Dataset Information

Evidence for ethnic inequalities in mortality related to COVID-19 infections: findings from an ecological analysis of England.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

In the absence of robust direct data on ethnic inequalities in COVID-19-related mortality in the UK, we examine the relationship between ethnic composition of an area and rate of mortality in the area.

Design

Ecological analysis of COVID-19-related mortality rates occurring by 24 April 2020 and ethnic composition of the population. Account is taken of age, population density, area deprivation and pollution.

Setting

Local authorities in England.

Results

For every 1% rise in proportion of the population who are ethnic minority, COVID-19-related deaths increased by 5·12, 95%?CI (4·00 to 6·24), per million. This rise is present for each ethnic minority category examined, including the white minority group. The size of this increase is a little reduced in an adjusted model to 4·42, 95%?CI (2·24 to 6·60), suggesting that some of the association results from ethnic minority people living in more densely populated, more polluted and more deprived areas.This estimate suggests that the average England COVID-19-related death rate would rise by 25% in a local authority with two times the average number of ethnic minority people.

Conclusions

We find clear evidence that rates of COVID-19-related mortality within a local authority increases as the proportion of the population who are ethnic minority increases. We suggest that this is a consequence of social and economic inequalities driven by entrenched structural and institutional racism and racial discrimination. We argue that these factors should be central to any investigation of ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Nazroo J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7733217 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Evidence for ethnic inequalities in mortality related to COVID-19 infections: findings from an ecological analysis of England.

Nazroo James J Becares Laia L

BMJ open 20201210 12

<h4>Objectives</h4>In the absence of robust direct data on ethnic inequalities in COVID-19-related mortality in the UK, we examine the relationship between ethnic composition of an area and rate of mortality in the area.<h4>Design</h4>Ecological analysis of COVID-19-related mortality rates occurring by 24 April 2020 and ethnic composition of the population. Account is taken of age, population density, area deprivation and pollution.<h4>Setting</h4>Local authorities in England.<h4>Results</h4>For ...[more]

PMID: 33303461

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Project description:BackgroundNeonatal and infant mortality rates are among the most significant indicators for assessing a country's healthcare and social development. This study examined the trends in neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality in Italy from 2016 to 2020 and analysed differences between children of Italian and foreign parents based on areas of residence, as well as the leading causes of death. Special attention was given to the analysis of mortality in 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its comparison with previous years.MethodsData from 2016 to 2020 were collected by the Italian National Institute of Statistics and extracted from two national databases, the Causes of Death register and Live births registered in the population register. Neonatal, post-neonatal, and infant mortality rates were calculated using conventional definitions. The main analyses were conducted by comparing Italian citizens to foreigners and contrasting residents of the North with those of the South. Group comparisons were made using mortality rate ratios. The main causes of death were examined, and Poisson log-linear regression models were employed to investigate the relationships between mortality rate ratios for each cause of death and citizenship, place of residence and calendar year.ResultsIn Italy, in 2020, the neonatal mortality rate was 1.76 deaths per thousand live births and it was 55% higher in foreign children than in Italian children. Foreign children had a higher mortality rate than Italians for almost all significant causes of death. Children born in the South of Italy, both Italian and foreign, had an infant mortality rate about 70% higher than residents in the North. Regions with higher infant mortality were Calabria, Sicily, Campania, and Apulia. In the South, mortality from neonatal respiratory distress and prematurity was higher. In the first months of 2020, between March and June, the first Covid-19 wave, Italy experienced an increase in neonatal and infant mortality compared to the same period in 2016-2019, not directly related to SARS-CoV-19 infection. The primary cause was neonatal respiratory distress.ConclusionsThe neonatal and infant mortality rates indicate the persistence of profound inequalities in Italy between the North and the South and between Italian and foreign children.

Dataset Information

Evidence for ethnic inequalities in mortality related to COVID-19 infections: findings from an ecological analysis of England.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Evidence for ethnic inequalities in mortality related to COVID-19 infections: findings from an ecological analysis of England.

Similar Datasets

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