Age Differences in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Preventable Hospitalizations for Heart Failure in Connecticut, 2009-2015: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE: Preventable hospitalizations for heart failure result in a large proportion of hospitalizations. The primary objective of this study was to describe longitudinal trends in the association of race/ethnicity with preventable hospitalizations for heart failure in Connecticut and differences in disparities by age. METHODS: We analyzed data on hospitalizations in all civilian acute-care hospitals in Connecticut during a 7-year period, 2009 through 2015. We used raking methodology to weight the nonhospitalized population to create a reference population representative of the state's general population. Multivariate regression models examined racial/ethnic disparities among adults aged 35-64, controlling for age, sex, and type of health insurance. For adults aged ≥65, regression models controlled for age and sex. RESULTS: After controlling for age and sex, the non-Hispanic black to non-Hispanic white odds ratio for preventable hospitalizations for heart failure ranged from 5.2-6.4 during the study period among adults aged 35-64. Among adults aged ≥65, non-Hispanic black adults had significantly higher odds (range, 1.2-1.8) of preventable hospitalizations than non-Hispanic white adults. Rates among Hispanic adults were significantly higher than rates among non-Hispanic adults after controlling for age and sex among adults aged ≥65 in 2014 and 2015. CONCLUSIONS: This research provides information for clinical and population-based interventions targeting racial/ethnic gaps in heart failure hospitalizations. Demonstrating the persistent black-white disparity and age differences in racial/ethnic disparities, this study emphasizes the need for focused prevention among vulnerable populations. Raking methodology is an innovative approach to eliminating selection bias in hospital discharge data.