Social Determinants of Health Affecting Retinopathy of Prematurity Follow-up Attendance

Purpose: To identify social determinants of health (SDOH) associated with follow-up attendance of preterm infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. Methods: This retrospective cohort study, conducted at a single academic tertiary care center, included preterm infants screened for ROP from July 2018 to December 2022. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from a preexisting NICU database. Residential ZIP code was used to derive community-level SDOH indices. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with ophthalmology follow-up attendance within 8 weeks to 1 year after NICU discharge. Results: Forty-two percent (303 of 723) of patients attended follow-up in the designated interval. Infants with private insurance (odds ratio [OR]: 4.47, 95% CI: 1.98 to 10.1, P < .001), maternal non-Hispanic White identity (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.81, P = .01), ROP treatment history (OR: 3.67, 95% CI: 2.05 to 6.57, P < .001), and longer NICU stay (weeks) (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.08, P < .001) had higher odds of attending follow-up. In an interaction effect, privately insured patients had lower odds of follow-up with each higher quartile of Social Vulnerability Index Racial and Ethnic Minority Status (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.84, P = .002). Conclusions: Social determinants of health, including individual and community-level factors, significantly impact access to ROP follow-up. The identified disparities and overall inadequate follow-up rate suggest a need for targeted interventions to improve vision health equity and follow-up adherence.