Angina and socio-economic status in Ontario - How do characteristics of the county you live in influence your chance of developing heart disease?

Objective: To assist in the development of community heart health programming and policy development, the Central West Health Planning Information Network (CWHPIN) was asked by its partners to collaborate in obtaining information that might clarify the relationships between socio-economic status (SES) and heart disease among residents of Ontario, Canada. The purpose of this component of the project was to explore, at the county level, how much of the variation in angina pectoris (angina) could be explained by SES variables. Study Design: Linear regression modeling was used to identify key predictors of angina hospitalization rates in counties Ontario-wide. Results: Results of the linear regression modeling showed that SES variables (most notably education and occupation) were key predictors of angina, even when traditional risk factors (i.e., smoking, etc.) were included in the analysis. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that, at the county level, socio-economic variables such as education and occupation have a significant relationship with rates of heart disease at the population level, even when including the traditional risk factors in the analysis.