Bandwidth,† cm (number) | Adjusted effects n=42 050 | 95% CI | P value | |
Healthcare utilisation | ||||
Visit days for outpatient care, days‡ | 8.2 (55 458) | −10.6 days | (−42.7 to +18.7) | 0.45 |
Medication use,§ percentage points (pp)‡ | 8.8 (57 815) | −28.0 pp | (−56.7 to +6.5) | 0.12 |
Hospitalisation, percentage points (pp)‡ | 9.1 (60 250) | −14.7 pp | (−38.2 to +25.8) | 0.70 |
Healthcare spending | ||||
Total medical expenditure, dollars‡ | 7.2 (50 273) | −US$7638 | (−23 672 to +7351) | 0.30 |
Medical expenditure for outpatient care, dollars‡ | 7.3 (50 940) | −US$4 | (−9549 to +11 022) | 0.89 |
Medical expenditure for inpatient care, dollars‡ | 6.7 (46 974) | −US$7818 | (−18 900 to +368) | 0.06 |
*We used the data-driven approach to determine the optimal bandwidths for each outcome variables we have investigated.
†We selected optimal bandwidths for each outcome by data-driven approach.
‡We adjusted for age, gender, current smoking, and baseline medication use.
§Any medication includes drugs for hypertension, hyperglycaemic and hyperlipidemia.