Summary
Summary: Older adults are most at risk of negative COVID-19 outcomes and consequences. This study applies the World Health Organization's Health Inequity Causal Model to identify different factors that may be driving the higher observed hospitalizations and deaths among older adults of color compared to non-Latinx whites in the United States. Authors used multiple datasets, including the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Household Pulse Survey COVID data, along with published reports, to understand the social context of older adults, including income distributions by race and ethnicity, household composition and potential COVID-19 exposure to older adults by working family members.
Findings: The researchers’ findings point to multiple social determinants of health, beyond individual health risks, which may explain why older adults of color are the most at risk of negative COVID-19 outcomes and consequences. Current health policies do not adequately address disproportionate impact; some even worsen it. This manuscript provides new data and analysis to support the call for equity-focused solutions to this pandemic and health in general in the future, focusing on meeting the needs of our most vulnerable communities.
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