Table 2. Association Between Social Risk and/or Need and the Outcomes of ED Use.
| Social risk or need | Outcome, OR (95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any ED Visit | HFU | |||
| Unadjusted | Adjusteda | Unadjusted | Adjusteda | |
| Social determinant status | ||||
| Any social risk | 1.34 (1.27-1.40) | 1.26 (1.20-1.33) | 1.55 (1.43-1.69) | 1.44 (1.32-1.57) |
| Any social need | 1.41 (1.33-1.50) | 1.29 (1.22-1.38) | 1.56 (1.42-1.72) | 1.42 (1.29-1.56) |
| Any social risk and need | 1.33 (1.27-1.40) | 1.26 (1.19-1.32) | 1.51 (1.38-1.65) | 1.40 (1.28-1.52) |
| High social risk (≥3) | 1.52 (1.40-1.64) | 1.39 (1.28-1.50) | 1.79 (1.60-2.01) | 1.60 (1.42-1.80) |
| High social need (≥3) | 1.55 (1.38-1.74) | 1.40 (1.24-1.57) | 1.90 (1.61-2.23) | 1.68 (1.42-1.98) |
| High social risk and need (both ≥3) | 1.68 (1.44-1.95) | 1.49 (1.28-1.74) | 2.11 (1.72-2.58) | 1.81 (1.48-2.23) |
| By individual social determinant | ||||
| Social need | ||||
| Food | 1.47 (1.32-1.65) | 1.36 (1.21-1.52) | 1.74 (1.48-2.04) | 1.60 (1.36-1.88) |
| Housing | 1.79 (1.62-1.97) | 1.63 (1.48-1.80) | 2.02 (1.76-2.31) | 1.80 (1.57-2.07) |
| Medication | 1.59 (1.32-1.92) | 1.44 (1.19-1.74) | 1.82 (1.41-2.36) | 1.56 (1.20-2.03) |
| Transportation | 1.65 (1.44-1.89) | 1.51 (1.32-1.73) | 2.11 (1.76-2.52) | 1.85 (1.54-2.22) |
| Utilities | 1.41 (1.27-1.55) | 1.30 (1.17-1.43) | 1.38 (1.18-1.61) | 1.27 (1.09-1.49) |
| Employment | 1.28 (1.14-1.43) | 1.19 (1.05-1.33) | 1.49 (1.25-1.77) | 1.35 (1.13-1.61) |
| Education | 1.13 (1.01-1.26) | 1.05 (0.94-1.17) | 1.27 (1.08-1.51) | 1.18 (1.00-1.41) |
| Childcare | 1.33 (1.17-1.51) | 1.17 (1.03-1.34) | 1.50 (1.24-1.82) | 1.33 (1.10-1.63) |
| Eldercare | 1.25 (1.03-1.50) | 1.16 (0.96-1.41) | 1.44 (1.08-1.91) | 1.26 (0.94-1.67) |
| Social risk | ||||
| Food | 1.50 (1.40-1.60) | 1.40 (1.31-1.49) | 1.80 (1.64-1.99) | 1.63 (1.48-1.80) |
| Housing | 1.66 (1.53-1.80) | 1.55 (1.43-1.68) | 2.04 (1.82-2.28) | 1.87 (1.67-2.10) |
| Medication | 1.47 (1.30-1.67) | 1.33 (1.17-1.51) | 1.60 (1.22-1.93) | 1.36 (1.13-1.64) |
| Transportation | 1.72 (1.56-1.90) | 1.63 (1.27-1.81) | 2.06 (1.79-2.36) | 1.83 (1.59-2.11) |
| Utilities | 1.34 (1.24-1.45) | 1.26 (1.26-1.36) | 1.27 (1.21-1.54) | 1.26 (1.12-1.43) |
| Childcare | 1.16 (1.03-1.30) | 1.08 (0.96-1.22) | 1.30 (1.08-1.56) | 1.21 (1.00-1.45) |
| Employment | 1.24 (1.15-1.33) | 1.17 (1.09-1.26) | 1.50 (1.34-1.68) | 1.38 (1.23-1.54) |
| Education | 1.05 (0.99-1.11) | 1.02 (0.96-1.08) | 1.03 (0.93-1.14) | 1.01 (0.91-1.11) |
| Interpersonal violence | 1.32 (0.96-1.80) | 1.43 (1.04-1.97) | 1.51 (0.95-2.39) | 1.98 (1.24-3.17) |
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; HFU, high-frequency ED use (≥4 times/y); OR, odds ratio.
a
Adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, and primary language. Screening included assessment of the following adverse social determinants of health: food, housing, difficulty affording medications, transportation barriers, utility payment, education, unemployment, childcare, and eldercare.