Just wait till the tariffs kick in
Brown University
.webp)
The survey captured how Rhode Islanders perceived their well-being in 2024 and added to a growing set of data the R.I. Life Index has been collecting since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
After dipping in the wake
of pandemic-related disruptions, survey scores have stabilized but continue to
show significant challenges amid elevated housing and food costs. The overall
results from this year showed no marked improvement over 2023.
The results were announced on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Brown
University to key stakeholders, community partners, policymakers and members of
the public health community.
The index evaluates how factors that transcend health care
delivery — such as housing, food security, employment, education and quality of
life, collectively known as social determinants of health — contribute to
health inequities. Perceptions of social determinants of health are difficult
to measure, said Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, academic dean of the Brown
University School of Public Health, yet generating this kind of data is key to
creating better and more effective solutions, she said.
"For six years, the R.I. Life Index has been a critical resource for understanding the lived realities of Rhode Islanders," Beaudoin said. “From housing and food security to the rising cost of living, this year’s findings highlight persistent struggles but also provide a foundation for targeted actions to improve the well-being of our communities. This data-driven approach ensures that solutions are timely, relevant and rooted in evidence, enabling us to better address inequities and build healthier systems for everyone statewide.”
Food insecurity is a troubling problem in Rhode Island
The R.I. Life Index asks Rhode Islanders for their
perceptions on issues including the availability of affordable housing;
programs and services for children and older adults; and access to health care,
food, employment and transportation. On a scale of 0 to 100, higher scores
indicate more positive perceptions.
For 2024, the index’s overall score stood at 57, which was
essentially unchanged from the previous year, but down six points since 2021
and the lowest level since the researchers began collecting data for the index.
The lowest scores were in the areas of affordable housing and cost of living.
The score for access to nutritious food was 64, down two
points since last year (the largest drop of any score over the last year) and
nine points since 2021. Rhode Island Community Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff
discussed that finding during a panel discussion that followed the release of
the results, calling the trend troubling and asking the panelists for ideas
about solutions.
The results of the R.I. Life Index, created by leaders at
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the Brown University School of
Public Health, were presented to key stakeholders, community partners,
policymakers and members of the public health community.
Alison Tovar, an associate professor of behavioral and
social sciences at Brown who researches public health nutrition, shared a list
of recommendations, including changing policies and systems around food access,
leveraging federal nutrition programs and finding other ways to bring people
out of poverty. Tovar stressed the utility of the R.I. Life Index as a catalyst
for conversation.
“These solutions will take time, so we also need to be
looking at this data,” Tovar said. “Forty percent of participants are saying
they don’t know how they’re going to find food, so we need to think about
short-term solutions, as well.”
Principal survey methodologist Melissa Clark, a professor of
health services, policy and practice, and director of the Survey Research
Center at the School of Public Health, led a team of researchers from Brown and
the Siena College Research Institute to design and oversee the 2024
survey.
“Perceptions about health and well-being continue to be
mediocre at best for many Rhode Islanders,” said Clark, who presented the
topline findings of the survey during the announcement event.
The R.I. Life Index also shows disparities in geography,
race/ethnicity and age, Clark noted. The lowest scores for food security were
in neighborhoods in Central Falls, Block Island and Woonsocket. Factors that
were correlated with lower scores included households with children and
households with someone living with a disability.
At the meeting, Clark described the launch in 2024 of Rhode
Island Voices, a project of the R.I. Life Index that is taking a deeper dive
into learning about the experiences of Rhode Islanders and their perceptions on
the health and well-being of their communities. Rhode Island Voices is
enlisting a panel of up to 1,000 Rhode Island adults to participate in
web-based questionnaires throughout the year on a range of topics related to
social determinants of health. Panelists are being recruited, and results of
the first surveys will be released soon.
This year, 1,946 adults from across Rhode Island
participated in the R.I. Life Index survey. Full results are
available at RILifeIndex.org.
“The R.I. Life Index continues to provide a detailed snapshot of how Rhode Islanders perceive social factors that impact their well-being and, unfortunately, it’s a picture that reveals that too many are struggling with unrelenting challenges,” said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island President and CEO Martha L. Wofford said.
“The annual
release of the results enables us to collectively understand the issues and
rally around a shared agenda to reduce health inequities, notably food
insecurity, lack of affordable housing and other social drivers. We’re grateful
to the R.I. Life Index Coalition members who are working hard to address these
gaps and ensure that the voices of our diverse Rhode Island communities are
heard.”
