Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27668279›Full record

ArticleSSM - population health2016

Bias with respect to socioeconomic status: A closer look at zip code matching in a pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness study.

Ruth Link-Gelles, Daniel Westreich, Allison E Aiello, Nong Shang, David J Weber, Corinne Holtzman, Karen Scherzinger, Arthur Reingold, William Schaffner, Lee H Harrison and 12 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in SSM - population health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Investigating Disparities in Physical Therapy Utilization: An Intersectionality Perspective.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025
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  8. Targeting hardship: poverty as a modifiable risk factor in childhood leukemia and lymphoma treatment.Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program · 2024
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Observational
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Observational
  17. Article
  18. Inequalities in Pediatric Fracture Care Timeline Based on Insurance Type.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2020
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors at 14 institutions in 1 country.

Ruth Link-GellesNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-25, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Daniel WestreichDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Allison E AielloDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Nong ShangDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
David J WeberDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Corinne HoltzmanMinnesota Department of Health, P.O. Box 64975, St. Paul, MN 55164, USA.
Karen ScherzingerInstitute for Public Health, University of New Mexico, Emerging Infections Program, 1601 Randolph SE, Suite 1005, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA.
Arthur ReingoldCalifornia Emerging Infections Program, 360 22nd Street, Suite 750, Oakland, CA 94612, USA.
William SchaffnerDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1500 21st Avenue South, Suite 2600, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.
Lee H HarrisonDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 201 W. Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Jennifer B RosenNew York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 125 Worth St, New York, NY 10013, USA.
Susan PetitConnecticut Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06134, USA.
Monica FarleyDivision of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Infection Disease Section, Medical Specialty Care Service Line, Atlanta VA Medical Center, 1670 Clairmont Road, Station 152, Decatur, GA 30033, USA.
Ann ThomasOregon Public Health Division and Oregon Emerging Infections Program, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 772, Portland, OR 97232, USA.
Jeffrey EasonBureau of Epidemiology, Utah Department of Health, 288 N 1460 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, USA.
Christine WigenCounty of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, 313 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA.
Meghan BarnesColorado Emerging Infections Program, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246, USA.
Ola ThomasCounty of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, 313 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA.
Shelley ZanskyNew York State Department of Health, Corning Tower, Room 651, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237, USA.
Bernard BeallNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-25, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Cynthia G WhitneyNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-25, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Matthew R MooreNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS C-25, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · USCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · USLos Angeles County Department of Public Health · USNational Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases · USConnecticut Department of Public Health · USCorning (United States) · USEmory University · USJohns Hopkins University · USMinnesota Department of Health · USNew York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · USOregon Health Authority · USUniversity of New Mexico · USUtah Department of Health · USVanderbilt University · US

Funding

Intramural CDC HHS CC999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In 2010, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was introduced in the US for prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease in children. Individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) is a potential confounder of the estimated effectiveness of PCV13 and is often controlled for in observational studies using zip code as a proxy. We assessed the utility of zip code matching for control of SES in a post-licensure evaluation of the effectiveness of PCV13 (calculated as [1-matched odds ratio]*100). We used a directed acyclic graph to identify subsets of confounders and collected SES variables from birth certificates, geo-coding, a parent interview, and follow-up with medical providers. Cases tended to be more affluent than eligible controls (for example, 48.3% of cases had private insurance vs. 44.6% of eligible controls), but less affluent than enrolled controls (52.9% of whom had private insurance). Control of confounding subsets, however, did not result in a meaningful change in estimated vaccine effectiveness (original estimate: 85.1%, 95% CI 74.8-91.9%; adjusted estimate: 82.5%, 95% CI 65.6-91.1%). In the context of a post-licensure vaccine effectiveness study, zip code appears to be an adequate, though not perfect, proxy for individual SES.

Indexed as

Matched case-controlPCV13Pneumococcal vaccinePneumococcusSocioeconomic statusVaccine effectiveness

Identifiers

PMID27668279
PMCPMC5033249
OpenAlexW2517044958

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.