International Journal of Public Health (May 2022)

COVID-19 Impacts Across Multiple Life Domains of Vulnerable Socio-Demographic Groups Including Migrants: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

  • Felix P. Chilunga,
  • Liza Coyer,
  • Didier Collard,
  • Tjalling Leenstra,
  • Henrike Galenkamp,
  • Charles Agyemang,
  • Maria Prins,
  • Karien Stronks,
  • Karien Stronks

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604665
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 67

Abstract

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Objectives: We assessed the impacts of COVID-19 on multiple life domains across socio-demographic groups in Netherlands.Methods: After the first COVID-19 wave, we distributed online questionnaires among 13,031 participants of the multi-ethnic HELIUS cohort. Questionnaires contained questions on changes in income status, healthy behaviors, mental health, and access to non-COVID-19 health care. We then calculated differences in adjusted proportions of participants that reported negative changes across multiple life domains by migration background, age, sex, education, and occupation.Results: 4,450 individuals (35%) responded, of which 4,294 were included. Older populations and men seemed to be less vulnerable to negative changes in multiple life domains during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to the pre-pandemic period, while populations with a migration background and lower education/occupation groups seemed to be more vulnerable to negative changes.Conclusion: Not all populations vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality are also more vulnerable to COVID-19 impacts across multiple other life domains. Targeted interventions are needed in socio-demographic groups that are most impacted by COVID-19 in various life domains to prevent a further increase of their already increased risk of chronic diseases after the pandemic.

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