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MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Community-level factors explain some, but not all, racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 rates in Massachusetts, according to a report published online Aug. 27 in Health Affairs<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Jose F. Figueroa, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study of 351 Massachusetts towns and cities from Jan. 1, 2020, to May 6, 2020, to examine which demographic, economic, and occupational factors have contributed to disparities in COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that a 10-percentage point increase in the Black and Latino populations correlated with increases of 312.3 and 258.2 COVID-19 cases per 100,000, respectively. The proportion of foreign-born noncitizens living in a community, mean household size, and share of food service workers were independent predictors of higher COVID-19 rates. The association between the Latino population and COVID-19 rates was attenuated after adjustment for these variables, but the correlation persisted for the Black population indicating that other systemic inequities may explain the correlation.<\/p>\n
“Further research into the social and economic factors underlying COVID-19-related disparities and new policies to address risk factors and institutional racism will be critical to controlling the epidemic and improving health equity,” the authors write.<\/p>\n