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.
Key Findings
In 2023, we are able to report on trends based on three years of collected data. Since 2021, there have been increases in scores for the overall Index, perceptions of community life, children, job opportunities, and healthcare access.
In 2023, scores were relatively unchanged from 2022 scores, with CBO participants’ perceptions continuing to vary by language across the sample.
Of note is the 2023 cost-of-living score, which is low for all subgroups. For those who speak Spanish at home, however, the score was 7, the lowest ever reported on the Index.
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 measures, we first display the scores from the Community Based Organization (CBO) survey conducted from July through October of 2023. You can also see scores broken down by the primary language of the survey participant. Clicking deeper, you can view three years of trends for the overall measure, as well as survey questions with specific responses.
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RI Life Index
CBO Score
Arabic 60
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 39
Chinese 62
Dari 64
French 58
Haitian Creole 61
Hmong 56
Khmer 55
Kpelle 58
Lao 61
Spanish 71
Swahili 58
Ukrainian/Russian 58
Vietnamese 53
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 Community Based Organization (CBO) survey conducted from July through October of 2023. You can also see scores broken down by the primary language of the survey participant. Clicking deeper, you can view three years of trends for the overall measure, as well as survey questions with specific responses.
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Quality of
Community
CBO Score
Arabic 53
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 35
Chinese 54
Dari 55
French 53
Haitian Creole 53
Hmong 44
Khmer 51
Kpelle 53
Lao 59
Spanish 63
Swahili 52
Ukrainian/Russian 52
Vietnamese 48
63
Community
Life
CBO Score
Arabic 70
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 44
Chinese 72
Dari 76
French 64
Haitian Creole 71
Hmong 71
Khmer 61
Kpelle 65
Lao 63
Spanish 83
Swahili 66
Ukrainian/Russian 66
Vietnamese 59
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 Community Based Organization (CBO) survey conducted from July through October of 2023. You can also see scores broken down by the primary language of the survey participant. Clicking deeper, you can view three years of trends for the overall measure, as well as survey questions with specific responses.
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Children
CBO Score
Arabic 75
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 49
Chinese 67
Dari 80
French 64
Haitian Creole 77
Hmong 61
Khmer 63
Kpelle 69
Lao 69
Spanish 86
Swahili 68
Ukrainian/Russian 68
Vietnamese 65
62
Older Adults
CBO Score
Arabic 74
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 48
Chinese 55
Dari 59
French 64
Haitian Creole 62
Hmong 48
Khmer 63
Kpelle 67
Lao 77
Spanish 87
Swahili 62
Ukrainian/Russian 65
Vietnamese 53
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 Community Based Organization (CBO) survey conducted from July through October of 2023. You can also see scores broken down by the primary language of the survey participant. Clicking deeper, you can view three years of trends for the overall measure, as well as survey questions with specific responses.
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Cost of
Living
CBO Score
Arabic 19
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 14
Chinese 30
Dari 20
French 23
Haitian Creole 27
Hmong 16
Khmer 20
Kpelle 27
Lao 25
Spanish 7
Swahili 25
Ukrainian/Russian 15
Vietnamese 25
67
Healthcare
Access
CBO Score
Arabic 78
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 53
Chinese 68
Dari 79
French 66
Haitian Creole 67
Hmong 68
Khmer 67
Kpelle 69
Lao 65
Spanish 85
Swahili 66
Ukrainian/Russian 72
Vietnamese 66
31
Affordable
Housing
CBO Score
Arabic 30
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 22
Chinese 40
Dari 37
French 42
Haitian Creole 40
Hmong 24
Khmer 29
Kpelle 36
Lao 28
Spanish 34
Swahili 34
Ukrainian/Russian 29
Vietnamese 42
54
Job
Opportunities
CBO Score
Arabic 56
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 30
Chinese 68
Dari 68
French 61
Haitian Creole 63
Hmong 65
Khmer 57
Kpelle 55
Lao 58
Spanish 76
Swahili 63
Ukrainian/Russian 55
Vietnamese 48
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Access to
Nutritious
Food
CBO Score
Arabic 54
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 33
Chinese 81
Dari 84
French 67
Haitian Creole 62
Hmong 79
Khmer 67
Kpelle 56
Lao 65
Spanish 82
Swahili 65
Ukrainian/Russian 81
Vietnamese 64
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 Community Based Organization (CBO) survey conducted from July through October of 2023. You can also see scores broken down by the primary language of the survey participant. Clicking deeper, you can view three years of trends for the overall measure, as well as survey questions with specific responses.
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Food
Security
CBO Score
Arabic 70
Cape Verdean Creole/Portuguese 55
Chinese 92
Dari 71
French 37
Haitian Creole 43
Hmong 93
Khmer 60
Kpelle 50
Lao 61
Spanish 66
Swahili 68
Ukrainian/Russian 80
Vietnamese 56
Special Topics
Here you will see findings from this year’s special topics, reported as percentages rather than POP scores.
Confidence in Accessing Mental Health Care
DEFINITION
If you or a close friend or family member needed mental health care, how confident are you that you would know how to go about getting that care?
(Percent responding Somewhat or Very Confident)
47%
(27% SOMEWHAT;
20% VERY)
Core City: 42%
(23% SOMEWHAT; 18% VERY)
Non-Core City: 56%
(34% SOMEWHAT; 22% VERY)
Speaks English well: 57%
(34% SOMEWHAT; 22% VERY)
Does not speak English well: 34%
(18% SOMEWHAT; 16% VERY)
DEFINITION
Now thinking about the children less than 18 in your life: If they needed mental health care, how confident are you that you would know how to go about getting them care? (Percent responding Somewhat or Very Confident)
56%
(26% SOMEWHAT;
31% VERY)
Core City: 52%
(26% SOMEWHAT; 26% VERY)
Non-Core City: 66%
(25% SOMEWHAT; 41% VERY)
Speaks English well: 63%
(29% SOMEWHAT; 34% VERY)
Does not speak English well: 47%
(21% SOMEWHAT; 26% VERY)
Characteristics of the CBO Sample
Sixty-five percent of respondents live in a core city. Approximately one in ten (16%) reported living alone; 54% lived in households with at least one child under the age of 18. Two-thirds of survey participants (63%) identified as female. Approximately half (53%) were aged 18 to 49. Fifty-five percent reported having a high school education or less. Forty-seven percent had a household income of less than $25,000. Seventeen percent indicated they were living in a household in which at least one person had a disability. Thirteen percent indicated they do not speak English at all and 30% indicated they speak English, but not well.
Core vs. Non-Core
# of people in household
1: 16
2: 19
3+: 65
# of children
<18 in household
0: 45
1: 23
2+: 31
Gender
Female: 63
Make: 36
Age
18-34: 23
35-49: 30
50-64: 23
65+: 22
Education
High school or less: 55
Some college:19
Bachelors or higher: 24
Income
<$25K: 47
$25K-$49K: 26
$50K-$99K: 12
>$100K: 5
How well
do you speak
English
Very well: 24
Well: 32
Not well: 30
Not at all: 13
Someone in household has
a disability
Yes: 17
No: 82
Language Spoken
Note: Percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding and/or missing data.