Are Older Populations at a Disadvantage? County-Level Analysis of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Urban and Rural America.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
; 76(3): e93-e98, 2021 02 17.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-889547
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
This study examines how areas with different older population compositions are affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and whether urban and rural counties face different challenges.METHODS:
Applying negative binomial regression to a data set of U.S. counties (N = 3,042), we estimated the relationship between older population ratios and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and how this relationship changes over time in urban and rural counties, respectively.RESULTS:
Although low-ratio counties show the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, confirmed cases in high-ratio counties (>25% of the total population is aged 65 and older) increase exponentially with time in urban areas. High-ratio rural counties hit their peak later and recover more slowly compared to low- and medium-ratio rural counties.DISCUSSION:
Both urban and rural counties with larger older populations are more vulnerable and their disadvantages in COVID-19 infections are more rapidly exacerbated over time in urban areas. This underscores the importance of early action in those counties for effective intervention and prevention.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Rural Population
/
Urban Population
/
Aging
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
Journal subject:
Social Sciences
/
Geriatrics
/
Psychology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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