Term: Socioeconomic Factor Index (SEFI) - Version 2 (SEFI-2)
Last Updated: 2016-04-14
The SEFI is a factor score derived from Census data that reflects non-medical social determinants of health and is used as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status (SES). The SEFI-2 uses the following variables to calculate an overall score:
SEFI-2 is calculated at the geographic level of the dissemination area and is then assigned to residents based on their postal codes. SEFI-2 scores less than zero indicate more favourable socioeconomic conditions, while scores greater than zero indicate less ideal socioeconomic conditions. SEFI-2 is a simplified version of the original SEFI, which utilizes prior factor scores of multiple education variables and multiple employment variables, an additional measure of single parent families, and an age-dependency ratio. Importantly, due to data restrictions of prior censuses, the original SEFI does not include a measure of income in its calculation of socioeconomic risk. The SEFI-2 was developed to take advantage of this data.
NOTE: In MCHP research since 2009, the term SEFI and SEFI-2 have been used interchangeably, but the definition in use reflects the SEFI-2 methodology.