scholarly journals Social Vulnerability and Racial Inequality in COVID-19 Deaths in Chicago

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sage J. Kim ◽  
Wendy Bostwick
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
African American ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Spatial Clusters ◽  
African American Communities ◽  
Emerging Pattern

Although the current COVID-19 crisis is felt globally, at the local level, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected poor, highly segregated African American communities in Chicago. To understand the emerging pattern of racial inequality in the effects of COVID-19, we examined the relative burden of social vulnerability and health risk factors. We found significant spatial clusters of social vulnerability and risk factors, both of which are significantly associated with the increased COVID-19-related death rate. We also found that a higher percentage of African Americans was associated with increased levels of social vulnerability and risk factors. In addition, the proportion of African American residents has an independent effect on the COVID-19 death rate. We argue that existing inequity is often highlighted in emergency conditions. The disproportionate effects of COVID-19 in African American communities are a reflection of racial inequality and social exclusion that existed before the COVID-19 crisis.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on African American communities in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Cyrus ◽  
Rachel Clarke ◽  
Dexter Hadley ◽  
Zoran Bursac ◽  
Mary Jo Trepka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Percentage Increase ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
African American Communities ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

Importance: The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), declared a pandemic in March 2020, may present with disproportionately higher rates in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States, including African American communities who have traditionally been over-represented in negative health outcomes. Study Objective: To understand the impact of the density of African American communities (defined as the percentage of African Americans in a county) on COVID-19 prevalence and death rate within the three most populous counties in each U.S. state and territory (n=152). Design: An ecological study using linear regression was employed for the study. Setting: The top three most populous counties of each U.S. state and territory were included in analyses for a final sample size of n=152 counties. Participants: Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths that were accumulated between January 22, 2020 and April 12, 2020 in each of the three most populous counties in each U.S. state and territory were included. Main outcome measures: Linear regression was used to determine the association between African American density and COVID-19 prevalence (defined as the percentage of cases for the county population), and death rate (defined as number of deaths per 100,000 population). The models were adjusted for median age and poverty. Results: There was a direct association between African American density and COVID-19 prevalence; COVID-19 prevalence increased 5% for every 1% increase in county AA density (p<.01). There was also an association between county AA density and COVID-19 deaths, such; the death rate increased 2 per 100,000 for every percentage increase in county AA density (p=.02). Conclusion: These study findings indicate that communities with a high African American density have been disproportionately burdened with COVID-19. Further study is needed to indicate if this burden is related to environmental factors or individual factors such as types of employment or comorbidities that members of these community have.

Reducing Police Brutality in African American Communities: Potential Roles for Social Workers in Congregations

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Betty Wilson ◽  
Terry A. Wolfer
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
General Public ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Police Brutality ◽  
Religious Congregations ◽  
Predominantly Black ◽  
African American Communities ◽  
White Congregations

In the last decade, there have been a shocking number of police killings of unarmed African Americans, and advancements in technology have made these incidents more visible to the general public. The increasing public awareness of police brutality in African American communities creates a critical and urgent need to understand and improve police-community relationships. Congregational social workers (and other social workers who are part of religious congregations) have a potentially significant role in addressing the problem of police brutality. This manuscript explores and describes possible contributions by social workers, with differential consideration for those in predominantly Black or White congregations.

Epidemiology Of Myocardial Infarction: Magnitude Of The Problem, Cause And Risk Factors

1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
W B Kannel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Low Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Joint Effect ◽  
Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Marginal Risk

Coronary heart disease is a common, highly lethal, disease which frequently attacks without warning and too often presents with sudden death as the first symptom. Chances of an American male developing CHD before age 60 are one in five.Most angina, infarctions and sudden deaths represent medical failures which should have been forecasted and prevented. About 30% of first MI's will shortly develop angina and experience a per annum death rate, half of which will be sudden deaths. Reinfarctions will occur at 6% per year and half the recurrences will be fatal.No major innovations are needed to identify coronary candidates or to establish their risk from the joint effect of known risk factors. However, all have much to learn about motivating changes in behavior required to control the major risk factors such as cigarette smoking, faulty diet, overweight, sedentary living, abnormal lipids, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance.Low density lipoprotein cholesterol promotes atherogenesis whereas HDL-cholesterol is protective, and the net effect is judged by their ratio. Hypertension, systolic or diastolic, labile or fixed, at any age in either sex is a powerful contributor to CHD. The impact of diabetes is greater for women, diminishes with age and varies depending on coexisting risk factors.Optimal risk evaluation requires quantitative combination of risk factors so as to include persons with multiple marginal risk factor abnormalities who are at high risk.

scholarly journals Age and multimorbidities as poor prognostic factors for COVID-19 in hemodialysis: a Lebanese national study

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabel Aoun ◽  
Rabab Khalil ◽  
Walid Mahfoud ◽  
Haytham Fatfat ◽  
Line Bou Khalil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Hemodialysis Patients ◽  
Chronic Hemodialysis ◽  
National Study ◽  
Artery Disease

Abstract Background Hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 have been reported to be at higher risk for death than the general population. Several prognostic factors have been identified in the studies from Asian, European or American countries. This is the first national Lebanese study assessing the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 mortality in hemodialysis patients. Methods This is an observational study that included all chronic hemodialysis patients in Lebanon who were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from 31st March to 1st November 2020. Data on demographics, comorbidities, admission to hospital and outcome were collected retrospectively from the patients’ medical records. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess risk factors for mortality. Results A total of 231 patients were included. Mean age was 61.46 ± 13.99 years with a sex ratio of 128 males to 103 females. Around half of the patients were diabetics, 79.2% presented with fever. A total of 115 patients were admitted to the hospital, 59% of them within the first day of diagnosis. Hypoxia was the major reason for hospitalization. Death rate was 23.8% after a median duration of 6 (IQR, 2 to 10) days. Adjusted regression analysis showed a higher risk for death among older patients (odds ratio = 1.038; 95% confidence interval: 1.013, 1.065), patients with heart failure (odds ratio = 4.42; 95% confidence interval: 2.06, 9.49), coronary artery disease (odds ratio = 3.27; 95% confidence interval: 1.69, 6.30), multimorbidities (odds ratio = 1.593; 95% confidence interval: 1.247, 2.036), fever (odds ratio = 6.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.94, 27.81), CRP above 100 mg/L (odds ratio = 4.76; 95% confidence interval: 1.48, 15.30), and pneumonia (odds ratio = 19.18; 95% confidence interval: 6.47, 56.83). Conclusions This national study identified older age, coronary artery disease, heart failure, multimorbidities, fever and pneumonia as risk factors for death in patients with COVID-19 on chronic hemodialysis. The death rate was comparable to other countries and estimated at 23.8%.

scholarly journals Neighborhood Environment Associates with Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO) as a Cardiovascular Risk Marker

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4296
Author(s):  
Nicole Farmer ◽  
Cristhian A. Gutierrez-Huerta ◽  
Briana S. Turner ◽  
Valerie M. Mitchell ◽  
Billy S. Collins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
African American ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Cvd Risk Factors ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Neighborhood Deprivation ◽  
Microbial Metabolite ◽  
African American Adults ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Neighborhoods and the microbiome are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet investigations to identify microbiome-related factors at neighborhood levels have not been widely investigated. We sought to explore relationships between neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) and the microbial metabolite, trimethylamine-N-oxide. We hypothesized that inflammatory markers and dietary intake would be mediators of the relationship. Methods: African-American adults at risk for CVD living in the Washington, DC area were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional community-based study. US census-based neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) measures (at the census-tract level) were determined. Serum samples were analyzed for CVD risk factors, cytokines, and the microbial metabolite, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). Self-reported dietary intake based on food groups was collected. Results: Study participants (n = 60) were predominantly female (93.3%), with a mean (SD) age of 60.83 (+/−10.52) years. Mean (SD) NDI was −1.54 (2.94), and mean (SD) TMAO level was 4.99 (9.65) µmol/L. Adjusting for CVD risk factors and BMI, NDI was positively associated with TMAO (β = 0.31, p = 0.02). Using mediation analysis, the relationship between NDI and TMAO was significantly mediated by TNF-α (60.15%) and interleukin)-1 β (IL; 49.96%). When controlling for clustering within neighborhoods, the NDI-TMAO association was no longer significant (β = 5.11, p = 0.11). However, the association between NDI and IL-1 β (β = 0.04, p = 0.004) and TNF-α (β = 0.17, p = 0.003) remained. Neither NDI nor TMAO was significantly associated with daily dietary intake. Conclusion and Relevance: Among a small sample of African-American adults at risk for CVD, there was a significant positive relationship with NDI and TMAO mediated by inflammation. These hypothesis-generating results are initial and need to be confirmed in larger studies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document