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Abstract Background Beyond clinical risk factors, little is known about the impact of social determinants on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) burden. Our study aimed to estimate RSV-related hospitalization rates across sociodemographic and housing characteristics. Methods We conducted a population-based study of all RSV-related hospitalizations in Ontario, Canada, between September 1, 2016, and August 31, 2019, using validated hospital discharge codes and census data. Crude and age-standardized annualized RSV incidence rates and rate ratios (RRs) were estimated for a range of individual-level demographics and neighborhood-level measures of marginalization and housing characteristics. Results Overall, the annual RSV-related hospitalization rate was 27 per 100 000, with the highest rates observed in children age 12 months (1049 per 100 000) and 12–23 months (294 per 100 000) and adults age ≥85 years (155 per 100 000). Higher RSV-related hospitalization rates were associated with increasing marginalization quintile (Q) of material resources (RR, 1.4; Q5: 33 per 100 000 vs Q1: 24 per 100 000) and household instability (RR, 1.5; Q5: 31 per 100 000 vs Q1: 22 per 100 000). Conclusions The burden of RSV-related hospitalization was greatest in young children and older adults, with variation by sociodemographic and housing factors. Understanding the role of these social factors is crucial for informing equitable preventive program delivery.
Chen et al. (Wed,) studied this question.