Geographic disparities and temporal changes of COVID-19 hospitalization risks in North Dakota.
COVID-19
FlexScan
Geographic Information Systems
North Dakota
SaTScan
geographic disparities
spatial epidemiology
Journal
Frontiers in public health
ISSN: 2296-2565
Titre abrégé: Front Public Health
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101616579
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2023
2023
Historique:
received:
05
10
2022
accepted:
24
02
2023
medline:
4
4
2023
entrez:
3
4
2023
pubmed:
4
4
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Although the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been different across communities in the US, little is known about the disparities in COVID-19 burden in North Dakota (ND) and yet this information is important for guiding planning and provision of health services. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify geographic disparities of COVID-19 hospitalization risks in ND. Data on COVID-19 hospitalizations from March 2020 to September 2021 were obtained from the ND Department of Health. Monthly hospitalization risks were computed and temporal changes in hospitalization risks were assessed graphically. County-level age-adjusted and spatial empirical Bayes (SEB) smoothed hospitalization risks were computed. Geographic distributions of both unsmoothed and smoothed hospitalization risks were visualized using choropleth maps. Clusters of counties with high hospitalization risks were identified using Kulldorff's circular and Tango's flexible spatial scan statistics and displayed on maps. There was a total of 4,938 COVID-19 hospitalizations during the study period. Overall, hospitalization risks were relatively stable from January to July and spiked in the fall. The highest COVID-19 hospitalization risk was observed in November 2020 (153 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons) while the lowest was in March 2020 (4 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons). Counties in the western and central parts of the state tended to have consistently high age-adjusted hospitalization risks, while low age-adjusted hospitalization risks were observed in the east. Significant high hospitalization risk clusters were identified in the north-west and south-central parts of the state. The findings confirm that geographic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization risks exist in ND. Specific attention is required to address counties with high hospitalization risks, especially those located in the north-west and south-central parts of ND. Future studies will investigate determinants of the identified disparities in hospitalization risks.
Sections du résumé
Background
Although the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been different across communities in the US, little is known about the disparities in COVID-19 burden in North Dakota (ND) and yet this information is important for guiding planning and provision of health services. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify geographic disparities of COVID-19 hospitalization risks in ND.
Methods
Data on COVID-19 hospitalizations from March 2020 to September 2021 were obtained from the ND Department of Health. Monthly hospitalization risks were computed and temporal changes in hospitalization risks were assessed graphically. County-level age-adjusted and spatial empirical Bayes (SEB) smoothed hospitalization risks were computed. Geographic distributions of both unsmoothed and smoothed hospitalization risks were visualized using choropleth maps. Clusters of counties with high hospitalization risks were identified using Kulldorff's circular and Tango's flexible spatial scan statistics and displayed on maps.
Results
There was a total of 4,938 COVID-19 hospitalizations during the study period. Overall, hospitalization risks were relatively stable from January to July and spiked in the fall. The highest COVID-19 hospitalization risk was observed in November 2020 (153 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons) while the lowest was in March 2020 (4 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons). Counties in the western and central parts of the state tended to have consistently high age-adjusted hospitalization risks, while low age-adjusted hospitalization risks were observed in the east. Significant high hospitalization risk clusters were identified in the north-west and south-central parts of the state.
Conclusions
The findings confirm that geographic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization risks exist in ND. Specific attention is required to address counties with high hospitalization risks, especially those located in the north-west and south-central parts of ND. Future studies will investigate determinants of the identified disparities in hospitalization risks.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37006524
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1062177
pmc: PMC10061029
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1062177Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 Khan, Deb Nath, Schmidt, Njau and Odoi.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Références
BMC Public Health. 2022 Feb 6;22(1):243
pubmed: 35125102
BMC Public Health. 2022 Feb 15;22(1):321
pubmed: 35168588
BMC Public Health. 2023 Jan 11;23(1):79
pubmed: 36631768
J Infect. 2020 Aug;81(2):e16-e25
pubmed: 32335169
Atmos Pollut Res. 2021 Jan;12(1):437-445
pubmed: 33046960
Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020 May - Jun;14(3):247-250
pubmed: 32247212
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Apr 09;70(14):533-534
pubmed: 33830984
J Diabetes. 2014 Sep;6(5):451-61
pubmed: 24393518
Int J Health Geogr. 2005 May 18;4:11
pubmed: 15904524
BMC Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 18;21(1):78
pubmed: 33461499