Correcting for ratio variable correlation: Examples using models of mortality

The major purpose of this paper is to examine one part of the ratio variable correlation problem, correlated denominators, using path models of young, middle-age, and older-age mortality, each with 11 sociodemographic and cause-of-death independent variables. The models are calculated using a traditional ratio approach and a residual variable approach for a sample of counties. The methodological discussion focuses on differences in coefficients for the two approaches in terms of significance, magnitude, and hypothesis support. It is concluded that the residual approach is worth pursuing as a viable statistical solution to the correlated denominators component of the ratio variable correlation problem.