Health Inequalities in Infectious Disease Epidemics Pre-dating COVID-19 in the United States - A Rapid Review

Prepared by: Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) Center Portland VA Health Care System Portland, OR Devan Kansagara, MD, MCR, Director Recommended citation: Kondo KK, Ayers CK, Williams BE, Kansagara D, Smith M, Mackey KM, Advani S, Saha S. Health Inequalities in Infectious Disease Epidemics Predating COVID-19 in the United States. Washington, DC: Evidence Synthesis Program, Health Services Research and Development Service, Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs. VA ESP Project #05-225; 2020.

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Aims

We conducted a systematic review of infectious disease epidemics predating COVID-19 to better understand the potentially modifiable factors that may have contributed to differential infection rates and health outcomes, as well as the interventions and programs implemented to mitigate them.

Key Questions

Key Question 1: What factors contribute to disparate infection rates and health-related outcomes among different segments of the population during infectious disease epidemics or pandemics in the United States?

Key Question 2: What interventions or intervention components have been used to reduce health inequalities (or identified in preliminary studies) in infectious disease transmission or health outcomes in disasters, or infectious disease epidemics or pandemics in the United States?

See also

Mackey K, Ayers C, Kondo K, et al. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19-Related Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths: A Systematic Review. Annals of Internal Medicine. Published online December 1, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-6306

Ayers C, Kondo K, Williams B, et al. Disparities in H1N1 Vaccination Rates: a Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis to Inform COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts. JGIM. Published online April 1, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-06715-7

Kondo K, Williams B, Ayers C, et al. Factors Associated with Health Inequalities in Infectious Disease Pandemics Predating COVID-19 in the United States: A Systematic Review. Health Equity. Published online March 24, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2021.0049

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