TY - JOUR
T1 - Church Closings Were Associated with Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates
T2 - Implications for Community Health Equity
AU - Ransome, Yusuf
AU - Luan, Hui
AU - Song, Insang
AU - Duncan, Dustin T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The New York Academy of Medicine.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - This study investigates the changes in physical church closings years 2013 to 2019 in New York City (NYC), Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the association with COVID-19 infection rates. We applied Bayesian spatial binomial models to analyze confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of February 28, 2022, in each city at the zip code-level. A one unit increase in the number of churches closed corresponded to a 5% higher COVID-19 infection rate, in NYC (rate ratio = 1.05, 95% credible interval = 1.02–1.08%), where the association was significant. Church closings appears to be an important indicator of neighborhood social vulnerability. Church closings should be routinely monitored as a structural determinant of community health and to advance health equity.
AB - This study investigates the changes in physical church closings years 2013 to 2019 in New York City (NYC), Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the association with COVID-19 infection rates. We applied Bayesian spatial binomial models to analyze confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of February 28, 2022, in each city at the zip code-level. A one unit increase in the number of churches closed corresponded to a 5% higher COVID-19 infection rate, in NYC (rate ratio = 1.05, 95% credible interval = 1.02–1.08%), where the association was significant. Church closings appears to be an important indicator of neighborhood social vulnerability. Church closings should be routinely monitored as a structural determinant of community health and to advance health equity.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11524-023-00791-2
DO - 10.1007/s11524-023-00791-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 37989815
AN - SCOPUS:85177418780
SN - 1099-3460
VL - 100
SP - 1258
EP - 1263
JO - Journal of Urban Health
JF - Journal of Urban Health
IS - 6
ER -