The Dynamic Roles of Chronic Disease, Socioeconomic Factors, and Mobility on Population Vulnerability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Keywords: health geography, health disparity, COVID-19, chronic disease, comorbidities, social determinants of health, mobility
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 5

Abstract

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the social determinants of health and medical comorbidities have driven health disparities. As socioeconomic conditions and chronic disease prevalence vary across space, these factors can be used to better understand vulnerable communities. This paper describes the relationships between COVID-19, chronic disease, and socioeconomic variables in San Diego County, California during five pandemic stages. Diabetes mortality rates and hypertensive disease hospitalization rates are most highly correlated with COVID-19 case rates across all stages. Furthermore, the three disease rates share statistically significant correlations with a subset of socioeconomic variables that includes race and ethnicity, type of employment, language spoken at home, and income level. Spatial models illustrate how the distribution of chronic disease rates, supplemented by area knowledge, highlight local population vulnerability. The addition of origin-destination mobility data augments the models and emphasizes the variable influence of travel on COVID-19 case rates at different times. The findings from this study support spatially differentiated responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that consider the unique characteristics and patterns displayed by local communities.