Up to 45,000 cardiac arrests, or 1 every 12 minutes, occur each year in Canada. (Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2011). Factors that increase a person’s risk of having a stroke include tobacco use, alcohol use, high blood pressure and poor nutrition. Chronic stress, social isolation, anxiety and depression can all increase someone’s chances of developing heart disease. Research has shown that low-income individuals are less able to purchase nutritious foods, cope with stress, and engage in healthy activities than those individuals who have more money at their disposal. As a result, individuals with a low socioeconomic status may have an increased risk of experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Researchers who worked on this study collected data on out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests that occurred in the individual’s home or a residential institution in seven North American cities (three of them being Canadian) from April 1^st , 2006 to March 31^st, 2007.

Results

Researchers found that in the Canadian sites, the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest was three times greater in the lowest quartile in median household income in comparison to those living in the highest quartile. At all seven sites, the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest across socioeconomic quartiles was greatest among people who were less than 65 years of age. The study’s findings may be related to the fact that low-income individuals have more risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well as poorer control over these aspects.

Also, despite universal health care in Canada, lower income individuals living in the Canadian cities that were studied during this report were less likely to have access to a cardiac catheterization following acute myocardial infarction or to receive an implantable defibrillator after a hospital admission for heart failure.

Recommendations

Strategies that are recommended in the study to help lower the rate of sudden cardiac arrests among those with low-income include offering CPR classes and installing automated external defibrillators (AED) in lower income communities. The study also acknowledges that it is important to focus resources towards providing education on the risk factors of cardiac disease and launching prevention initiatives such as smoking cessation.

Limitations

The study had several limitations by including only cardiac arrests that occurred at residential settings. As a result, there could be an even higher incidence of cardiac arrest in the low socioeconomic group if they had included the homeless population.

The study also included US Cities in their sample. This affects the results since uninsured people in the US may have been less likely to access health care services that low-income individuals in this country can access for free.

Conclusion

Overall, the study recognizes that individuals with a low-income are at a greater risk of experiencing sudden cardiac arrests than those with a higher socioeconomic status. As well, the authors of the report encourage local health authorities to address the needs of this cross-section of the population as well as the barriers they face.

Audience

This report will be valuable to health professionals who work in low-income communities, as well as those who have a general interest in the social determinants of health. 

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.