COVID-19: Widening Health Disparities Among Pediatric Populations

Gati, Stephanie; Bloomhardt, Hadley M; McArthur, Erica

doi:10.2105/ajph.2020.305815

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…By September 2020, data showed that COVID-19 was not affecting all U.S. residents equally; there were obvious disparities in the disease’s impacts among Black, Hispanic, and immigrant populations in the United States [ 27 ]. Although these marginalized groups may have recognized COVID-19 as a threat, systemic factors beyond their control may have precluded some from properly engaging in preventative behaviors and may have led to this race-based death discrepancy [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Health Literacy as Knowing, Feeling, and Believing: Analyzing Linkages between Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status and Willingness to Engage in Protective Behaviors against Health Threats

Binder

May

Murphy

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This study investigates the relationships between environmental health literacy, the characteristics of people (race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) associated with health disparities, and people’s willingness to engage in protective behaviors against environmental health threats. Environmental health literacy is a framework for capturing the continuum between the knowledge of environmental impacts on public health, and the skills and decisions needed to take health-protective actions. We pay particular attention to three dimensions of environmental health literacy: factual knowledge (knowing the facts), knowledge sufficiency (feeling ready to decide what to do), and response efficacy (believing that protective behaviors work). In June 2020, we collected survey data from North Carolina residents on two topics: the viral infection COVID-19 and industrial contaminants called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We used their responses to test stepwise regression models with willingness to engage in protective behaviors as a dependent variable and other characteristics as independent variables, including environmental health literacy. For both topics, our results indicated that no disparities emerged according to socioeconomic factors (level of education, household income, or renting one’s residence). We observed disparities in willingness according to race, comparing Black to White participants, but not when comparing White to American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander participants nor Hispanic to non-Hispanic participants. The disparities in willingness between Black and White participants persisted until we introduced the variables of environmental health literacy, when the difference between these groups was no longer significant in the final regression models. The findings suggest that focusing on environmental health literacy could bridge a gap in willingness to protect oneself based on factors such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, which have been identified in the environmental health literature as resulting in health disparities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Health Literacy as Knowing, Feeling, and Believing: Analyzing Linkages between Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status and Willingness to Engage in Protective Behaviors against Health Threats

Binder

May

Murphy

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…

COVID-19 disproportionately affects low-income households and racial and ethnic minority communities. 1,2 These disparities lead to food and housing insecurity and limited access to medical care. 1,2 Disruption in childcare services also affects parents' work hours, leading to lower income and poverty.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,2 These disparities lead to food and housing insecurity and limited access to medical care. 1,2 Disruption in childcare services also affects parents' work hours, leading to lower income and poverty. 2 Preventive and follow-up visits for chronic health conditions were significantly lower for all children during the pandemic.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparities in Pediatric Medical and Childcare Disruption Due to COVID-19

2023

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“…5 Inequality in living standards is consequently detrimental to achieving optimal child health and oral health. 6,7 That child oral health disparities persist unjustly among segments of our population in which social conditions remain largely unchanged is revealing. These injustices stem from inequitable historical and contemporary policies and practices that perpetuate public utility and service insecurity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 COVID-19 acutely exacerbated the United State's public infrastructure challenges and widened existing social disparities. 6,9 Its scale and impact have also drawn attention to the fragile living conditions of many racial and ethnic minority children and the health and oral health consequences resulting from their unjust vulnerability. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has increased shutoffs to essential public utilities and services across the United States, most prominently along race and class lines.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%