Conceptualizing COVID-19 syndemics: A scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Syndemic theory explains how social factors drive disease clustering and interaction, worsening health outcomes.
• COVID-19's disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups highlights its syndemic nature.
• Despite its value, syndemic concepts are frequently misused, limiting their application in public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the definitions and applications of 'syndemic' in COVID-19 literature.
• To identify patterns and challenges in the use of syndemic theory for COVID-19 research.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of peer-reviewed COVID-19 literature from January 2020 to May 2023.
• Searches conducted across six major academic databases, adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Content and spatial analysis to examine disease configurations and syndemic arrangements.

Main Results:

• COVID-19 exhibits complex syndemic configurations involving communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• Spatial analysis emerged as a novel method for visualizing syndemic patterns.
• Misapplication and universalization of the syndemic concept persist in the literature.

Conclusions:

• Current applications of syndemics in COVID-19 research are problematic.
• Recommendations are provided for designing robust syndemic studies.
• A syndemic framework is crucial for systems-level understanding and future pandemic preparedness.