Social determinants of health and health inequalities in context of COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected disadvantaged populations, exposing existing inequalities in the society and widening health inequalities. Health inequalities are those preventable differences in health status between groups that arise from the unequal opportunities and unequal distribution of resources related to health, which determine the risk of people getting ill, ability to prevent illness or opportunities to access medical care. Material and Methods: Literature search was done through relevant science databases. Available studies regarding health inequalities in context of COVID-19 pandemic were examined and presented in this review. Results and Conclusions: The higher risks of COVID-19 infection and mortality has been noticed for specific groups that are disproportionally affected by pandemic due to inequalities in the social determinants of health, such as living and working conditions, access to healthy food, opportunities for maintaining hygiene and access to healthcare. To understand why lower socioeconomic groups and minorities are more susceptible to infection, broader context of the pandemic has to be observed. Although the existence of virus is a key factor, differences in infection, prevalence, severity and mortality rates seem to be a result of a synergistic effect of the virus itself, social determinants of health and inequalities in pre-existing chronic diseases. The important task for the future is to create more equal and healthier living and working conditions, improving the health of the most vulnerable groups and reducing inequalities in the population.