Ohio University study links COVID death rates to residential segregation

A new study has found that COVID-19 death rates among both Black and white people were higher in areas with more residential segregation, with rates for Black individuals almost twice as high (Source: “Study links racism, segregation to increased COVID deaths,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 14).
 
The study from an Ohio University researcher, published in the journal Ethnicity & Disease, looked at systemic racism measures, as well as socioeconomic factors between Black and white residents, in every state. Using data on deaths through December 2020, they assessed whether state-level systemic racism and residential segregation predicted the probability of COVID-19 deaths among Americans, considering sociodemographic factors in the process.
 
“We were interested in doing this study because racial and ethnic disparities have been apparent amid COVID-19, and for some Americans, this may have been one of the first times they’ve learned about disparities,” said study author Berkeley Franz. “Health disparities are present with almost every illness and have persisted for years, and the gap isn’t closing, especially between Black and white Americans. We wanted to understand what was driving those disparities to find better ways to reduce them.”
 
What they found was the death rate was higher among Black individuals because of social environments rather than physiology or genetics. They hypothesized that in segregated neighborhoods, residents are less likely to have access to good quality schools, employment opportunities, health care and other resources.