Background: Respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of acute care hospitalization for First Nations people. Poor housing conditions are associated with respiratory disorders and may be related to the likelihood of hospitalization. This analysis examines whether First Nations identity is associated with higher odds of hospitalization for respiratory conditions relative to non-Aboriginal persons, and whether such differences in hospitalization rates remain after consideration of housing conditions.
Data and methods: Data from the 2006 Census linked to the Discharge Abstract Database were used to analyze differences in hospitalization for respiratory tract infections and asthma between First Nations and non-Aboriginal people when housing conditions were taken into account.
Results: Rural on-reserve First Nations people were more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be hospitalized for a respiratory tract infection (1.5% versus 0.5%) or for asthma (0.2% versus 0.1%). For respiratory tract infection hospitalizations, adjustment for housing conditions, household income and residential location reduced differences, but the odds remained nearly three times higher for on-reserve First Nations people (OR = 2.83; CI: 2.69 to 2.99) and two times higher for off-reserve First Nations people (OR = 2.03; CI: 1.87 to 2.21), compared with the non-Aboriginal cohort. For asthma hospitalizations, adjustment for household income reduced the odds more than did adjustment for housing conditions. Even with full adjustment, the odds of asthma hospitalization relative to non-Aboriginal people remained significantly higher for First Nations people.
Interpretation: First Nations people are significantly more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be hospitalized for respiratory tract infections and asthma, even when housing conditions, household income and residential location are taken into account. While housing conditions are associated with such hospitalizations, household income may be more important.
Keywords: Aboriginal identity; asthma; crowding; data linkage; dwelling conditions; hospital records; respiratory tract infections.