Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background:
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH), the state of Georgia reported 563,658 cumulative COVID-19 cases and 9,845 total deaths in 2020. Decades of research on racial disparities in health outcomes suggest we should not be surprised with the disproportionate number of cases, hospital visits, and deaths of non-white and Black Georgia residents. Racial disparities in health are often defined by a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) model. One understudied SDOH is racial residential segregation. In this study we explore the relationship between racial residential segregation and COVID-19 health outcomes. Our paper addresses critical challenges for racial health disparities research with guidance for legal and policy approaches to the reduction of racial health disparities.
Methods:
The 2020 University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and GDPH datasets were used to explore the relationship between segregation and COVID-19 health outcomes in Georgia. Independent variables included those SDOH most associated with racial health disparities. Dependent variables were COVID-19 case rate, hospitalization rate and death rate.
Results:
Our findings suggest that racial residential segregation is directly associated with Black COVID-19 case rate and indirectly associated with Black hospitalization and death rate through its effect on Black case rate.
Conclusions:
Racial residential segregation is an often-overlooked SDOH since it is secondary to more prominent social issues such as education and economic opportunities for reducing racial disparities in health. For the Black population, especially for public health issues like COVID-19, we make the case for a better focus on racial residential segregation policy, as a social and economic factor for disease transmission. The ultimate goal is to improve health outcomes for all. A focus on racial residential segregation policy can impact better prepared health services entities and ultimately improve population health.
Key words: Racial disparities in health, Racial residential segregation, COVID-19, Social Determinants of Health
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Patel, Palak; Medcalfe, Simon; and Slade, Catherine P.
(2024)
"Racial Residential Segregation and COVID-19 Health Outcomes: Evidence from the State of Georgia,"
Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association: Vol. 10:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol10/iss1/1
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