Patterns in Geographic Access to Health Care Facilities Across Neighborhoods in the United States Based on Data From the National Establishment Time-Series Between 2000 and 2014
General & Internal Medicine Life Sciences & Biomedicine Medicine, General & Internal Science & Technology
Importance
The association between proximity to health care facilities and improved disease management and population health has been documented, but little is known about small-area health care environments and how the presence of health care facilities has changed over time during recent health system and policy change.
Objective
To examine geographic access to health care facilities across neighborhoods in the United States over a 15-year period.
Design, Setting, and Participants
Using longitudinal business data from the National Establishment Time-Series, this cross-sectional study examined the presence of and change in ambulatory care facilities and pharmacies and drugstores in census tracts (CTs) throughout the continental United States between 2000 and 2014. Between January and April 2019, multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate associations between health care facility presence and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics over time.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Change in health care facility presence was measured as never present, lost, gained, or always present between 2000 and 2014. Neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics (ie, CTs) and their change over time were measured from US Census reports (2000 and 2010) and the American Community Survey (2008-2012).
Results
Among 72 246 included CTs, the percentage of non-US-born residents, residents 75 years or older, poverty status, and population density increased, and 8.1% of CTs showed a change in the racial/ethnic composition of an area from predominantly non-Hispanic (NH) white to other racial/ethnic composition categories between 2000 and 2010. The presence of ambulatory care facilities increased from a mean (SD) of 7.7 (15.9) per CT in 2000 to 13.0 (22.9) per CT in 2014, and the presence of pharmacies and drugstores increased from a mean (SD) of 0.6 (1.0) per CT in 2000 to 0.9 (1.4) per CT in 2014. Census tracts with predominantly NH black individuals (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.37; 95% CI, 2.03-2.77), Hispanic/Latino individuals (aOR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.00-1.69), and racially/ethnically mixed individuals (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.33-1.77) in 2000 had higher odds of losing health care facilities between 2000 and 2014 compared with CTs with predominantly NH white individuals, after controlling for other neighborhood characteristics. Census tracts of geographic areas with higher levels of poverty in 2000 also had higher odds of losing health care facilities between 2000 and 2014 (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.05-1.19).
Conclusions and Relevance
Differential change was found in the presence of health care facilities across neighborhoods over time, indicating the need to monitor and address the spatial distribution of health care resources within the context of population health disparities.
Patterns in Geographic Access to Health Care Facilities Across Neighborhoods in the United States Based on Data From the National Establishment Time-Series Between 2000 and 2014
Creators
Jennifer Tsui - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Jana A. Hirsch - Drexel University
Felicia J. Bayer - Drexel University
James W. Quinn - Columbia University
Jesse Cahill - Columbia University
David Siscovick - Research, Evaluation & Policy, New York Academy of Medicine, New York, New York.
Gina S. Lovasi - Drexel University
Publication Details
JAMA network open, Vol.3(5), e205105
Publisher
Amer Medical Assoc
Number of pages
14
Grant note
SAP 4100072543 / Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) program - Pennsylvania Department of Health-2015 Formula award
MRSG-17-099-01-CPHPS / American Cancer Society Mentored Research Scholar Grant; American Cancer Society
1R01AG049970; 3R01AG049970-04S1 / National Institute on Aging; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Urban Health Collaborative at Drexel University
Built Environment and Health Research Group at Columbia University
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Urban Health Collaborative
Identifiers
991019168353404721
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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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