Socioeconomic status, race, and preadolescent acne: A population-based retrospective cohort analysis in a mixed rural-urban community of the United States (Olmsted County, Minnesota).

Abstract

There is limited information about the potential relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) with acne in preadolescents. Our objective was to assess the possible relationship between SES and preadolescent acne. A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted to identify Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents with an initial acne diagnosis between 7 and ≤12 years old during 2010 to 2018 using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. For each acne case, we randomly selected 2 sex- and age-matched controls without an acne diagnosis from the county. Individual HOUsing-based SocioEconomic Status index (HOUSES) derived from real property data was used to evaluate SES, represented as four quartiles with higher quartile representing higher SES. A total of 604 patients met the criteria. HOUSES distribution significantly differed between cases and controls (p=.001); a higher proportion of acne cases were in quartile 4 (42.2% vs. 32.7%), indicating higher SES. Race and ethnicity did not significantly differ between cases and controls. Among cases and controls, 74.5% and 72.3% were White, respectively. Study limitations include its retrospective design, only patients who visited a physician were included, and Olmsted County residents are largely non-Hispanic White. Preadolescents diagnosed with acne have a higher SES than those without diagnosed acne, highlighting a potential disparity in access to care and appropriate diagnosis.