In stratified analysis to identify disparities, which variables are typically used?

• A. Race/ethnicity, language, insurance, or SES
• B. Height and eye color
• C. Blood pressure and BMI
• D. Favorite foods

Answer: (A)

The main idea is to use factors that reflect social determinants of health to uncover where inequities lie. In stratified analysis for disparities, you examine outcomes within subgroups defined by race/ethnicity, language, insurance status, and socioeconomic status. These variables capture differences in access to care, communication barriers, systemic discrimination, and overall resources, which are the things that drive unequal health outcomes across populations. By splitting the data this way, you can see whether disparities exist across these groups and how large they are, rather than assuming all groups fare the same.

Height and eye color are biological traits with little relevance to disparities in access or outcomes. Blood pressure and BMI are health status measures or risk factors, not standard descriptors used to define subgroups for disparity analysis. Favorite foods similarly don’t provide the population-level lens needed to identify inequities.