Primary Care, Income Inequality, and Stroke Mortality in the United States

Abstract

Background and Purpose— The goal of this study was to test whether primary care reduces the impact of income inequality on stroke mortality. Methods— This study used pooled time-series cross-sectional analysis of 11 years of state-level data (n=549). Analyses controlled for education levels, unemployment, racial/ethnic composition, and percent urban. Contemporaneous and time-lagged covariates were modeled. Results— Primary care was negatively associated with stroke mortality in models including all covariates ( P <0.0001). The impact of income inequality on stroke mortality was reduced in the presence of primary care ( P <0.0001) but disappeared with the addition of covariates ( P >0.05). Conclusions— In the absence of social policy that addresses sociodemographic determinants of health, primary care promotion may serve as a palliative strategy for combating stroke mortality and reducing the adverse impact of income inequality on health.