Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States: a county-level analysis as of November 2020.
Ethn Health
; 26(1): 22-35, 2021 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-979661
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this study was to investigate potential county-level disparities among racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States in 100,000 population.DESIGN:
Secondary data analysis using county-level data for 3,142 US counties was conducted in 2020. Hierarchical linear regression and concentration curve analyses were performed. The combined association of COVID-19 cases and deaths was examined separately by the county population's socioeconomic characteristics. Data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (2014-2018), Area Health Resources File (AHRF) 2018-2019, Kaiser Health News 2020, and 2020 COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University were used in this study.RESULTS:
After adjusting for covariates, U.S. counties with a higher proportion of the Black population and a higher proportion of adults with less than a high school diploma had disproportionately higher COVID-19 cases and deaths (ß > 0, p<0.05 for all relations). A higher proportion of the Hispanic population was associated with higher confirmed cases (ß = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.48-0.87). The majority observed disparities in COVID-19 deaths persisted even after controlling for all-cause deaths in 2019 and COVID-19 cases per 100,000 county population. This can potentially aggravate the existing health disparities among these population groups.CONCLUSIONS:
Identification of disproportionately impacted population groups can pave the way towards narrowing the disparity gaps and guide policymakers and stakeholders in designing and implementing population group-specific interventions to mitigate the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Socioeconomic Factors
/
Ethnicity
/
Mortality
/
Racial Groups
/
Health Status Disparities
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Ethn Health
Journal subject:
Social Sciences
/
Public Health
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
13557858.2020.1853067
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