Multilevel modeling of county-level excessive alcohol use, rurality, and COVID-19 case fatality rates in the US.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Reports of disparities in COVID-19 mortality rates are emerging in the public health literature as the pandemic continues to unfold. Alcohol misuse varies across the US and is related to poorer health and comorbidities that likely affect the severity of COVID-19 infection. High levels of pre-pandemic alcohol misuse in some counties may have set the stage for worse COVID-19 outcomes. Furthermore, this relationship may depend on how rural a county is, as access to healthcare in rural communities has lagged behind more urban areas. The objective of this study was to test for associations between county-level COVID-19 mortality, pre-pandemic county-level excessive drinking, and county rurality.

Method

We used national COVID-19 data from the New York Times to calculate

SUBMITTER: Pro G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8211222 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature