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Henneberger PK, Cox-Ganser JM. Occupation and COVID-19: Lessons From the Pandemic. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. IN PRACTICE 2024; 12:1997-2007.e2. [PMID: 38648978 PMCID: PMC11325298 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Recognition that an individual's job could affect the likelihood of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 created challenges for investigators who sought to understand and prevent the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Considerable research resources were devoted to separating the effects of occupational from nonoccupational risk factors. This commentary highlights results from studies that adjusted for multiple nonoccupational risk factors while estimating the effects of occupations and occupational risk factors. Methods used in these studies will prove useful in future infectious disease epidemics and pandemics and may potentially enrich studies of other occupational infectious and noninfectious respiratory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul K Henneberger
- Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WVa.
| | - Jean M Cox-Ganser
- Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WVa
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Prasad B, Mechineni A, Talugula S, Gardner J, Rubinstein I, Gordon HS. Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Health Outcomes in Veterans Hospitalized with COVID-19 Infection. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2024; 21:1106-1111. [PMID: 38578801 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.202309-831rl] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bharati Prasad
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Chicago, Illinois
- University of Illinois, Chicago Chicago, Illinois
| | | | | | | | - Israel Rubinstein
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Chicago, Illinois
- University of Illinois, Chicago Chicago, Illinois
| | - Howard S Gordon
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Chicago, Illinois
- University of Illinois, Chicago Chicago, Illinois
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Chien LC, Marquez ER, Smith S, Tu T, Haboush-Deloye A. Exploring the role of the social vulnerability index in understanding COVID-19 immunization rates. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302934. [PMID: 38848377 PMCID: PMC11161067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Communities that are historically marginalized and minoritized were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to long-standing social inequities. It was found that those who experience social vulnerabilities faced a heightened burden of COVID-19 morbidities and mortalities and concerningly lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination. The CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (CDC-SVI) is a pivotal tool for planning responses to health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the associations between CDC-SVI and its corresponding themes with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Nevada counties. Additionally, the study discusses the utility of the CDC-SVI in the context of equitable vaccine uptake in a pandemic setting. We examined the linear association between the 2020 CDC-SVI (including the composite score and the four themes) and COVID-19 vaccine uptake (including initial and complete vaccinations) for the seventeen Nevada counties. These associations were further examined for spatial-varied effects. Each CDC-SVI theme was negatively correlated with initial and complete COVID-19 vaccine uptake (crude) except for minority status, which was positively correlated. However, all correlations were found to be weak. Excessive vaccination rates among some counties are not explained by the CDC-SVI. Overall, these findings suggest the CDC-SVI themes are a better predictor of COVID-19 vaccine uptake than the composite SVI score at the county level. Our findings are consistent with similar studies. The CDC-SVI is a useful measure for public health preparedness, but with limitations. Further understanding is needed of which measures of social vulnerability impact health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lung-Chang Chien
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Erika Raquel Marquez
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Samantha Smith
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
- Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Tiana Tu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
- Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Amanda Haboush-Deloye
- Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
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Osakwe ZT, Calixte R, Peterson ML, Young SG, Ikhapoh I, Pierre K, McIntosh JT, Senteio C, Girardin JL. Association of Hospice Agency Location and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage in the U.S. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2024; 41:309-317. [PMID: 37644697 DOI: 10.1177/10499091231195319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the growing increase in the utilization of hospice in the U.S, disparities exist in the utilization of hospice. Accumulating evidence has shown that neighborhood characteristics have an impact on availability of hospice agencies. OBJECTIVE To assess the association between neighborhood social vulnerability and hospice agency availability. METHODS Using the Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use Files (PAC PUF) for 2019. Hospice agency addresses were geocoded to the census tract level. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between socioeconomic status SVI theme and hospice agency availability adjusting for number of home health agencies, primary care health profession shortage, per cent Black, and Percent Hispanic at the census tract level and rurality. RESULTS The socioeconomic status SVI subtheme was associated with decreased likelihood of hospice agency availability (adjusted IRR (aIRR), .56; 95% CI, .50- .63; P < .001). Predominantly Black, and predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods had lower rates of hospice agency availability (aIRR, .48; 95% CI, .39-.59; P < .001 and aIRR, .29; 95% CI, .24-.36; P < .001), respectively. CONCLUSION Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower availability of hospice agencies. Policies aimed at increasing access to hospice should be cognizant of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Toteh Osakwe
- College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
| | - Rose Calixte
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Mandi-Leigh Peterson
- North Dakota Healthcare Workforce Group, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
| | - Sean G Young
- Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Izuagie Ikhapoh
- School of Engineering and Applies Sciences, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Kaydeen Pierre
- College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer T McIntosh
- College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
- Yale University School of Nursing, Orange, CT, USA
| | - Charles Senteio
- Department of Library and Information Science, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Jean-Louis Girardin
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
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Moore H, Hill B, Emery J, Gussy M, Siriwardena AN, Spaight R, Tanser F. An early warning precision public health approach for assessing COVID-19 vulnerability in the UK: the Moore-Hill Vulnerability Index (MHVI). BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2147. [PMID: 37919728 PMCID: PMC10623819 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17092-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most COVID-19 vulnerability indices rely on measures that are biased by rates of exposure or are retrospective like mortality rates that offer little opportunity for intervention. The Moore-Hill Vulnerability Index (MHVI) is a precision public health early warning alternative to traditional infection fatality rates that presents avenues for mortality prevention. METHODS We produced an infection-severity vulnerability index by calculating the proportion of all recorded positive cases that were severe and attended by ambulances at small area scale for the East Midlands of the UK between May 2020 and April 2022. We produced maps identifying regions with high and low vulnerability, investigated the accuracy of the index over shorter and longer time periods, and explored the utility of the MHVI compared to other common proxy measures and indices. Analysis included exploring the correlation between our novel index and the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). RESULTS The MHVI captures geospatial dynamics that single metrics alone often overlook, including the compound health challenges associated with disadvantaged and declining coastal towns inhabited by communities with post-industrial health legacies. A moderate negative correlation between MHVI and IMD reflects spatial analysis which suggests that high vulnerability occurs in affluent rural as well as deprived coastal and urban communities. Further, the MHVI estimates of severity rates are comparable to infection fatality rates for COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS The MHVI identifies regions with known high rates of poor health outcomes prior to the pandemic that case rates or mortality rates alone fail to identify. Pre-hospital early warning measures could be utilised to prevent mortality during a novel pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet Moore
- Department of Geography, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- Development, Inequalities, Resilience and Environments Research Group, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
| | - Bartholomew Hill
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
- WATERWISER/WEDC, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Jay Emery
- Department of Geography, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- Development, Inequalities, Resilience and Environments Research Group, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Gussy
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
- Lincoln International Institute for Rural Health, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
- Community and Health Research Unit, School of Health and Social Care, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Spaight
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
- Community and Health Research Unit, School of Health and Social Care, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Nottingham, England
| | - Frank Tanser
- EDGE Consortium, Lincoln, Ontario, United Kingdom, Canada
- School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Jeong W, Kang H, Patel A, Singh M, Prachand N, Stewart WP. Financial, Social, and Health Impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the Healthy Chicago Survey. Int J Behav Med 2023:10.1007/s12529-023-10220-y. [PMID: 37700149 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-023-10220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study examines self-reported impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among Chicago residents and disparities of these impacts across demographic characteristics. Six logistic regression models were developed to identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with each COVID-19 impact. METHOD The study used de-identified and weighted data from the 2020 Healthy Chicago Survey (HCS). HCS is an annual survey using an address-based random sampling method administered by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) across the city of Chicago on adults aged 18 or older living between July 17 and November 11, 2020, and received 4517 responses. RESULTS Chicago residents with lower socioeconomic status had a higher likelihood of food and housing insecurity. Non-Hispanic (NH) Black residents were more likely to report being unable to obtain food (OR: 2.996; 95% CI: 2.268-2.324); being unable to pay for rent, mortgage, or bills (OR: 2.352; 95% CI: 2.325-2.380); and grief from a loss of someone to COVID-19 (OR: 2.037; 95% CI: 2.013-2.061) compared to NH White residents. NH White residents were more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to report loss of social connections, worsened mental health, and canceling or postponing medical care. CONCLUSIONS The analysis showed higher odds of social contact loss and worsened mental health from COVID-19 in NH White and higher education populations. By implementing strategies to address specific challenges faced by different racial groups, Chicago may effectively mitigate pandemic's adverse effects. These strategies can promote a more inclusive approach to distributing COVID investments for programs and policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonjin Jeong
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
| | - Hyojung Kang
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Ajanta Patel
- Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Meha Singh
- Healthy Chicago Survey, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nikhil Prachand
- Epidemiology, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - William P Stewart
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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Culbert AA, Ren BO, Maheshwer B, Curtis A, Ajayakumar J, Gilmore A, Hardesty C, Mistovich RJ, Son-Hing J, Liu RW, Glotzbecker MP. Disparities in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic Pre-vaccine and Post-Vaccine Availability. J Pediatr Orthop 2023; 43:529-535. [PMID: 37442779 PMCID: PMC10627400 DOI: 10.1097/bpo.0000000000002469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant disruptions in medical care, resulting in an estimated 40% of US adults avoiding care. However, the return to baseline health care utilization following COVID-19 restrictions within the pediatric orthopedic population remains unexplored. We sought to analyze the visit volume and demographics of pediatric orthopedic patients at 3 timepoints: prepandemic (2019), pandemic (2020), and pandemic post-vaccine availability (2021), to determine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on our single-center, multisite institution. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study of 6318 patients seeking treatment at our institution from May through August in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Patient age, sex, address, encounter date, and ICD-10 codes were obtained. Diagnoses were classified into fractures and dislocations, non-fracture-related trauma, sports, elective, and other categories. Geospatial analysis comparing incidence and geospatial distribution of diagnoses across the time periods was performed and compared with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) social vulnerability index (SVI). RESULTS The total number of pediatric orthopedic visits decreased by 22.2% during the pandemic ( P <0.001) and remained 11.6% lower post-vaccine availability compared with prepandemic numbers ( P <0.001). There was no significant difference in age ( P =0.097) or sex ( P =0.248) of the patients across all 3 timepoints; however, patients seen during the pandemic were more often White race (67.7% vs. 59.3%, P <0.001). Post-vaccine availability, trauma visits increased by 18.2% ( P <0.001) and total fractures remained 13.4% lower than prepandemic volume ( P <0.001). Sports volume decreased during the pandemic but returned to prepandemic volume in the post-vaccine availability period ( P =0.298). Elective visits did not recover to prepandemic volume and remained 13.0% lower compared with baseline ( P <0.001). Geospatial analysis of patient distribution illustrated neighborhood trends in access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer patients from high SVI and low socioeconomic status neighborhoods seeking fracture care during the pandemic than prepandemic. Post-vaccine availability, fracture population distribution resembled prepandemic levels, suggesting a return to baseline health care utilization. CONCLUSION Pediatric orthopedic surgery visit volume broadly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not return to prepandemic levels. All categories increased in the post-vaccine availability time point except elective visits. Geospatial analysis revealed that neighborhoods with a high social vulnerability index (SVI) were associated with decreased fracture visits during the pandemic, whereas low SVI neighborhoods did not experience as much of a decline. Future research is needed to study these neighborhood trends and more completely characterize factors preventing equitable access to care in the pediatric orthopedic population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Retrospective Study, Level III.
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Affiliation(s)
- August A. Culbert
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Bryan O. Ren
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Bhargavi Maheshwer
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Andrew Curtis
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University
| | | | - Allison Gilmore
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Christina Hardesty
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - R. Justin Mistovich
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Jochen Son-Hing
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Raymond W. Liu
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
| | - Michael P. Glotzbecker
- Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
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Li X, Liu H, Gao L, Sherchan SP, Zhou T, Khan SJ, van Loosdrecht MCM, Wang Q. Wastewater-based epidemiology predicts COVID-19-induced weekly new hospital admissions in over 150 USA counties. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4548. [PMID: 37507407 PMCID: PMC10382499 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40305-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency status is easing, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect healthcare systems globally. It is crucial to have a reliable and population-wide prediction tool for estimating COVID-19-induced hospital admissions. We evaluated the feasibility of using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to predict COVID-19-induced weekly new hospitalizations in 159 counties across 45 states in the United States of America (USA), covering a population of nearly 100 million. Using county-level weekly wastewater surveillance data (over 20 months), WBE-based models were established through the random forest algorithm. WBE-based models accurately predicted the county-level weekly new admissions, allowing a preparation window of 1-4 weeks. In real applications, periodically updated WBE-based models showed good accuracy and transferability, with mean absolute error within 4-6 patients/100k population for upcoming weekly new hospitalization numbers. Our study demonstrated the potential of using WBE as an effective method to provide early warnings for healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Huan Liu
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Li Gao
- South East Water, 101 Wells Street, Frankston, VIC, 3199, Australia
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Ting Zhou
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
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Bruckhaus AA, Khan A, Pickering TA, Abedi A, Salehi S, Duncan D. COVID-19 vaccination dynamics in the US: coverage velocity and carrying capacity based on socio-demographic vulnerability indices in California's pediatric population. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1148200. [PMID: 37228717 PMCID: PMC10203576 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction COVID-19 vaccine inequities have been widespread across California, the United States, and globally. As COVID-19 vaccine inequities have not been fully understood in the youth population, it is vital to determine possible factors that drive inequities to enable actionable change that promotes vaccine equity among vulnerable minor populations. Methods The present study used the social vulnerability index (SVI) and daily vaccination numbers within the age groups of 12-17, 5-11, and under 5 years old across all 58 California counties to model the growth velocity and the anticipated maximum proportion of population vaccinated. Results Overall, highly vulnerable counties, when compared to low and moderately vulnerable counties, experienced a lower vaccination rate in the 12-17 and 5-11 year-old age groups. For age groups 5-11 and under 5 years old, highly vulnerable counties are expected to achieve a lower overall total proportion of residents vaccinated. In highly vulnerable counties in terms of socioeconomic status and household composition and disability, the 12-17 and 5-11 year-old age groups experienced lower vaccination rates. Additionally, in the 12-17 age group, high vulnerability counties are expected to achieve a higher proportion of residents vaccinated compared to less vulnerable counterparts. Discussion These findings elucidate shortcomings in vaccine uptake in certain pediatric populations across California and may help guide health policies and future allocation of vaccines, with special emphasis placed on vulnerable populations, especially with respect to socioeconomic status and household composition and disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A. Bruckhaus
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Azrin Khan
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Trevor A. Pickering
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Aidin Abedi
- USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Rancho Research Institute, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA, United States
| | - Sana Salehi
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Dominique Duncan
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Kim Y, Park J, Park JH. Regional differences in health screening participation between before and during COVID-19 pandemic. Environ Health Prev Med 2023; 28:8. [PMID: 36697026 PMCID: PMC9884562 DOI: 10.1265/ehpm.22-00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health screening is a preventive and cost-effective public health strategy for early detection of diseases. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has decreased health screening participation. The aim of this study was to examine regional differences in health screening participation between before and during COVID-19 pandemic and vulnerabilities of health screening participation in the regional context. METHODS Administrative data from 229 districts consisting of 16 provinces in South Korea and health screening participation rate of each district collected in 2019 and 2020 were included in the study. Data were then analyzed via descriptive statistics and geographically weighted regression (GWR). RESULTS This study revealed that health screening participation rates decreased in all districts during COVID-19. Regional vulnerabilities contributing to a further reduction in health screening participation rate included COVID-19 concerns, the population of those aged 65+ years and the disabled, lower education level, lower access to healthcare, and the prevalence of chronic disease. GWR analysis showed that different vulnerable factors had different degrees of influence on differences in health screening participation rate. CONCLUSIONS These findings could enhance our understanding of decreased health screening participation due to COVID-19 and suggest that regional vulnerabilities should be considered stringent public health strategies after COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeaeun Kim
- Department of Health Care Management, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jongho Park
- Division of Health Administration, Gwangju University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Jae-Hyun Park
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
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11
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An J, Hoover S, Konda S, Kim SJ. Effectiveness of the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index in explaining COVID-19 deaths. Front Public Health 2022; 10:953198. [PMID: 36211696 PMCID: PMC9539452 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.953198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives To explore the effectiveness of a COVID-19 specific social vulnerability index, we examined the relative importance of four COVID-19 specific themes and three general themes of the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) in explaining COVID-19 mortality rates in Cook County, Illinois. Methods We counted COVID-19 death records from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, geocoded incident addresses by census tracts, and appended census tracts' CCVI scores. Negative binomial regression and Random Forest were used to examine the relative importance of CCVI themes in explaining COVID-19 mortality rates. Results COVID-19 specific Themes 6 (High risk environments) and 4 (Epidemiological factors) were the most important in explaining COVID-19 mortality (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 6.80 and 6.44, respectively), followed by a general Theme 2 (Minority status & language, IRR = 3.26). Conclusion The addition of disaster-specific indicators may improve the accuracy of social vulnerability indices. However, variance for Theme 6 was entirely from the long-term care resident indicator, as the other two indicators were constant at the census tract level. Thus, CCVI should be further refined to improve its effectiveness in identifying vulnerable communities. Also, building a more robust local data infrastructure is critical to understanding the vulnerabilities of local places.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghua An
- Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,*Correspondence: Jinghua An
| | - Shelley Hoover
- School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sreenivas Konda
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sage J. Kim
- Division of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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