Author: Dan Lawson Crouse, Ismael Foroughi, Neeru Gupta
Year: 2021
Category:
Health Publications
Read the journal article in Multiple Sclerosis Journal
This study exploits administrative data for neuroepidemiological research and examines associations between neighbourhood environments and risk of hospitalization among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in New Brunswick, Canada. We created a provincial database of MS patients by linking administrative health records with geographic-based characteristics of local communities. Using Cox models, we found the risk of admission for cardiometabolic complications was lower among residents of ethnically homogeneous neighbourhoods (hazards ratio [HR]: 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60–0.95]); that for mental health disorders was higher in socioeconomically deprived (HR: 1.80 [95% CI: 1.06–3.05]) and residentially unstable (HR: 1.61 [95% CI: 1.05–2.46]) neighbourhoods. Results suggest that selected neighbourhood environments may be associated with differential hospital burden among MS patients.
