- Title
- The urban-rural divide : hypertensive disease hospitalisations in Victoria 2010–2015
- Creator
- Robins, Shalley; Gardiner, Samantha; Terry, Daniel
- Date
- 2017
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/172936
- Identifier
- vital:14599
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.21767/AMJ.2017.3206
- Identifier
- ISBN:1836-1935 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Background Hypertension is present in 23–32 per cent of Australians, making it one of the most prevalent diseases in the country. It is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Australia and it affects rural populations at a higher rate than urban residents. Aims The aims of this study were to investigate the differences in hypertensive disease hospitalisations across rural and urban Victoria, and to determine predicting variables. Methods Hospital admission data from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2015 were obtained through the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset and other organisations. Data included various patient demographics for each hospital admission entry. The rates of hospitalisation for each Local Government Area were analysed. Further regression analysis was undertaken to examine the association between hypertensive disease hospitalisation and various predictor variables. Results From 2010–2015 11,205 hypertensive disease hospital admissions were recorded of which 64.8 per cent were female, 74.7 per cent admissions were at urban hospitals, and 65.0 per cent were public patients. Hospitalisation rates were consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and rural residents on average stayed in hospital for longer. Significant predictor variables for hypertensive disease hospitalisation included various indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage, GPs per 1,000 population and GP attendance per 1,000 population. Conclusion Hypertensive disease hospitalisation in Victoria continues to rise and rates of hospitalisation of rural Victorians continue to be higher than their urban counterparts. Females were hospitalised almost twice as often as males. Further research is required to identify the specific factors that impede access to health services, particularly in the identified high-risk populations. © 2017, Australasian Medical Journal Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Publisher
- Australasian Medical Journal Pty Ltd
- Relation
- Australasian Medical Journal Vol. 10, no. 11 (2017), p. 953-963
- Rights
- Copyright @ Australasian Medical Journal Pty Ltd
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1117 Public Health and Health Services; Hospitalisation; Hypertensive disease; Rural; Urban; Victoria
- Full Text
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