Table 1 Definitions of social determinants of health (SDH) variables
SDH domain | Variable definition |
|---|---|
Structural determinants of socio-economic position | |
 Occupational status | Employed full-time (yes/no) |
 Educational attainment | Attained at least secondary level education or equivalent (yes/no) |
 Income level | Top 60% vs. bottom 40% wealth quintiles, based on principal components analysis of ownership of non-productive assets (e.g., phone, television) and living conditions (e.g., number of people per room) |
Intermediary determinants | |
 Material circumstances | |
  Housing conditions | Summed score reflecting interviewer’s assessment of more favourable home environments (based on the physical condition, internal cleanliness and external appearance of the home, and physical condition of furnishings) |
  Place to obtain fruit and vegetables | Interviewer’s assessment of whether a place to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables was within walking distance of the participant’s home. |
  Recreational area in walking distance | Interviewer’s assessment of whether parks and recreation areas were within walking distance of the home |
  Perceived safety | Greater (i.e., very safe or safe) vs. lesser (i.e., usually safe, can be dangerous, very dangerous) perceived safety |
  Neighbourhood infrastructure | Summed score reflecting interviewer’s assessment of the presence or absence of specific features in the respondent’s community (e.g., paved roads, sidewalks, electricity supply to homes, telephone lines to homes, street lighting, clean streets, recreation areas/playing field/open spaces) |
 Behavioural risk factors | |
  Alcohol use | Currently use alcohol (yes/no) |
  Tobacco smoking | Past or present smoker (yes/no) |
  Physical activity | Low (i.e., no activity or some activity reported but not enough to meet moderate or high levels) vs. not low (i.e., ≥ 5 days of any combination of walking, moderate- or vigorous-intensity activities achieving a minimum of at least 600 MET-minutes/week) based on International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)- Short Form guidelines |
  Excessive fast-food consumption | Self-reported eating at fast food places such as Burger King, KFC, Tastee, Juici Patties or Pizza Hut at least twice per week |
  Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake | Self-reported drinking of lemonade/soda/box drink at least daily |
 Biological factors | |
  Sex | Male vs. female |
  Age | Years of age (from 15 to 74 years) |
 Health system factors | |
  Insurance coverage | Ownership of private insurance |
  Recent health service use | Last blood pressure measurement was less than 6 months ago |