Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, and resistance to antibiotics, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), are major health problems that lead to severe complications, death, and higher healthcare costs. People with chronic diseases are more likely to get infections that do not respond to treatment, but little is known about how these two health problems jointly affect patient outcomes. Moreover, evidence on social and biological factors that influence the relation between AMR and chronic diseases are also limited, which is needed to design public health interventions. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors that influence AMR and chronic diseases and their combined health impact, including hospital stay, complications, and death. The study will also explore differences in health outcomes by disease type, age groups, sex, gender, and socio-economic status, thus find opportunities for joint interventions that improve public health. The study will use Canadian hospital records and population census data, as traditional surveillance data is unable to assess the relation between AMR, chronic diseases, and social factors. This study will carefully follow ethical rules by getting approval from Statistics Canada and a research ethics board, making sure personal information is protected throughout the study. The study will deliver a policy brief for healthcare providers and policymakers on practical solutions to simultaneously reduce the impact of AMR and chronic diseases, improve patient care, and address social disparities in health. The linked dataset of this study will also provide a valuable resource to be used in future research.