Disparities in hospital utilization in an urban county: use of local consumer marketing data for priority setting.
National data sets are often insufficient for priority setting by local public health systems and the communities they serve. We used marketing data to conduct an ecological analysis of hospital discharge rates in DeKalb County, Georgia, during 1996. Persons living in poorer areas had significantly higher discharge rates for the following conditions: hypertensive disease, blood-related conditions, pneumonia/influenza, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Local marketing data helped identify conditions associated with higher hospital utilization in poorer areas of this urban county. This identification of priority issues informs plans for behavior modification, access to primary care and a healthy environment.
Zuber
P L
PL
Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. pzuber@cdc.gov
Dignam
T A
TA
Caldwell
M B
MB
Wiesner
P J
PJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006292:Health Priorities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012923:Social Class; D014505:Urban Population