Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, 13620, South Korea.
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Jan 15;21(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10207-y.
The relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk of contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains controversial. We aimed to investigate whether socioeconomic status affected the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the South Korean population.
The NHIS-COVID-19 database cohort was used in this population-based study. We collected the data of COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and June 4, 2020 and those of the control population. The income levels of all individuals as of February 2020 were extracted, and study participants were classified into four groups based on quartiles: Q1 (the lowest) to Q4 (the highest). Data were statistically analyzed using multivariable logistic regression modeling.
In total, 122,040 individuals-7669 and 114,371 individuals in the COVID-19 and control groups, respectively-were included in the final analysis. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that the Q1 group had a 1.19-fold higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than the Q4 group, whereas the Q2 and Q3 groups showed no significant differences. In the 20-39 years age group, compared with the Q4 group, the Q3 and Q2 groups showed 11 and 22% lower risks of contracting COVID-19, respectively. In the ≥60 years age group, compared with the Q4 group, the Q1, Q2, and Q3 groups showed a 1.39-, 1.29-, and 1.14-fold higher risks of COVID-19, respectively.
Lower socioeconomic status was associated with a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 in South Korea. This association was more evident in the older population (age ≥ 60 years), whereas both lower and higher socioeconomic statuses were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 in the young adult population (in the 20-39 year age group). Strategies for the prevention of COVID-19 should focus on individuals of lower socioeconomic status and on young adults of higher and lower socioeconomic status.
社会经济地位与感染冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的风险之间的关系仍存在争议。我们旨在调查社会经济地位是否会影响韩国人群感染 COVID-19 的风险。
本研究基于人群的研究使用了 NHIS-COVID-19 数据库队列。我们收集了 2020 年 1 月 1 日至 2020 年 6 月 4 日期间被诊断为 COVID-19 的患者以及对照组人群的数据。提取了所有个体截至 2020 年 2 月的收入水平，并根据四分位数将研究参与者分为四组：Q1（最低）至 Q4（最高）。使用多变量逻辑回归模型进行数据分析。
共有 122040 人-分别为 COVID-19 组和对照组的 7669 人和 114371 人-被纳入最终分析。多变量逻辑回归模型显示，Q1 组感染 COVID-19 的风险比 Q4 组高 1.19 倍，而 Q2 和 Q3 组则无显著差异。在 20-39 岁年龄组中，与 Q4 组相比，Q3 和 Q2 组感染 COVID-19 的风险分别低 11%和 22%。在≥60 岁年龄组中，与 Q4 组相比，Q1、Q2 和 Q3 组感染 COVID-19 的风险分别高 1.39、1.29 和 1.14 倍。
在韩国，较低的社会经济地位与感染 COVID-19 的风险较高相关。这种关联在老年人群（年龄≥60 岁）中更为明显，而在年轻成年人（20-39 岁年龄组）中，较低和较高的社会经济地位都与感染 COVID-19 的风险较高相关。预防 COVID-19 的策略应侧重于社会经济地位较低的个体以及社会经济地位较高和较低的年轻成年人。
