Chandelier
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
The Disproportionate Burden: Health and Economic Outcomes of COVID-19 for Native American Communities
While prior research has documented elevated infection and mortality rates among Indigenous communities, less is known about the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms and their potential economic consequences.
This study examines differences in COVID-19 infection, long-COVID symptoms, and pandemic-related economic hardship among AIAN populations in California.
Multivariate generalized linear models were used to estimate associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics and seven COVID-19 related outcomes, including infection, long-COVID symptoms, vaccination status, testing behavior, food insecurity, job loss, and reductions in work hours to produce survey weighted population-representative estimates.
Obesity and poverty were positively associated with infection and long-COVID symptoms.
Long-COVID symptoms were positively associated with food insecurity and job loss, while vaccination was associated with lower probabilities of job loss and reductions in hours or income.
Web | DOI | PMC | PDF | Research Square
Wilk, Thomas; Simeonova, Emilia; Akee, Randall; Carroll, Stephanie; Ponce, Ninez A.
Abstract
Background
American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations experienced disproportionate health and economic impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic.While prior research has documented elevated infection and mortality rates among Indigenous communities, less is known about the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms and their potential economic consequences.
This study examines differences in COVID-19 infection, long-COVID symptoms, and pandemic-related economic hardship among AIAN populations in California.
Methods
We analyzed adult responses from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) from 2021–2023, including the public-use files and a restricted oversample of AIAN communities.Multivariate generalized linear models were used to estimate associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics and seven COVID-19 related outcomes, including infection, long-COVID symptoms, vaccination status, testing behavior, food insecurity, job loss, and reductions in work hours to produce survey weighted population-representative estimates.
Results
AIAN respondents reported higher rates of COVID-19 infection and long-COVID symptoms than non-AIAN respondents. Estimates indicate 47% of AIAN respondents reported testing positive for COVID-19 and 40% reported long-COVID symptoms, compared with 30% among non-AIAN respondents.Obesity and poverty were positively associated with infection and long-COVID symptoms.
Long-COVID symptoms were positively associated with food insecurity and job loss, while vaccination was associated with lower probabilities of job loss and reductions in hours or income.
Conclusions
Persistent COVID-19 symptoms may contribute to ongoing economic vulnerability in AIAN communities. Structural factors including poverty, chronic health conditions, and limited access to healthcare amplify the long-term health and economic consequences of the pandemic.Web | DOI | PMC | PDF | Research Square