What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to physical and occupational therapy services.

February 19, 2026Open Access

Socioeconomic Disparities in Geographic Access to Physical and Occupational Therapy Services in the United States: A Correlation With Area Deprivation and Social Vulnerability Indices

Key Points

The research aims to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to physical and occupational therapy services.
Collected county-level data from the 2020 US Census Bureau Reports.
Used the Social Vulnerability Index and Area Deprivation Index for socioeconomic assessments.
Identified PT/OT businesses through the North American Industry Classification System.
Calculated business density relative to county population and land area.
Conducted regression analyses to assess correlations between socioeconomic factors and therapy service density.
Counties with high PT/OT density are primarily located on the East Coast.
A strong inverse relationship exists between Area Deprivation Index and PT/OT density (R2 = 0.97 and 0.94).
Social Vulnerability Index showed variable relationships with therapy density, with household characteristics demonstrating an inverse correlation (R2 = 0.68, 0.49).
Race and ethnicity displayed a complex relationship with therapy access, showing both inverse and mild positive correlations depending on context.

Abstract

Introduction: Physical and occupational therapy (PT/OT) services are critical for optimizing outcomes and reducing complications after orthopaedic surgery. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with reduced access to health care and increased rates of surgical complications. The purpose of our study was to establish the relationship between SES and access to PT/OT. Methods: We compiled county-level population, land area, and business data from 2020 US Census Bureau Reports. SES data were collected from the 2020 Centers for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and Area Deprivation Index (ADI). PT/OT businesses were identified using the North American Industry Classification System code 621340. Density of business by county population and land area were calculated, and regression analyses were conducted to determine a correlation between SES and these measures. Results: Counties with greater density of PT/OT tended to be on the East Coast, whereas those with lower density were located in the Western US. A strong inverse relationship was observed between county-level ADI and PT/OT density (R 2 = 0.97 and 0.94). Overall SVI displayed a variable relationship with PT/OT density. The household characteristics and SES domains of the SVI demonstrated an inverse relationship with PT/OT density (R 2 = 0.68, 0.49 and R 2 = 0.59, 0.28, respectively). Race and ethnicity displayed an inverse parabolic relationship with PT/OT density based on population alone (R 2 = 0.83 and 0.57). However, there was a mild positive correlation between race and ethnicity when considering population and land area (R 2 = 0.39 and 0.22). Conclusion: PT/OT services are important for postoperative care; however, notable barriers to access exist. There exists an inverse correlation between the density of PT/OT services and SES measures, particularly ADI. This may affect postoperative recovery and complication rates in orthopaedic patients.

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Cite This Study

Mera et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6996a80aecb39a600b3ee533 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5435/jaaosglobal-d-25-00138

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