Visible minority status and occupation were associated with increased COVID-19 infection in Greater Vancouver British Columbia between June and November 2020: an ecological study.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Frontiers Editorial Office Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101616579 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2296-2565 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 22962565 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Lausanne : Frontiers Editorial Office
    • Subject Terms:
      Minority Groups* ; COVID-19*/epidemiology; Humans ; British Columbia/epidemiology ; COVID-19 Testing ; Pandemics ; Bayes Theorem ; Occupations
    • Abstract:
      Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health disparities, especially among specific population groups. This study examines the spatial relationship between the proportion of visible minorities (VM), occupation types and COVID-19 infection in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada.
      Methods: Provincial COVID-19 case data between June 24, 2020, and November 7, 2020, were aggregated by census dissemination area and linked with sociodemographic data from the Canadian 2016 census. Bayesian spatial Poisson regression models were used to examine the association between proportion of visible minorities, occupation types and COVID-19 infection. Models were adjusted for COVID-19 testing rates and other sociodemographic factors. Relative risk (RR) and 95% Credible Intervals (95% CrI) were calculated.
      Results: We found an inverse relationship between the proportion of the Chinese population and risk of COVID-19 infection (RR = 0.98 95% CrI = 0.96, 0.99), whereas an increased risk was observed for the proportions of the South Asian group (RR = 1.10, 95% CrI = 1.08, 1.12), and Other Visible Minority group (RR = 1.06, 95% CrI = 1.04, 1.08). Similarly, a higher proportion of frontline workers (RR = 1.05, 95% CrI = 1.04, 1.07) was associated with higher infection risk compared to non-frontline.
      Conclusion: Despite adjustments for testing, housing, occupation, and other social economic status variables, there is still a substantial association between the proportion of visible minorities, occupation types, and the risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection in British Columbia. This ecological analysis highlights the existing disparities in the burden of diseases among different visible minority populations and occupation types.
      Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
      (Copyright © 2024 Adhikari, Abdia, Ringa, Clemens, Mak, Rose, Janjua, Otterstatter and Irvine.)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Bayesian analysis; COVID-19 pandemic; epidemiology; geospatial analysis and modeling; health disparities; social determinants of health; visible minority groups
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240314 Date Completed: 20240315 Latest Revision: 20240510
    • Publication Date:
      20240510
    • Accession Number:
      PMC10935735
    • Accession Number:
      10.3389/fpubh.2024.1336038
    • Accession Number:
      38481842