The Role of Individual-Level Socioeconomic Status on Nursing Home Placement Accounting for Neighborhood Characteristics

Objective: Independent living is desirable for many older adults. Although several factors such as physical and cognitive functions are important predictors for nursing home placement (NHP), it is also reported that socioeconomic status (SES) affects the risk of NHP. In this study, we aimed to examine whether an individual-level measure of SES is associated with the risk of NHP after accounting for neighborhood characteristics. Design: A population-based study (Olmsted County, Minnesota, USA). Setting and Participants: Older adults (age 65+ years) with no prior history of NHP. Methods: Electronic health records (EHR) were used to identify individuals with any NHP between April 1, 2012 (baseline date) and April 30, 2019. Association between the (HOUsing-based index of SocioEconomic Status (HOUSES) index, an individual-level SES measure based on housing characteristics of current residence, and risk of NHP was tested using random effects Cox proportional hazard model adjusting for area deprivation index (ADI), an aggregated SES measure that captures neighborhood characteristics, and other pertinent confounders such as age and chronic disease burden. Results: Among 15,031 older adults, 3341 (22.2%) experienced NHP during follow-up period (median: 7.1 years). At baseline date, median age was 73 years old with 55% female persons, 91% non-Hispanic Whites, and median number of chronic conditions of 4. Accounting for pertinent confounders, the HOUSES index was strongly associated with risk of NHP (hazard ratio 1.89; 95% confidence interval 1.66‒2.15 for comparing the lowest vs highest quartiles), which was not influenced by further accounting for ADI. Conclusions and Implications: This study demonstrates that an individual-level SES measure capturing current individual-specific socioeconomic circumstances plays a significant role for predicting NHP independent of neighborhood characteristics where they reside. This study suggests that older adults who are at higher risk of NHP can be identified by utilizing the HOUSES index and potential individual-level intervention strategies can be applied to reduce the risk for those with higher risk.