2023 – CBO | RI Life Index

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.

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

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or completely descriptive to the following:
I’m going to read you a series of statements that some people make about the area where they live, that is, their community. For each, tell me if that statement is completely descriptive, somewhat descriptive, not very descriptive, or not descriptive at all of your community.

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or very likely to the following:
For each of the following aspects of life, please tell me how likely each is for a typical person living in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely.
Overall Chart Breakdown: 75

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

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or completely descriptive to the following:
I’m going to read you a series of statements that some people make about the area where they live, that is, their community. For each, tell me if that statement is completely descriptive, somewhat descriptive, not very descriptive, or not descriptive at all of your community.
Overall Chart Breakdown: 75

Percentage of respondents who said good or very good to the following:
Thinking specifically about the experience of older adults in your community, please rate the following things as very good, good, fair, poor, or very poor.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 45 Overall Chart Breakdown: 48

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

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or completely descriptive to the following:
I’m going to read you a series of statements that some people make about the area where they live, that is, their community. For each, tell me if that statement is completely descriptive, somewhat descriptive, not very descriptive, or not descriptive at all of your community.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 63

Percentage of respondents who said good or very good to the following:
For each of the following aspects of life, please tell me how likely each is for a typical person living in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 70

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

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or very likely to the following:
For each of the following aspects of life, please tell me how likely each is for a typical person living in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 49

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or much better to the following:
For each of the following aspects of life, please tell me how likely each is for a typical person living in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 14

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or strongly disagree to the following:
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

Overall Chart Breakdown: 14

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

Percentage of respondents who said not very descriptive or not descriptive at all to the following:
I’m going to read you a series of statements that some people make about the area where they live, that is, their community. For each, tell me if that statement is completely descriptive, somewhat descriptive, not very descriptive, or not descriptive at all of your community.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 13 Overall Chart Breakdown: 11

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

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or completely descriptive to the following:
I’m going to read you a series of statements that some people make about the area where they live, that is, their community. For each, tell me if that statement is completely descriptive, somewhat descriptive, not very descriptive, or not descriptive at all of your community.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 46

Percentage of respondents who said somewhat or very likely to the following:
For each of the following aspects of life, please tell me how likely each is for a typical person living in your community: very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely.

Overall Chart Breakdown: 59

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.