Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42380838›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2026

Social marginalization and access to publicly funded home care in Ontario: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Amina Jabbar, Glenda Babe, Aaron Jones, Meredith Vanstone, Kerry Kuluski, George Heckman, Andrew P Costa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Amina JabbarFaculty of Health Sciences, Health Policy Program, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada. amina.jabbar@thp.ca.
Glenda BabeICES (Formerly Known As the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences), Toronto, Canada.
Aaron JonesCentre for Integrated Care, St. Joseph's Health System, Hamilton, Canada.
Meredith VanstoneCentre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Kerry KuluskiInstitute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Canada.
George HeckmanDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Western University, London, Canada.
Andrew P CostaCentre for Integrated Care, St. Joseph's Health System, Hamilton, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults experiencing social marginalization may face inequitable access to publicly funded home care services. In Ontario, Canada, the Ontario Marginalization Index (ON-Marg) provides a multidimensional measure of area-level marginalization. This study examined whether ON-Marg dimensions were associated with access to publicly funded home care among community-dwelling adults aged 75 years and older.

methodsWe conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked administrative health data from Ontario, Canada, for the year 2019. The cohort included individuals aged 75 + residing in the community (excluding those in long-term care). Home care access was stratified by ON-Marg dimensions: residential instability, material deprivation, dependency, and ethnic concentration. The primary outcomes were receipt of long-stay (≥ 90 days) and short-stay (< 90 days) home care aggregated at the community level (Aggregated Dissemination Areas -ADAs). Multivariable regression models adjusted for age, sex, hospitalization, and health complexity.

resultsAmong 1,071,899 older adults, 14% received long-stay home care and 9% received short-stay home care. Communities in the highest deprivation and ethnic concentration quintiles had a 1.60 and 2.77 percentage point greater probability, respectively, of receiving long-stay care compared to the least marginalized areas. In contrast, the most dependent communities had a 0.68 percentage point lower probability of long-stay access. For short-stay care, the highest instability quintile was associated with a 0.90 percentage point greater probability of access, while the highest ethnic concentration quintile was associated with a 2.26 percentage point lower probability. Regional analyses revealed considerable variation in these patterns across Ontario.

conclusionsAccess to home care in Ontario varies by dimension of marginalization. While some marginalized groups may have greater access-likely reflecting higher underlying need-populations with high dependency may face persistent barriers. Equity-focused reforms should consider how specific forms of marginalization affect not only need but also access and service delivery.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityHome Care ServicesSocial MarginalizationAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleOntarioRetrospective StudiesSocioeconomic Disparities in HealthAccess to careEquityHealth services researchHome careMarginalizationOlder adultsON-MargOntario

Identifiers

PMID42380838
PMCPMC13587572

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.