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Assessing Spatial and Temporal Differences in State-Level Child Well-Being Based on Tests of Statistical Significance

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Abstract

The concept of child well-being is central to the study of children and is reflected in data books, statistical indices, and report cards. Statistical indicators of child well-being are increasingly used to examine the quality of life for children. Such reports are often used to examine differences across geographic areas (spatial differences) and changes over time (temporal differences). In this study, indicators from a widely used report on child well-being are used to compare spatial differences and temporal differences among states in the U.S. based on tests of statistical significance. Results show that currently available indicators are better at detecting differences in child well-being between states at one point in time rather than state-level changes over time. Additionally, a state index of child well-being is constructed using statistically significant differences from the national data; the results of the new index proved to be similar to the more traditional z-score method.

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Notes

  1. The two perspectives are noted in the passage below (National Center for Health Statistics 1994, page 30). “The number of deaths reported for an area represent complete counts of such events (except for 1972, when the data were based on a 50 % sample because of human resource constraints). As such, they are not subject to sampling error, although they are subject to non-sampling errors in the registration process. However, when the figures are used for analytical purposes, such as comparison of rates of time or for different areas, the number of events that actually occurred may be considered as one of a large series of possible results that could have arisen under the same circumstances. The probable range of values may be estimated from the actually figures according to certain statistical assumptions.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pennsylvania State University, 203 Oswald Tower, State College, PA, 16801, USA

    Sarah E. Patterson

  2. O’Hare Data and Demographic Services LLC, 11 Randolph Avenue, Cape Charles, VA, 23310, USA

    William P. O’Hare

Authors
  1. Sarah E. Patterson
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  2. William P. O’Hare
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah E. Patterson.

Additional information

Sarah Patterson’s research is supported by funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Population Research Institute at The Pennsylvania State University for Population Research Infrastructure (R24 HD041025) and Family Demography Training (T-32HD007514).

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Table 5

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Patterson, S.E., O’Hare, W.P. Assessing Spatial and Temporal Differences in State-Level Child Well-Being Based on Tests of Statistical Significance. Child Ind Res 9, 1077–1093 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-015-9354-y

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