In a new study from the University of Chicago, researchers found that different demographic groups are vulnerable to COVID-19 death in different ways—often depending on their geographic location.
They found that not all of a particular race or ethnic population in the U.S. is impacted by the same factors or face the same COVID-19 outcomes.
By identifying associations between COVID mortality and social determinants of health, the research team uncovered the specific ways that place has shaped how people experience the pandemic.
In the study, the team examined 3,142 counties in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
They looked at those different groups and their various social factors and whether they differed or were similar across urban, rural and suburban counties.
According to the study, Black or African American groups with high mortality rates—particularly in the Southeast—were more vulnerable due to low socioeconomic status, high-income inequality, limited access to quality health care, and severe housing problems.
White populations who experienced high mortality rates—most often in the rural Midwest—are located mostly in counties with a high percentage of older populations, and who have limited access to quality health care.
The findings suggest different groups are vulnerable in different ways.
In Hispanic groups, many have high mortality rates in urban areas. Those who are most vulnerable are in areas associated with a high percentage of working-age people and low insurance rates and severe housing problems.
The researchers are hoping their paper encourages information to be collected at a more granular level and shared freely—not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to have in place for future pandemics or other natural disasters.
As a next step, the researchers are looking to expand their datasets to include different ethnicities.
The researchers are also interested in digging deeper into different urban, rural and suburban settings to better understand the structural factors and drivers related to higher COVID mortality and death rates.
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The study is published in JAMA Network Open and was conducted by Susan Paykin et al.
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