Background: Deprivation indices allow material and social differences at the regional level to be described in a statistically efficient and concise manner and to use these in health analyses. Following the British example, Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMDs) are now available for Germany, the German Index of Multiple Deprivation (GIMD) as well as its regional versions. In this study, empirical experiences based on the use of these indices in health studies will be presented.
Method: The German IMDs consist of seven deprivation domains, which represent single aspects of deprivation (income, employment, and educational deprivation, municipal revenue deprivation, social capital deprivation, environment and security deprivation). Specific indicators were generated from data of official statistics and assigned to the deprivation domains. The weighted single domains were finally combined to an overall index. The German IMDs are available at a municipal level and at a district level.
Results: Analyses using the IMDs showed significant associations between regional deprivation and mortality, morbidity and aspects of health services research. Multilevel analyses showed significant associations with regional deprivation, independent of individual factors.
Conclusions: The German IMDs are valid and efficient tools for the use in epidemiology and health services research, but also for health policy. When constructing deprivation indices, several methodological challenges have to be considered.
Keywords: German Index of Multiple Deprivation; Health; Index of Multiple Deprivation; Regional deprivation; Social environment.