1. All-Cause hospitalizations in Appalachia
Rates of hospitalizations
from all causes reflect a variety of influences. While rates of hospitalization
may provide a rough estimate of population health status, variability in rates
of hospitalizations may also reflect differential access and utilization of
hospital-based medical care services, hospital bed availability, availability
and quality of ambulatory care, and familial or community support, among
others.
County level
rates of hospitalizations from all causes have been generated for all persons
combined and men and women separately, for two age categories: 35 to 64 and
65 and older. County level rates of hospitalizations from all causes are shown
on pages 130-132. Geographic patterns appear to be consistent among both gender
and age groups among the counties analyzed. High rates of hospitalization
are concentrated primarily in the central Appalachian counties in portions
of Eastern Kentucky, Southern West Virginia, and Western
Virginia for persons ages 35 to 64. High rates of hospitalization are a bit
more wide-spread for the elderly. High outliers in the distributions appear
consistently in Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, and Western
Virginia among all persons, men, and women in both age categories.
There is considerable disparity in rates of hospitalization,
both within each population subgroup and between age
groups. Some gender differences are also apparent.
Hospitalization rates from all causes range from 835
per 100,000 for all persons ages 35 to 64 and from
3,520 per 100,000 to 81,447 per 100,000 for all persons
ages 65 and older. Among men ages 35 to 64 rates range
from 630 per 100,000 to 22,198 per 100,000, while
comparable rates for women range from 1,033 per 100,000
to 30,382 per 100,000. Similarly hospitalization
rates for elderly men rates from 4,828 per 100,000
to 75,599 per 100,000 while rates for elderly women
are generally higher ranging from 2,892 per 100,000
to 86,217 per 100,000.
View maps that show all-cause hospitalization rates in Appalachia.
View
data on all-cause hospitalization rates in Appalachia
for the year 2000 in a table.
(Viewing this data requires the program Microsoft
Excel.)
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