Mongin D, Cullati S, Kelly-Irving M, Rosselet M, Regard S, Courvoisier DS. Neighbourhood socio-economic vulnerability and access to COVID-19 healthcare during the first two waves of the pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland: A gender perspective.
EClinicalMedicine 2022;
46:101352. [PMID:
35360147 PMCID:
PMC8959442 DOI:
10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101352]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Neighbourhood socio-economic inequities have been shown to affect COVID-19 incidence and mortality, as well as access to tests. This article aimed to study how associations of inequities and COVID-19 outcomes varied between the first two pandemic waves from a gender perspective.
METHODS
We performed an ecological study based on the COVID-19 database of Geneva between Feb 26, 2020, and June 1, 2021. Outcomes were the number of tests per person, the incidence of COVID-19 cases, the incidence of COVID-19 deaths, the positivity rate, and the delay between symptoms and test. Outcomes were described by neighbourhood socio-economic levels and stratified by gender and epidemic waves (first wave, second wave), adjusting for the proportion of inhabitants older than 65 years.
FINDINGS
Low neighbourhood socio-economic levels were associated with a lower number of tests per person (incidence rate ratio [IRR] of 0.88, 0.85 and 0.83 for low, moderate, and highly vulnerable neighbourhood respectively), a higher incidence of COVID-19 cases and of COVID-19 deaths (IRR 2.3 for slightly vulnerable, 1.9 for highly vulnerable). The association between socio-economic inequities and incidence of COVID-19 deaths was mainly present during the first wave of the pandemic, and was stronger amongst women. The increase in COVID-19 cases amongst vulnerable populations appeared mainly during the second wave, and originated from a lower access to tests for men, and a higher number of COVID-19 cases for women.
INTERPRETATION
The COVID-19 pandemic affected people differently depending on their socio-economic level. Because of their employment and higher prevalence of COVID-19 risk factors, people living in neighbourhoods of lower socio-economic levels, especially women, were more exposed to COVID-19 consequences.
FUNDING
This research was supported by the research project SELFISH, financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation, grant number 51NF40-160590 (LIVES centre international research project call).
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