January 21, 2021

Association of Social and Economic Inequality With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Incidence and Mortality Across US Counties

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): disparities, risk factors

A cross-sectional ecologic analysis using US county-level data found that counties with higher income inequality and a higher proportion of Black or Hispanic residents had higher COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Each 1% increase in county-level income inequality, proportion of Black residents, and proportion of Hispanic residents corresponded to 2%, 1.9%, and 2.4% higher incidence and 3%, 2.6%, and 1.9% higher mortality, respectively. No state-level political characteristics were associated with incidence or mortality. Incidence was on average 32% lower in counties in states with Medicaid expansion than those without.

Liao and De Maio. (Jan 20, 2021). Association of Social and Economic Inequality With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Incidence and Mortality Across US Counties. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.34578