Healthcare utilization in Canadian children and young adults with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Literature is limited regarding the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on health services use in younger Canadian populations with asthma. We utilized health administrative databases from January 2019-December 2021 for a population-based cross-sectional study to identify Ontario residents 0-25 years old with physician-diagnosed asthma and calculate rates of healthcare use. Multivariable negative binomial regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders. We included 716,690 children and young adults ≤25 years. There was a sharp increase of ICS and SABA prescription rates at the start of the pandemic (March 2020) of 61.7% and 54.6%, respectively. Monthly virtual physician visit rates increased from zero to 0.23 per 100 asthma population during the pandemic. After adjusting for potential confou

SUBMITTER: To T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9838850 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature