Summary: Certain household factors, including access to outdoor space, overcrowding, and financial problems, make some people significantly more vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus. Researchers identified which types of households were at particular risk of both short and long-term socioeconomic and health problems associated with COVID-19.
Source: University of St Andrews
Household factors such as access to outdoor space, overcrowding as well as financial and employment precarities make some households significantly more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19, according to a new study carried out at the University of St Andrews.
Researchers found certain types of households were particularly at risk of both short and long-term socio-economic or health problems and that existing health and economic inequalities could be exacerbated by the virus.
The study examined data from around 19,500 households from a cross section of society across the UK. Researchers used multiple household-level indicators and principal components analysis to derive the different dimensions of household vulnerabilities which are critical during the COVID-19 epidemic: health, employment, housing, financial and digital.
Although COVID-19 health risks are concentrated in retirement-age households, the team found a substantial proportion of working-age households also face these risks.
Different types of households exhibit different vulnerabilities, with working-age households more likely to face financial, housing and employment precarities, and retirement-age households health and digital vulnerabilities.
The researchers also found that there are area-level differences in the distribution of vulnerabilities across England and the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
Households in London and Scotland were more vulnerable to digital and housing precarities than other regions of the UK, and those in Northern Ireland more likely to be vulnerable to financial precarities.
One of the lead authors, Dr. Katherine Keenan of the Population and Health Research Group in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews, said: “The findings imply that the short and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are likely to vary by household type.
“Policy measures that aim to mitigate the health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic should consider how vulnerabilities cluster together across different household types, and how these may exacerbate already existing inequalities.”
Joint lead author, Dr. Julia Mikolai, also of the Population and Health Research Group, added: “Taken together, the findings suggest that policy measures that aim to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 should not only consider health vulnerabilities at the individual level, but also household structure and household-level disadvantages such as poor housing conditions, economic insecurity, and no access to modern technology.”
About this neuroscience research article
Source:
University of St Andrews
Media Contacts:
Press Office – University of St Andrews
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Original Research: Open access
“Household level health and socio-economic vulnerabilities and the COVID-19 crisis: An analysis from the UK”. by Julia Mikolai et al.
SocArXiv doi:10.31235/osf.io/4wtz8
Abstract
Household level health and socio-economic vulnerabilities and the COVID-19 crisis: An analysis from the UK
Objectives.
To investigate how COVID-19-related health and socio-economic vulnerabilities occur at the household level, and how they are distributed across household types and geographical areas in the United Kingdom.
Design.
Cross-sectional, nationally representative study.
Setting.
The United Kingdom.
Participants.
~19,500 households.
Main outcome measures.
Using multiple household-level indicators and principal components analysis, we derive summary measures representing different dimensions of household vulnerabilities critical during the COVID-19 epidemic: health, employment, housing, financial and digital.
Results.
Our analysis highlights three key findings. First, although COVID-19 health risks are concentrated in retirement-age households, a substantial proportion of working age households also face these risks. Second, different types of households exhibit different vulnerabilities, with working-age households more likely to face financial, housing and employment precarities, and retirement-age households health and digital vulnerabilities. Third, there are area-level differences in the distribution of vulnerabilities across England and the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
Conclusions.
The findings imply that the short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are likely to vary by household type. Policy measures that aim to mitigate the health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic should consider how vulnerabilities cluster together across different household types, and how these may exacerbate already existing inequalities.
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