Health Inequities in Manitoba: Is the Socioeconomic Gap

Chapter 2: A Description of the Neighbourhood Income Quintiles using Census Data
22 University of Manitoba
to be increasing in average household income faster than the lowest neighbourhood income quintile
group. The colloquial statement, the “rich are getting richer”, is born out in various measures of disparity,
both in urban and rural Manitoba. One qualifier to this analysis is that the average census household
income is not adjusted for the size of the household itself.
Trends in percentage completing high school over time, by neighbourhood income quintile
Table 2.5: Change in Percentage Completing High School over Census Years 1986, 1996,
Table 2.5: 2006 Change in Percentage Completing High School over Census Years 1986, 1996, 2006
Area Measure
Rural
Urban
High School
Completion
Rates for
R1 and R5
Disparity Rate
Ratio (R5/R1)
Disparity Rate
Difference
(R5-R1)
High School
Completion
Rates for
U1 and U5
Disparity Rate
Ratio (U5/U1)
Disparity Rate
Difference
(U5-U1)
Census Date
T1: 1986 T2: 1996 T3: 2006
R1: 25.1%
R5: 49.6%
R1: 36.7%
R5: 61.7%
R1: 43.9%
R5: 72.3%
Comparison
over time: T3
to T1 (T3/T1)
(2006 to 1986)
R1: 1.75
R5: 1.46
1.98 1.68 1.65 0.83
24.5% 25.0% 28.4% 1.16
U1: 44.3%
U5: 68.0%
U1: 52.4%
U5: 77.3%
U1: 68.2%
U5: 84.6%
U1: 1.54
U5: 1.24
1.53 1.48 1.24 0.81
23.7% 24.9% 16.4% 0.69
Source: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010
In rural neighbourhood income quintile groups, the high school completion rate was almost double
(1.98 times) in R5 compared to R1 in 1986, but 1.65 times higher in 2006. Therefore, the rate ratio is
decreasing over time by 17% (T3/T1=0.83). That being said, as the high school completion levels go
up for all rural neighbourhood income quintile groups, the rate difference slightly increased over time,
from a difference of 24.5% to 28.4% (28.4/24.5=1.16 or a 16% increase in the rate difference). Looking at
Tables 2.1 through 2.3, one can see the high school completion rates have increased dramatically for R1,
from 25.1% completing high school in 1986 to 43.9% in 2006 and for R5 during the same time period,
49.6% in 1986 to 72.3% in 2006.
In urban areas, both the relative and rate differences are decreasing over time. The rate ratio displays
1.53 times the high school completion rate for U5 compared to U1 in 1986, but only 1.24 times in 2006,
for a 19% decrease (ratio 0.81) in disparity over time. Concurrently, the absolute difference in high
school completion rates dropped from 23.7% in 1986 to 16.4% difference in 2006, for a 31% decrease
(ratio 0.69) over time. Looking at Tables 2.1 through 2.3, one can see that the high school completion
rates have increased dramatically for U1, from 44.3% to 68.2% completing high school in 1986 and 2006
respectively. For U5, the rates went up from 68.0% to 84.6% over the same time period.