Cargando…
Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky
BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated that common chronic conditions, especially those related to cardiovascular health, are important risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms or hospitalization. Population prevalence rates of such conditions have not previously been examined in relation to COVID-1...
Autor principal: | |
---|---|
Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
The University of Kentucky
2021
|
Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9192105/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35769174 http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/jah.0302.05 |
_version_ | 1784726163688521728 |
---|---|
author | Christian, W. Jay |
author_facet | Christian, W. Jay |
author_sort | Christian, W. Jay |
collection | PubMed |
description | BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated that common chronic conditions, especially those related to cardiovascular health, are important risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms or hospitalization. Population prevalence rates of such conditions have not previously been examined in relation to COVID-19 case fatality rates in the Central Appalachian region. PURPOSE: This study examined prevalence rates of selected chronic conditions and COVID-19 case fatality rates to determine whether the relationship between them is consistent across Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions of Kentucky. METHODS: Data from Kentucky’s Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (KyBRFS) were used to calculate prevalence rates of asthma, diabetes, influenza vaccination, hypertension, obesity, having a personal doctor, physical inactivity, and cigarette smoking. Publicly available COVID-19 case and death counts by county were used to calculate incidence and case fatality rates. Units of analysis were 41 single- and multi-county areas developed to visualize KyBRFS prevalence rates. Analysis included t-tests to compare Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions, and correlations characterizing associations between COVID-19 case fatality and rates of chronic conditions and behaviors. RESULTS: Incidence and case fatality rates for COVID-19 were slightly lower in the Appalachian region, but not significantly. Significant correlations between COVID-19 case fatality and the prevalence of chronic conditions and behaviors were more common in the non-Appalachian region. IMPLICATIONS: Case fatality rates in Appalachia appear lower than expected, given the high prevalence of important chronic conditions and behaviors known to be associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. This phenomenon merits further research and should be considered by public health researchers when examining COVID-19 outcomes in Kentucky and neighboring states. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-9192105 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | The University of Kentucky |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-91921052022-06-28 Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky Christian, W. Jay J Appalach Health Research Articles BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated that common chronic conditions, especially those related to cardiovascular health, are important risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms or hospitalization. Population prevalence rates of such conditions have not previously been examined in relation to COVID-19 case fatality rates in the Central Appalachian region. PURPOSE: This study examined prevalence rates of selected chronic conditions and COVID-19 case fatality rates to determine whether the relationship between them is consistent across Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions of Kentucky. METHODS: Data from Kentucky’s Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (KyBRFS) were used to calculate prevalence rates of asthma, diabetes, influenza vaccination, hypertension, obesity, having a personal doctor, physical inactivity, and cigarette smoking. Publicly available COVID-19 case and death counts by county were used to calculate incidence and case fatality rates. Units of analysis were 41 single- and multi-county areas developed to visualize KyBRFS prevalence rates. Analysis included t-tests to compare Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions, and correlations characterizing associations between COVID-19 case fatality and rates of chronic conditions and behaviors. RESULTS: Incidence and case fatality rates for COVID-19 were slightly lower in the Appalachian region, but not significantly. Significant correlations between COVID-19 case fatality and the prevalence of chronic conditions and behaviors were more common in the non-Appalachian region. IMPLICATIONS: Case fatality rates in Appalachia appear lower than expected, given the high prevalence of important chronic conditions and behaviors known to be associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes. This phenomenon merits further research and should be considered by public health researchers when examining COVID-19 outcomes in Kentucky and neighboring states. The University of Kentucky 2021-05-03 /pmc/articles/PMC9192105/ /pubmed/35769174 http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/jah.0302.05 Text en Copyright © 2021 W. Jay Christian https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) . |
spellingShingle | Research Articles Christian, W. Jay Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title | Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title_full | Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title_fullStr | Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title_full_unstemmed | Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title_short | Exploring COVID-19 Case Fatality in Relation to the Prevalence of Chronic Conditions and Health Behaviors in Appalachian Kentucky |
title_sort | exploring covid-19 case fatality in relation to the prevalence of chronic conditions and health behaviors in appalachian kentucky |
topic | Research Articles |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9192105/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35769174 http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/jah.0302.05 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT christianwjay exploringcovid19casefatalityinrelationtotheprevalenceofchronicconditionsandhealthbehaviorsinappalachiankentucky |