The effect of race, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity on patients afflicted with COVID 19: A Local Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to further examine the associations of race, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidity with COVID-19 health outcomes. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 309 PCR confirmed COVID-19 positive adults who presented to Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, LA, from March 9 to May 29, 2020. The primary outcomes investigated were need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and in-hospital mortality. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine socioeconomic and medical risk factors for IMV and in-hospital mortality. Results: Compared to white patients, Black patients were more likely to present younger, female, obese, unemployed, and underinsured. However, when controlled for common risk factors, Black and white patients had similar risk for IMV and mortality. Increased age (≥65 years), obesity, and increased comorbidity were associated with increased risk for IMV and mortality. Conclusions: Race and socioeconomic factors may increase risk for COVID-19 infection but did not affect health outcomes within the hospital setting. Therefore, the higher rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality in vulnerable populations may be better explained by lower socioeconomic status, with subsequent higher comorbidity, in these populations. Community health initiatives should be prioritized in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the Association between Negative Emotions and COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Unvaccinated Adults in Sweden

“…This study also investigates the association between vaccine acceptance, economic stress, and opinions about the government’s response, while controlling for sociodemographic and health determinants. As expected, our results indicate that people who are more likely to experience severe consequences from the infection, such as those ≥45 years and those with comorbidities are also more willing to get vaccinated [ 29 , 30 ]. In addition, similar to other studies, our results show that having a previous COVID-19 diagnosis and past refusal of other vaccines are associated with lower COVID-19 vaccine acceptance [ 10 , 31 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Following a Large-Scale Vaccination Campaign in Portugal: Results of the National Serological Survey, September - November 2021

“…A similar result was observed in a population-based serological survey in Switzerland. 23 Considering the differences in the risk of infection according to the socio-economic level described in previous research, 24,25 the seroprevalence patterns observed according to educational level possibly indicate a greater adherence to public health measures in subgroups-with a higher level of education. Our results may also reflect lower adherence to vaccination by those with lower health literacy which is correlated with lower levels of education.…”

Obesity Impact on SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Pros and Cons “Obesity Paradox”—A Systematic Review

“…Moreover, the underweight group presented an increased risk of death, whilst no association with the need for intensive mechanical ventilation was found [35,36]. In the evolution of the disease, those with mild and moderate obesity are predisposed to develop more severe ARDS, and paradoxically they recover better [39].…”