RI Life Index; Presented in Partnership: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Brown School of Public Health

Health is more than healthcare

Health is so much more than what happens within the healthcare system. We know health outcomes do not rest solely on medical interventions, but also greatly depend on meeting basic human needs.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) and the Brown University School of Public Health are proud to present the fourth annual RI Life Index, which captures Rhode Islanders’ perceptions of social determinants of health and well-being. For BCBSRI, the Index serves as a driver of our mission to create access to high quality care for all Rhode Islanders. We believe the Index will help us to build healthier communities throughout Rhode Island. This is our long-term commitment. We must continue to listen, learn and act.

View our 2022 Launch Event

Key Findings

In 2022, the second year for which we have data, CBO participants’ perceptions continued to vary by language across the sample. For example, while the range of perceptions about access to nutritious food for those in the CBO sample were generally comparable to those in the RDD sample, those interviewed in Cape Verde Creole, Hmong and Yoruba had meaningfully lower perceptions, whereas those interviewed in Dari had meaningfully higher perceptions.

Of particular note were the cost-of-living scores. For those interviewed in Bassa, Hmong, Spanish, and Yoruba, these were some of the lowest scores we have seen to date in the RI Life Index data, which is not surprising given lingering effects of the pandemic and recent inflationary concerns.

RI Life Index

We show here a composite score of essential drivers of health and well-being as defined for the RI Life Index. The topic areas comprising the composite score focus on community life and quality of community elements, including affordable housing, quality education and good jobs. For all core measures, we first display the scores from the random digit dial (RDD) survey conducted from April through June of 2022. You can also view breakdowns by languages the CBO survey was conducted in.

Overall RI Life Index CBO Score Result: 54; Arabic: 70, Bassa: 62, Cape Verde Creole: 40, Chinese: 57, Dari: 64, Hmong: 45, Khmer: 56, Krio: 56, Laotian: 57, Spanish: 64, Swahili: 65, Vietnamese: 50, Yoruba: 49

Summary: Perceptions of Community

The report begins at the widest point of the lens, with summaries of perceptions of community that incorporate a range of social determinants of health, and quickly moves into a breakdown of those key factors. For all core measures, we first display the scores from the random digit dial (RDD) survey conducted from April through June of 2022. As you click deeper, you can explore trends, as well as scores from interviews conducted by community-based organizations.

Quality of Community CBO Score Result: 48; Arabic: 63, Bassa: 55, Cape Verde Creole: 36, Chinese: 51, Dari: 59, Hmong: 40, Khmer: 51, Krio: 51, Laotian: 49, Spanish: 56, Swahili: 61, Vietnamese: 46, Yoruba: 39
Community Life CBO Score Result: 62; Arabic: 80, Bassa: 71, Cape Verde Creole: 44, Chinese: 64, Dari: 72, Hmong: 53, Khmer: 64, Krio: 62, Laotian: 69, Spanish: 75, Swahili: 69, Vietnamese: 55, Yoruba: 63

Perceptions of Community: Vulnerable Residents

Here we show perceptions of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents. For all core measures, we first display the scores from the random digit dial (RDD) survey conducted from April through June of 2022. As you click deeper, you can explore trends, as well as scores from interviews conducted by community-based organizations.

Children CBO Score Result: 67; Arabic: 72, Bassa: 76, Cape Verde Creole: 50, Chinese: 68, Dari: 72, Hmong: 49, Khmer: 68, Krio: 70, Laotian: 66, Spanish: 85, Swahili: 74, Vietnamese: 64, Yoruba: 76
Older Adults CBO Score Result: 61; Arabic: 84, Bassa: 75, Cape Verde Creole: 48, Chinese: 58, Dari: 67, Hmong: 51, Khmer: 62, Krio: 57, Laotian: 60, Spanish: 75, Swahili: 77, Vietnamese: 51, Yoruba: 39

Perceptions of Community: Social Determinants of Health

Here we show perceptions of specific social determinants of health. For all core measures, we first display the scores from the random digit dial (RDD) survey conducted from April through June of 2022. As you click deeper, you can explore trends, as well as scores from interviews conducted by community-based organizations.

Access to Nutritious Food CBO Score Result: 61; Arabic: 79, Bassa: 75, Cape Verde Creole: 37, Chinese: 63, Dari: 85, Hmong: 57, Khmer: 72, Krio: 68, Laotian: 63, Spanish: 73, Swahili: 64, Vietnamese: 65, Yoruba: 56
Affordable Housing CBO Score Result: 29; Arabic: 42, Bassa: 37, Cape Verde Creole: 24, Chinese: 37, Dari: 32, Hmong: 18, Khmer: 32, Krio: 34, Laotian: 42, Spanish: 24, Swahili: 43, Vietnamese: 36, Yoruba: 21
Cost of Living CBO Score Result: 17; Arabic: 25, Bassa: 8, Cape Verde Creole: 16, Chinese: 25, Dari: 33, Hmong: 12, Khmer: 17, Krio: 24, Laotian: 28, Spanish: 8, Swahili: 34, Vietnamese: 24, Yoruba: 8
Job Opportunities CBO Score Result: 51; Arabic: 69, Bassa: 68, Cape Verde Creole: 30, Chinese: 58, Dari: 60, Hmong: 50, Khmer: 56, Krio: 53, Laotian: 52, Spanish: 66, Swahili: 61, Vietnamese: 42, Yoruba: 49
Healthcare Access CBO Score Result: 67; Arabic: 87, Bassa: 67, Cape Verde Creole: 50, Chinese: 64, Dari: 77, Hmong: 59, Khmer: 71, Krio: 61, Laotian: 75, Spanish: 83, Swahili: 74, Vietnamese: 59, Yoruba: 66

Actual Experiences

Here we show data on the actual experiences of respondents with regard to their economic situation, food security, access to technology, and racial equity. For all core measures, we first display the scores from the random digit dial (RDD) survey conducted from April through June of 2022. As you click deeper, you can explore trends, as well as scores from interviews conducted by community-based organizations.

Racial Equity CBO Score Result: 70; Arabic: 75, Bassa: Questions were not asked in this language, Cape Verde Creole: 67, Chinese: 67, Dari: 73, Hmong: 76, Khmer: 63, Krio: Questions were not asked in this language, Laotian: 70, Spanish: 74, Swahili: 69, Vietnamese: 68, Yoruba: Questions were not asked in this language
Food Security CBO Score Result: 52; Arabic: Questions were not asked in this language, Bassa: Questions were not asked in this language, Cape Verde Creole: 48, Chinese: Questions were not asked in this language, Dari: Questions were not asked in this language, Hmong: Questions were not asked in this language, Khmer: Questions were not asked in this language, Krio: Questions were not asked in this language, Laotian: Questions were not asked in this language, Spanish: 55, Swahili: Questions were not asked in this language, Vietnamese: Questions were not asked in this language, Yoruba: Questions were not asked in this language
Economic Situation CBO Score Result: 36; Arabic: Questions were not asked in this language, Bassa: Questions were not asked in this language, Cape Verde Creole: 32, Chinese: Questions were not asked in this language, Dari: Questions were not asked in this language, Hmong: Questions were not asked in this language, Khmer: Questions were not asked in this language, Krio: Questions were not asked in this language, Laotian: Questions were not asked in this language, Spanish: 40, Swahili: Questions were not asked in this language, Vietnamese: Questions were not asked in this language, Yoruba: Questions were not asked in this language

Characteristics of the CBO Sample

Seventy-three percent of respondents live in a core city. Approximately one in ten (12%) reported living alone; 54% lived in households with at least one child under the age of 18. Two-thirds of survey participants (67%) identified as female. Approximately half (51%) were aged 18 to 49. Sixty-one percent reported having a high school education or less. Fifty-six percent had a household income of less than $25,000. Eighteen percent indicated they were living in a household in which at least one person had a disability. Fifteen percent indicated they do not speak English at all and 28% indicated they speak English, but not well.

Chart Breakdown: Non-core City: 73, Core City: 27; Number of people in household: 12% (1), 25% (2), 62% (3+); Number of children <18 in household: 46% (0), 24% (1), 30% (2+); Gender: 33% (Male), 67% (Female); Age: 18% (18-34), 33% (35-49), 30% (50-64), 18% (65+); Education: 61% (High school or less), 21% (Some college), 16% (Bachelors or higher); Income: 56% (<$25K), 23% ($25K-$49K), 14% ($50-$99K); Someone in household has a disability: 70% (Yes), 15% (No); How will do you speak English: 15% (Not at all), 28% (Not well), 27% (Well), 29% (Very well)