Youth Well-Being Index.

Similar to the Virginia Health Opportunity Index (HOI), the Youth Well-Being Index (YWBI) is a group of indicators that provide broad insight into the overall opportunity communities provide young people to live long and healthy lives. Using variables specific to Virginia residents age 18 and younger, the YWBI is made up of 24 variables combined into 8 indicators reported at the census tract level. The indicators are:

    • Crime Indicator: Includes crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Uniform Crime Report.
    • Family Stability Indicator: A measure of stable family situations including the proportion of children living in divorced or separated households, single-parent households, or as foster children.
    • Housing Indicator: A measure of housing quality that includes the proportion of housing units built before 1951 and without plumbing facilities, along with the proportion of overcrowded households defined as more than two occupants per room.
    • Population Density Indicator: The number of persons per square mile in the census tract.
    • Poverty Indicator: A measure of stress caused by economic conditions, including the proportion of children living in poverty, living in households receiving Supplemental Security Income, and the proportion of households receiving public assistance.
    • Pre-K Enrollment Indicator: The proportion of 3 and 4 year old children enrolled in nursery or preschool programs.
    • Primary Care Access Indicator: The number of primary care physicians within a 30-minute drive of the census tract.
    • Psychiatrist Access Indicator: The number of psychiatrists within a 60-minute drive of the census tract.

Initial versions of the YWBI included an Education Index, an indicator of fourth grade math and reading proficiency. However, the education index was as predictive of health outcomes as the other indictors combined and the remaining indicators were predictive of the education index. As such, the education index is used separately from the YWBI, but used to calibrate the YWBI.

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