factors warrant consideration along with individual-level factors when attempting to understand the impact of SES on chronic low back pain.