Housing and Stroke Outcomes: Why Aging in Place Needs to Be Equitable

Limited research on the impacts of housing conditions on post-stroke outcomes exists, particularly in minoritized neighborhoods that face greater housing disparities than non-Hispanic White neighborhoods. This is largely due to the unavailability of data that combines residential conditions and post-stroke outcomes in diverse communities. This brief report explored whether neighborhood housing values, a proxy of housing conditions, mediate the association between neighborhood ethnic composition (%Hispanic) and post-stroke outcomes in Nueces County, a bi-ethnic community in south Texas. Linear regression models were used to assess associations adjusted for socio-demographics, pre-stroke factors and stroke severity. A total of 782 ischemic stroke cases in 78 neighborhoods were included. Greater %Hispanic was associated with worse post-stroke outcomes and lower housing values. Higher housing values did not change the association between %Hispanic and post-stroke outcomes. Future studies should consider including individual-level data on housing conditions and the capacity to make modifications in research related to post-stroke recovery.