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Social isolation in older adults is known to have a geographic component, with differences visible at the state and county level. The purpose of this tool is to allow the user to visualize measures of social isolation in older adults while simultaneously seeing underlying demographic characteristics. The tool is designed so that the user can observe relationships between social isolation and other state and county-level characteristics that may otherwise be hidden, such as demographics and health behaviors. Examples include income, the percent of adults who report excessive drinking, and the percent of population who lack adequate access to food.
The interactive tool was created in JavaScript using the Leaflet library. Data were processed using R and converted from shapefile to GeoJSON using rgdal library. Multiple administrative data sources were accessed in the development of the tool, including the Census Bureau American Community Survey, National Center for Health Statistics, and the HRSA Area Health Resource file. A complete list of each variable and its data source can be found in the table below.
Several measures of social isolation were estimated using a small area estimation methodology, combining direct survey estimates from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project Survey (NSHAP) with model based predictions incorporating variables related to social isolation. The small area estimates were generated by creating a linear statistical model relating the NSHAP direct survey estimates in large counties with multiple NSHAP respondents to various explanatory variables.
The tables below present the data sources and definitions for the variables included in the tool.
Counties are categorized as urban or rural based on the USDA Economic Research Services 2013 Urban Influence Codes (UIC), with UIC codes 1-2 corresponding to urban counties, and UIC codes 3-12 corresponding to rural counties. County UIC codes are based on the size of the largest city or town and proximity to metro and micropolitan areas as defined by the census.
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.
NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, NORC has conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with NORC to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.
For more information please contact:
Eric Young
NORC Senior External Affairs Manager
young-eric@norc.org
(301) 634-9536
This tool allows users to create county-level maps illustrating relationships between indices of social isolation (base map) with demographics and health outcomes (overlay).
Here are the step-by-step directions to explore various features of the interactive mapping tool:
To select a base map, choose a measure of social isolation from the pull-down menu. For example, you might select the measure of loneliness scores among the population of those 50 and older. The map will then depict this base map data in the form of varying shades of blue (by quantiles) at the county-level. Buttons labeled 50+ (or 65+) indicate that the percentages mapped include only adults 50 (or 65) years and older.
Once you have selected a base map layer, you may choose to select an overlay. To select an overlay, choose a measure from a category of your choice by using its respective pull-down menu. Categories include individual measures or components of social isolation; demographics, and health and health behaviors,. For instance, you might wish to view the overlap between loneliness scores and a demographic measure, such as rates of poverty among adults aged 65 and older. The map will then depict this overlay data in the form of pink spots of varying sizes that correspond to the respective percent of the population living in poverty (by quantiles).
When a second layer of data is added to the map, an option will appear on the left hand sidebar to add a scatterplot to the graph. Hovering over the dots in the scatterplot will highlight the locations of the counties they correspond to on the map.
There are two ways of navigating to view data for a particular county.
To view state-level data, click the "state/county" drop down in the upper-right section of the screen and select "State".
Two filters for the map are available:
When two variables are displayed on the map, a button reading “Open Graph” will appear at the top of the sidebar. Clicking this button will open a scatterplot showing the two mapped variables and a regression line that shows the relationship between the two variables. The map filters will affect which counties are displayed in the scatterplot, and hovering over a dot on the scatterplot will highlight its corresponding county on the map
You can share your exact map view by clicking the “Share this Map View” button from the sidebar. A link will automatically copy to the clipboard that includes the current zoom, location, and the selected data layers.
Similarly, clicking the “Share this Page” button in the county and state profile pages, copies a URL to the clipboard that will automatically open up this page when entered into the browser.