Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka, Alaska, USA.
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA.
Am J Hum Biol. 2023 Jul;35(7):e23886. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23886. Epub 2023 Mar 2.
Research regarding ongoing epidemic or pandemic events is often proximate, focusing on the immediate need to understand the epidemiology of the outbreak and the populations at highest risk for negative outcomes. There are other characteristics of pandemics that can only be uncovered after time has passed, and some long-lasting health consequences may not be directly linked to infection with or disease from the pandemic pathogen itself.
We discuss the emerging literature on observations delayed care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential population health consequences of this phenomenon in postpandemic years, especially for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and reproductive health.
Delayed care has occurred for various conditions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the drivers for those delays have yet to be thoroughly investigated. While delayed care can be either voluntary or involuntary, the determinants of delayed care often intersect with systemic inequalities that are important to understand for pandemic responses and future preparedness.
Human biologists and anthropologists are well poised to lead the research on postpandemic population health consequences of delayed care.
针对正在发生的传染病或大流行病事件的研究往往具有即时性，主要侧重于当下理解疫情流行病学和高风险人群的需求。大流行病还有其他一些特征，只有随着时间的推移才能发现，而一些长期的健康后果可能与大流行病病原体本身的感染或疾病并无直接关联。
我们讨论了在新冠疫情大流行期间延迟护理的新出现的文献，并探讨了这种现象在大流行后年代可能对人口健康产生的潜在影响，特别是心血管疾病、癌症和生殖健康等方面。
自新冠疫情开始以来，各种情况下都出现了延迟护理的情况，但这些延迟的驱动因素尚未得到彻底调查。虽然延迟护理可能是自愿的，也可能是非自愿的，但延迟护理的决定因素通常与系统性不平等交织在一起，这对于大流行病应对和未来的准备工作至关重要。
人类生物学家和人类学家非常适合领导研究延迟护理对大流行后人口健康的影响。
