Human development, social vulnerability and COVID-19 in Brazil: A study of the social determinants of health
Background: COVID-19 was confirmed in Brazil in February 2020. Since then, the disease has spread throughout the country, reaching the poorest areas. This study analyzes the relationship between COVID-19 and the population’s living conditions. We aimed to identify social determinants related to the incidence, mortality, and case fatality rate of COVID-19 in Brazil, in 2020.
Methods: This is an ecological study evaluating the relationship between incidence, mortality, and case fatality rates and 49 social indicators of human development and social vulnerability. For the analysis, bivariate spatial correlation and multivariate and spatial regression models (spatial lag model and spatial error models) were used, considering a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of 5%.
Results: A total of 44.8% of municipalities registered confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14.7% had deaths. We observed that 56.2% of municipalities with confirmed cases had very low human development (incidence: 59.00/100,000; mortality: 36.75/million), and 52.8% had very high vulnerability (incidence: 41.68/100,000; mortality: 27.46/million). The regression model showed 17 indicators associated with transmission of COVID-19 in Brazil.
Conclusions: Although COVID-19 first arrived in the most developed and least vulnerable municipalities in Brazil, it has already reached locations that are farther from large urban centers, whose populations are exposed to a context of intense social vulnerability. Based on these findings, it is necessary to adopt measures that take local social aspects into account in order to contain the pandemic.
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Posted 29 May, 2020
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Posted 29 May, 2020
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Human development, social vulnerability and COVID-19 in Brazil: A study of the social determinants of health
Posted 29 May, 2020
On 31 Aug, 2020
Received 21 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
Received 21 Jun, 2020
Received 17 Jun, 2020
On 10 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 10 Jun, 2020
On 02 Jun, 2020
On 01 Jun, 2020
On 26 May, 2020
On 25 May, 2020
Posted 29 May, 2020
Received 02 Aug, 2020
On 28 Jul, 2020
Invitations sent on 25 Jul, 2020
On 22 Jul, 2020
On 21 Jul, 2020
On 21 Jul, 2020
Background: COVID-19 was confirmed in Brazil in February 2020. Since then, the disease has spread throughout the country, reaching the poorest areas. This study analyzes the relationship between COVID-19 and the population’s living conditions. We aimed to identify social determinants related to the incidence, mortality, and case fatality rate of COVID-19 in Brazil, in 2020.
Methods: This is an ecological study evaluating the relationship between incidence, mortality, and case fatality rates and 49 social indicators of human development and social vulnerability. For the analysis, bivariate spatial correlation and multivariate and spatial regression models (spatial lag model and spatial error models) were used, considering a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of 5%.
Results: A total of 44.8% of municipalities registered confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14.7% had deaths. We observed that 56.2% of municipalities with confirmed cases had very low human development (incidence: 59.00/100,000; mortality: 36.75/million), and 52.8% had very high vulnerability (incidence: 41.68/100,000; mortality: 27.46/million). The regression model showed 17 indicators associated with transmission of COVID-19 in Brazil.
Conclusions: Although COVID-19 first arrived in the most developed and least vulnerable municipalities in Brazil, it has already reached locations that are farther from large urban centers, whose populations are exposed to a context of intense social vulnerability. Based on these findings, it is necessary to adopt measures that take local social aspects into account in order to contain the pandemic.