Relationship of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation With Glaucoma Severity and Medication Adherence in Veterans.
Michael Zhu, Keke Liu, Sandra Woolson et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial examined whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, measured by Area Deprivation Index (ADI), was associated with glaucoma severity or medication adherence among 200 veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration. ADI was not significantly associated with glaucoma severity (P=0.69), and in the control arm it was not correlated with mean medication adherence proportion (P=0.98). ADI also did not interact with intervention status in relation to adherence (P=0.92). The authors suggest that an integrated health system may help mitigate socioeconomic barriers to glaucoma care.
Key findings
- ADI was not significantly associated with glaucoma severity (P=0.69).
- In the control arm, ADI was not correlated with mean medication adherence proportion (P=0.98).
- There was no interaction between ADI and intervention status for mean medication adherence proportion (P=0.92).
- Lower deprivation was associated with being married, White, an urban resident, older, and having higher income.
Why it matters
Neighborhood deprivation can be relevant to access and adherence, but this analysis found no association with glaucoma severity or measured medication adherence in this veteran cohort. The findings raise the possibility that care delivered within an integrated health system may reduce some socioeconomic barriers, while underscoring that results from this population may not apply to other care settings.
What to keep in mind
The analysis included 200 veterans from one health system and used retrospective linkage of trial data to neighborhood deprivation measures. The authors recommend larger multicenter studies.