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Is area deprivation associated with greater impacts of COVID-19 in care homes across England? A preliminary analysis of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths
  1. Anders Malthe Bach-Mortensen,
  2. Michelle Degli Esposti
  1. Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Anders Malthe Bach-Mortensen, Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2ER, UK; anders.bach-mortensen{at}spi.ox.ac.uk

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted care homes and vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing health inequalities. However, the role of area deprivation in shaping the impacts of COVID-19 in care homes is poorly understood. We examine whether area deprivation is linked to higher rates of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths among care home residents across upper tier local authorities in England (n=149).

Methods We constructed a novel dataset from publicly available data. Using negative binomial regression models, we analysed the associations between area deprivation (Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) extent) as the exposure and COVID-19 outbreaks, COVID-19-related deaths and all-cause deaths among care home residents as three separate outcomes—adjusting for population characteristics (size, age composition, ethnicity).

Results COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes did not vary by area deprivation. However, COVID-19-related deaths were more common in the most deprived quartiles of IDAOPI (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.47) and IMD extent (IRR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.34), compared with the least deprived quartiles.

Discussion These findings suggest that area deprivation is a key risk factor in COVID-19 deaths among care home residents. Future research should look to replicate these results when more complete data become available.

  • nursing
  • mortality
  • social inequalities
  • COVID-19

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @AMBachMortensen

  • Contributors AMBM developed the idea for the manuscript, which was refined based on feedback from MDE. The data operationalisation and main analyses were done by AMBM, but all results presented in the paper were replicated by MDE. Both authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

  • Funding AMBM is supported by a research fellowship from the Carlsberg Foundation.

  • Disclaimer The funder was not involved in the research process.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.