Social determinants of health associated with severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Historically, pandemics have resulted in higher mortality rates in the most vulnerable populations. Social determinants of health (SDH) have been associated with people morbidity and mortality at different levels. Objective: To determine the relationship between SDH and COVID-19 severity and mortality. Methods: Retrospective study, where data from patients with COVID-19 were collected at a public hospital in Chile. Sociodemographic variables related to structural SDH were classified according to the following categories: Gender, age (< 65 years, ≥ 65 years), secondary education (completed or not), work status (active, inactive) and income (< USD 320, ≥ USD 320). Results: A total of 1,012 laboratory-confirmed COV- ID-19 cases were included. Average age was 64.2 ± 17.5 years. Mortality of the entire sample was 14.5%. Age, level of education, unemployment and income had a strong association with mortality (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings reinforce the idea that SDH should be considered a public health priority, which is why political efforts should focus on reducing health inequalities for future generations.