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U.S. regional differences in physical distancing: Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Health varies by U.S. region of residence. Despite regional heterogeneity in the outbreak of COVID-19, regional differences in physical distancing behaviors over time are relatively unknown. This study examines regional variation in physical distancing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates variation by race and socioeconomic status (SES) within regions. Data from the 2015-2019 five-year American Community Survey were matched with anonymized location pings data from over 20 million mobile devices (SafeGraph, Inc.) at the Census block group level. We visually present trends in the stay-at-home proportion by Census region, race, and SES throughout 2020 and conduct regression analyses to examine these patterns. From March to December, the stay-at-home proportion was highest in the Northeast (0.25 in March to 0.35 in December) and lowest in the South (0.24 to 0.30). Across all regions, the stay-at-home proportion was higher in block groups with a higher percentage of Blacks, as Blacks disproportionately live in urban areas where stay-at-home rates were higher (0.009 [CI: 0.008, 0.009]). In the South, West, and Midwest, higher-SES block groups stayed home at the lowest rates pre-pandemic; however, this trend reversed throughout March before converging in the months following. In the Northeast, lower-SES block groups stayed home at comparable rates to higher-SES block groups during the height of the pandemic but diverged in the months following. Differences in physical distancing behaviors exist across U.S. regions, with a pronounced Southern and rural disadvantage. Results can be used to guide reopening and COVID-19 mitigation plans.

SUBMITTER: Zang E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8631641 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:For Germany, regional differences for various health indicators, which are also associated with socioeconomic factors, have been documented. This article aims to develop a regional socioeconomic deprivation index for Germany that (1) can be used to analyse regional socioeconomic inequalities in health and (2) provides a basis for explaining regional health differences in Germany. The core data stem from the INKAR (indicators and maps on spatial and urban development in Germany and Europe) database compiled by Germany's Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development. Factor analysis is used for indexing and the weighting of indicators for the three dimensions of education, occupation and income. The German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (GISD) is generated at the levels of associations of municipalities, administrative districts and administrative regions for the years 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2012. Aggregate data and individual data from the German Health Update 2014/2015-EHIS (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS) study are used to analyse associations between the index and selected health indicators. For around two thirds of the causes of death, the German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation reveals significant socioeconomic inequalities at the level of Germany's administrative regions. At district level, life expectancy in the bottom fifth of districts presenting the highest levels of deprivation is, depending on the observation period, 1.3 years lower for women and 2.6 years lower for men in comparison to the upper fifth of districts presenting the lowest levels of deprivation. The index can explain 45.5% and 62.2% of regional differences in life expectancy for women and men, respectively. Moreover, the population in regions characterised by high levels of deprivation has significantly higher rates of smokers, engages less frequently in leisure-time physical activities and is more often obese. The German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation illustrates regional socioeconomic differences at different spatial levels and contributes to explaining regional health differences. This index is intended for use in research as well as by federal and federal state health reporting systems and should enable access to new sources of data for investigating the links between social inequalities and health in Germany.

Project description:ObjectiveTo examine whether there are: 1) regional differences in three perinatal interventions that reflect active treatment among periviable gestations and 2) racial-ethnic differences in the receipt of these perinatal interventions after accounting for hospital region.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study on neonates born at 776 U.S. centers that participated in the Vermont Oxford Network (2006-2017) with a gestational age of 22-25 weeks. The primary outcome was postnatal life support. Secondary outcomes included maternal administration of antenatal corticosteroids and cesarean delivery. We examined rates and 99% CI of the three outcomes by region. We also calculated the adjusted relative risks (aRRs) and 99% CIs for the three outcomes by race and ethnicity within each region using modified Poisson regression models with robust variance estimation.ResultsMajor regional variation exists in the use of the three interventions at 22 and 23 weeks of gestation but not at 24 and 25 weeks. For example, at 22 weeks of gestation, rates of life support in the South (38.3%; 99% CI 36.3-40.2) and the Midwest (32.7%; 99% CI 30.4-35.0) were higher than in the Northeast (20.2%; 99% CI 17.6-22.8) and the West (22.2%; 99% CI 20.0-24.4). Particularly in the Northeast, black and Hispanic neonates born at 22 or 23 weeks of gestation had a higher provision of postnatal life support than white neonates (at 22 weeks: black: aRR 1.84 [99% CI 1.33-2.56], Hispanic: aRR 1.80 [1.23-2.64]; at 23 weeks: black: aRR 1.14 [99% CI 1.08-1.20], Hispanic: aRR 1.12 [1.05-1.19]). In the West, black and Hispanic neonates born at 23 weeks of gestation also had a higher provision of life support (black: aRR 1.11 [99% CI 1.03-1.19]; Hispanic: aRR 1.10 [1.04-1.16]).ConclusionMajor regional variation exists in perinatal interventions when managing 22- and 23-week neonates. In the Northeast and the West regions, minority neonates born at 22 and 23 weeks of gestation had higher provision of postnatal life support.

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U.S. regional differences in physical distancing: Evaluating racial and socioeconomic divides during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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