Journal Article

Community-Level Factors Associated With Racial And Ethnic Disparities In COVID-19 Rates In Massachusetts

Wadhera, Rishi K, Sommers, Benjamin D, Yeh, Robert W, Lee, Dennis, Figueroa, Jose F

2020

Overview

Massachusetts has one of the highest cumulative incidence rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the US. Understanding which specific demographic, economic, and occupational factors have contributed to disparities in COVID-19 incidence rates across the state is critical to informing public health strategies. We performed a cross-sectional study of 351 Massachusetts cities and towns from January 1 to May 6, 2020, and found that a 10-percentage-point increase in the Black non-Latino population was associated with an increase of 312.3 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population, whereas a 10-percentage-point increase in the Latino population was associated with an increase of 258.2 cases per 100,000. Independent predictors of higher COVID-19 rates included the proportion of foreign-born noncitizens living in a community, mean household size, and share of food service workers. After adjustment for these variables, the association between the Latino population and COVID-19 rates was attenuated. In contrast, the association between the Black population and COVID-19 rates persisted but may be explained by other systemic inequities. Public health and policy efforts that improve care for foreign-born noncitizens, address crowded housing, and protect food service workers may help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among minority communities.

• Publisher: The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE
• Subject: Adult / Age / Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification / Cities / Community / Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Cross-sectional studies / Cultural differences / Demography / Economic factors / Essential workers / Ethnic differences / Ethnic factors / Ethnicity / Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data / Family income / Female / Food / Food service / Health care policy / Health disparities / Health planning / Health services / Health status / Health Status Disparities / Healthy food / Hispanic Americans / Household size / Households / Housing / Humans / Incidence / Inequality / Latin American cultural groups / Male / Massachusetts - epidemiology / Middle Aged / Minority & ethnic groups / Minority groups / Minority Groups - statistics & numerical data / Morbidity / Noncitizens / Occupations / Pandemics / Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology / Population / Population growth / Public health / Race / Racial differences / Racial Groups / Racial inequality / Regression analysis / SARS-CoV-2 / Towns / Variables / Viral diseases / Workers