Authors
Hiroaki Iwasaki
Published in
Preventive medicine reports. Volume 71. Pages 103632. Epub Sep 13, 2026.
Abstract
Neighborhood-level socioeconomic disparities are becoming more apparent in Japan; however, their relationship with emergency medical utilization remains unclear.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in Yamato City, a suburban municipality near Tokyo. The city was divided into nine daily living districts based on the jurisdictions of Regional Comprehensive Support Centers. Demographic and socioeconomic indicators were obtained from municipal statistics for June 2025 and the 2020 national census. Data on 1199 ambulance transports, including 953 city residents, during secondary emergency duty from April 2024 to March 2026, were extracted from our hospital's medical records.
The proportions of residents aged ≥65 and ≥75 years, nursing care certification rate, welfare recipient rate, ambulance transport rate, emergency hospitalization rate, and areal deprivation index (ADI) showed a consistent north-south geographic gradient, with higher values in the southern area. Both ambulance transport and emergency hospitalization rates were positively correlated with ADI across the nine districts. The southern area had the highest ambulance transport rate for fall-related injuries, particularly among women.
Neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with ambulance transport and emergency hospitalization in a Japanese suburban city. Tailored public health strategies may help optimize the emergency medical care system in resource-limited settings.
PMID:
42781489
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Sep 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 6
- Comments 0