Understanding vulnerability to COVID-19 in New Zealand: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Type of content
Journal Article
Thesis discipline
Degree name
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
en
Date
2021
Authors
Marek L
Hobbs M
Kingham, Simon
Wiki, Jesse
Campbell, Malcolm
Abstract

COVID-19 can affect the entire population, but it poses an increased risk for particular population groups. Socioeconomic and demographic factors, as well as long-term health conditions, can make populations vulnerable to adverse health outcomes and mortality related to COVID-19. This study uses geospatial methods to visualise metrics of vulnerability to COVID-19 in New Zealand. Based on Ministry of Health guidelines, nationwide data on risk factors included age, ethnicity, population density, socioeconomic deprivation, smoking, long-term health conditions (cancer, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, renal conditions, and respiratory illnesses), and health service awareness. Data were sourced from the Census (2018), the New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep2018), and the National Minimum Dataset (2011– 2016). Factor analysis and bivariate mapping were used to identify areas of high vulnerability. Results demonstrate the unequal social and spatial vulnerabilities to COVID-19 across New Zealand. While some major cities were highlighted many areas also occurred outside of the major cities in smaller communities, which also typically have less access to healthcare and fewer resources. This study has generated data that may help mitigate potential inequality in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, or indeed for future pandemics.

Description
Citation
Wiki J, Marek L, Hobbs M, Kingham S, Campbell M Understanding vulnerability to COVID-19 in New Zealand: a nationwide cross-sectional study. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 1-18.
Keywords
COVID-19, New Zealand, vulnerable populations, geospatial, mapping
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Field of Research::11 - Medical and Health Sciences::1117 - Public Health and Health Services::111706 - Epidemiology
Field of Research::11 - Medical and Health Sciences::1102 - Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology::110203 - Respiratory Diseases
Rights
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.