The Relationship Between COVID-19 Infection Rates and Social Determinants of Health in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, Florida

Abstract

To determine the relationship between per capita income and COVID-19 cases in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties of Florida, USA. BackgroundLow socioeconomic status predisposes individuals to worse health outcomes. For example, during the 2003 SARS-CoV pandemic and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic disadvantaged individuals were more likely to become infected. More recently, a study found that deaths due to COVID-19 were associated with disadvantaged areas across the United States. South Florida, in particular Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, has experienced a significant burden of coronavirus cases. Investigating the association of income on coronavirus cases in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties may aid in identifying and treating those individuals at increased risk. MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional study used data gathered by the Florida Department of Health and 2018 U.S. Census. COVID-19 cases from March 2 -November 1, 2020 were tallied by ZIP code in Florida's Broward and Miami-Dade Counties and scaled per housing unit. An exhaustive regression analysis using County "Miami-Dade" or "Broward," sex, race, ethnicity, median age, and estimated per capita income was performed for each combination of independent variables in MATLAB (MathWorks, Natick, USA). Regression models were evaluated using both adjusted R-squared and the Akaike Information Criterion, along with the number of significant predictors. The most optimal model with the highest number of significant predictors was selected. ResultsAmong all other variables, sex, race, and ethnicity as the variables that best predicted COVID-19 cases per housing unit within a certain ZIP code. The adjusted R-squared of this optimal model was 0.5062, indicating that within each ZIP code in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties 50.62% of the variance in COVID-19 cases per housing unit can be explained by these variables. A significant relationship was found between the number of COVID-19 cases and individuals who were Black or African American (p < 0.001), individuals who were Hispanic or Latino (p < 0.001), and male to female ratio (p = 0.016). Per capita income, age, and county were not statistically significant predictors in any model tested. ConclusionsRacial and gender disparities may be more significant contributors to COVID-19 cases than per capita income in housing units. Based on the results of this study, investigators may consider applying this model to similar variables in order to inform the management and prevention of cases in the present and future pandemics.

Better together: Coalitions committed to advancing health equity

“…Challenges at the service level included a lack of COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in Latinx communities; lack of infrastructure for services to the Latinx community; a historical mistrust of health systems by the Latinx population; lack of adequate Spanish translations of official information regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine leading to misinformation spreading through social networks; and lack of access to care following positive diagnoses for COVID-19 ( Njoku et al, 2021 ; Taylor et al, 2021 ). Additional challenges related to delivery of care and rolling out community level programs included overextension of nurses and other health care workers at community, academic, and health system levels, leading to exhaustion from continuous volunteer effort; and a lack of recognition of Latinx health priorities within the university requiring considerable team effort to compete for grants to support community engagement.…”

COVID on campus: An empirical analysis of COVID infection rates at U.S. colleges and universities

“…It is worth noting how dramatically our findings for educational institutions differ from those for society at large. For example, a consistent finding in the literature has been the COVID infection rates are higher in regions characterized by lower socio-economic status and greater minority shares (Taylor et al, 2021;Upshaw et al, 2021). In contrast, we find that infection rates are systematically higher are in a variety of measures that likely correspond to greater socioeconomic status, including endowment per student, average tuition rates, and institutional selectivity.…”

“…The finding that the number of cases is greater for schools with whiter student bodies is particularly interesting, as COVID infection rates are lower among whites in the general population (Taylor et al, 2021; Upshaw et al, 2021). Several factors may contribute to this relationship.…”

Barriers and facilitators to health during prison reentry to Miami, FL

“…This information can be used to inform future attempts to support reentrants returning to Miami as they work to re-integrate and address their healthcare needs following incarceration. Based on participant data, it is clear that improving the health and wellbeing of justice impacted and other marginalized people in Miami can be achieved by addressing community health needs [ 54 ], established health inequities [ 55 , 56 ] and long-standing structural inequalities [ 57 – 59 ]. Engaging in these public health efforts will have the added benefit of reducing reliance on the carceral system to address social problems [ 60 ].…”