Social determinants of health associated with severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19
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Updated: Oct 16, 2025
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Published on: November 10, 2023
Rodrigo Núñez-Cortés1, Maritza Ortega-Palavecinos2, Camilo Soto-Carmona3
1Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile.
Introduction:
Historically, pandemics have resulted in higher mortality rates in the most vulnerable populations. Social determinants of health (SDH) have been associated with people morbidity and mortality at different levels.
Objective:
To determine the relationship between SDH and COVID-19 severity and mortality.
Methods:
Retrospective study, where data from patients with COVID-19 were collected at a public hospital in Chile. Sociodemographic variables related to structural SDH were classified according to the following categories: gender, age (< 65 years, ≥ 65 years), secondary education (completed or not), work status (active, inactive) and income (< USD 320, ≥ USD 320).
Results:
A total of 1,012 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were included. Average age was 64.2 ± 17.5 years. Mortality of the entire sample was 14.5 %. Age, level of education, unemployment and income had a strong association with mortality (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The findings reinforce the idea that SDH should be considered a public health priority, which is why political efforts should focus on reducing health inequalities for future generations.
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