Estimating and Mapping Urban Community Differences in Health Outcomes for Adults with Chronic Disease in Canada

We know that the neighborhoods and communities in which people live affect healthy behaviors, and the likelihood that people in them develop common chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. However, we know less about how neighborhoods and communities affect health outcomes among persons who have already developed chronic diseases. This study will use a large health care data base on health care use and costs of people across Canada, assembled by the Canadian Institute of Health Information. We will apply advanced statistical models to this data to describe how the risk of health outcomes for persons with chronic disease varies from community to community. We will also describe attributes of communities that are associated with these risks. Estimates of these risks, for neighborhoods and communities, will be put into detailed maps for urban areas across the country. This information can then be used by policy makers to target and design interventions, and by researchers to identify communities for further study.