Understanding the link between neighborhood socioeconomic status and stroke recovery
In a 2021 study, Eric Stulberg, MD, MPH, assistant professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University, found an association between lower neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and worse stroke recovery outcomes. "Even after accounting for individual economic status, as measured by their education level and insurance status, those in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods tend to have worse…
A 2021 study by Eric Stulberg, MD, MPH, found that lower neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) correlates with poorer stroke recovery outcomes, even when accounting for individual economic factors like education and insurance status. However, the specific reasons behind this link remain unclear. A new study published in JAMA Network Open, led by Stulberg's team, aimed to identify potential mediators of this association between nSES and stroke recovery.
The researchers analyzed data from 2,203 stroke patients in Corpus Christi, Texas, focusing on 90-day outcomes such as functional status, quality of life, and depressive symptoms. Despite hypothesizing that various factors like access to healthcare, neighborhood density of home health care services, rehabilitation clinics, recreation centers, transportation access, and walkability might explain the link, none were found to be statistically significant mediators.
While the density of home health care services and rehabilitation clinics showed some indication of mediating the association between nSES and stroke recovery, these findings were not conclusive. Future research should investigate other potential mediators, such as the type of care setting patients are discharged to, time to emergency treatment, and total therapy received.
Stulberg hopes that adopting this methodological framework will help researchers better understand the link between nSES and stroke recovery outcomes.
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