Comparison of characteristics of Ontario snowbirds aged 65 years or more and age- and sex-matched Ontarians who did not migrate, 2018/19
| Characteristic | No. (%) of people* | Standardized difference, %† | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowbirds n = 65 311 | Nonsnowbirds n = 130 622 | ||
| Sociodemographic characteristics | |||
| Age category, yr | |||
| 65–69 | 17 135 (26.2) | 34 244 (26.2) | 0.00 |
| 70–74 | 20 850 (31.9) | 41 707 (31.9) | 0.00 |
| 75–79 | 15 098 (23.1) | 30 200 (23.1) | 0.00 |
| ≥ 80 | 12 228 (18.7) | 24 471 (18.7) | 0.00 |
| Female sex | 32 548 (49.8) | 65 099 (49.8) | 0.00 |
| Recent migrant to Ontario‡ | 5746 (8.8) | 5612 (4.3) | 0.18 |
| Rural residency | 10 124 (15.5) | 16 856 (12.9) | 0.07 |
| Neighbourhood income quintile | |||
| 1 (lowest) | 9406 (14.4) | 25 298 (19.4) | 0.13 |
| 2 | 12 585 (19.3) | 27 050 (20.7) | 0.04 |
| 3 | 14 304 (21.9) | 26 220 (20.1) | 0.04 |
| 4 | 13 531 (20.7) | 25 019 (19.2) | 0.04 |
| 5 (highest) | 15 373 (23.5) | 26 816 (20.5) | 0.07 |
| Missing | 112 (0.2) | 219 (0.2) | 0.00 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Deyo–Charlson Comorbidity Index score | |||
| 0 | 51 806 (79.3) | 99 559 (76.2) | 0.07 |
| 1 | 6281 (9.6) | 12 533 (9.6) | 0.00 |
| ≥ 2 | 7224 (11.1) | 18 530 (14.2) | 0.09 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 538 (33.0) | 38 657 (29.6) | 0.07 |
| Asthma | 7854 (12.0) | 16 377 (12.5) | 0.02 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 9759 (14.9) | 24 408 (18.7) | 0.10 |
| Hypertension | 46 438 (71.1) | 84 364 (64.6) | 0.14 |
| Acute myocardial infarction | 2373 (3.6) | 6261 (4.8) | 0.06 |
| Congestive heart failure | 3074 (4.7) | 8259 (6.3) | 0.07 |
| Mental health condition | 10 568 (16.2) | 24 476 (18.7) | 0.07 |
| No. of prior health care visits, median (IQR)§ | |||
| Emergency department (previous yr) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–1) | 0.15 |
| Primary care¶ (previous 2 yr) | 8 (5–12) | 7 (4–12) | 0.12 |
| Specialist care (previous yr) | 2 (0–5) | 2 (0–5) | 0.05 |
Note: IQR = interquartile range.
↵* Except where noted otherwise.
↵† We used standardized differences to identify potential clinically significant differences (> 10%) between groups.
↵‡ Residents who became newly eligible for Ontario Health Insurance Plan coverage in the previous 10 years.
↵§ Measured in the 1- or 2-year period before Oct. 1, 2018.
↵¶ Includes minor, general and major assessments, annual examinations, geriatric care, primary mental health care, hospital care, house calls, long-term care visits, vision care, palliative care, influenza and other vaccinations, office laboratory procedures, allergy and other vaccinations, Papanicolaou smears, anticoagulant therapy, preoperative assessments, diabetes management and smoking cessation.