Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the cohort in Ontario, Canada, in 2001.
| Characteristic | Population | Stroke cases | AF cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| () | () | () | |
| Age [mean ± SD (years)] | 53.2 (12.9) | 65.6 (12.3) | 66.0 (11.7) |
| Age group [n (%)] | |||
| 35–44 | 1,608,823 (32) | 8,612 (7) | 17,824 (6) |
| 45–54 | 1,418,506 (28) | 17,057 (14) | 39,706 (13) |
| 55–64 | 941,155 (18) | 24,395 (20) | 66,544 (21) |
| 65–74 | 687,849 (14) | 37,722 (31) | 103,387 (33) |
| 75–85 | 415,623 (8) | 34,759 (28) | 85,696 (27) |
| Sex [n (%)] | |||
| Men | 2,432,072 (48) | 61,684 (50) | 163,732 (52) |
| Women | 2,639,884 (52) | 60,861 (50) | 149,425 (48) |
| Geographic indicators [n (%)] | |||
| Urban Areaa | 4,310,483 (85) | 103,424 (84) | 265,649 (85) |
| Rural Area | 761,473 (15) | 19,121 (16) | 47,508 (15) |
| Greater Toronto Area | 1,984,630 (39) | 44,184 (36) | 117,356 (37) |
| Non-Greater Toronto Area | 3,087,326 (61) | 78,361 (64) | 195,801 (63) |
| Northern Ontario | 410,828 (8) | 12,009 (10) | 27,558 (9) |
| Southern Ontario | 4,661,128 (91) | 110,536 (90) | 285,599 (91) |
| Comorbidity [n (%)] | |||
| Congestive heart failure | 88,790 (2) | 5,969 (5) | 21,099 (7) |
| Without congestive heart failure | 4,983,166 (98) | 116,576 (95) | 292,058 (93) |
| Hypertension | 1,326,723 (26) | 64,226 (52) | 166,467 (53) |
| Without hypertension | 3,745,233 (74) | 58,319 (48) | 146,690 (47) |
| Diabetes | 414,418 (8) | 23,915 (20) | 50,120 (16) |
| Without diabetes | 4,657,538 (92) | 98,630 (80) | 263,037 (84) |
| Coronary heart disease | 273,627 (5) | 17,370 (14) | 50,224 (16) |
| Without coronary heart disease | 4,798,329 (95) | 105,175 (86) | 262,933 (84) |
| Type of stroke [n (%)] | |||
| Ischemic | — | 100,964 (82) | — |
| Hemorrhagic | — | 21,581 (18) | — |
| Area-level risk factorsb (mean ± SD) | |||
| Proportion with c | 26.0 (10) | 27.6 (10) | 26.8 (10) |
| Unemployment ratec | 6.2 (3) | 6.5 (3) | 6.3 (3) |
| Proportion of recent immigrantsd | 3.8 (5) | 3.8 (6) | 3.8 (5) |
| Income quintile [n (%)] | |||
| Lowest | 869,887 (17) | 25,790 (21) | 58,484 (19) |
| Lower | 1,009,778 (20) | 27,185 (22) | 65,645 (21) |
| Middle | 1,043,174 (21) | 24,705 (20) | 63,458 (20) |
| Upper | 1,044,510 (21) | 22,508 (18) | 60,228 (19) |
| Uppermost | 1,104,607 (22) | 22,357 (18) | 65,342 (21) |
| Access to physician caree | 167 (573) | 142 (525) | 192 (615) |
| Material deprivation | (0.8) | (0.9) | (0.9) |
| Proportion of visible minorities | 0.1 (0.2) | 0.1 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.2) |
Urban areas are defined by Statistics Canada as continuously built-up areas with a population of and a population density of . All others were considered to be rural areas.
All area-level risk factors are derived at the census dissemination area levels, with the exception of access to physician care derived at the census subdivision (i.e., municipality) level. Less than 1% and 0.5% of all observations had missing information on material deprivation and proportion of visible minorities, respectively. All other variables had a complete set of information.
The area-level risk factors were derived from Canadian Census for percentage of population who are age 15 y or older.
Recent immigrants refer to individuals who obtained their immigrant or permanent resident status in Canada in the five years prior to the given census.
The density of primary care and physician specialists at a census subdivision level was derived as a proxy to access to physician care.