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Social determinants of health were strongly associated with whether or not an individual with heart disease adopted measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a study that draws attention to health disparities.
The study, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session, is based on a survey that examined COVID-19 preventive habits among more than 25,000 adults through the lens of sociodemographic factors. Researchers analyzed survey responses from just over 2,000 individuals who reported a history of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
“Unless we look at COVID-19 through the lens of social determinants of health, we may not optimize our yield from interventions, and we might not be reaching the group of individuals who need these interventions the most,” Kobina Hagan, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at Houston Methodist Research Institute and the study’s lead author, said in a press release.