Neighbourhood environments and the risk of hospital admission for cardiometabolic and mental health comorbidities in multiple sclerosis: A population cohort analysis using linked administrative data

Abstract

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.