Sexual minority status and the hospital burden of cardiometabolic diseases: protocol for an observational study using linked survey and hospital data

Description

This paper outlines a protocol for a national observational study examining the association between sexual identity and potentially avoidable hospital costs for diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. Our aim is to strengthen the evidence base on sexual minority status as a social determinant of health. We will use data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) linked to multiple years of acute-care inpatient records from the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), representing all provinces except Quebec. Sexual identity is captured in the CCHS among respondents ages 18 to 59. Hospital costs measured from DAD data are considered as an aggregate reflection of the frequency and intensity of use of hospital resources to meet essential medical needs. The study falls within a wider program of research with funding from Diabetes Canada, the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick, and Diabetes Action Canada to conduct policy-actionable population health and health services research using existing databases from official statistical sources.