Church Closings Were Associated with Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates: Implications for Community Health Equity

Yusuf Ransome; Hui Luan; Insang Song; Dustin T. Duncan

doi:10.1007/s11524-023-00791-2

Church Closings Were Associated with Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates: Implications for Community Health Equity

Yusuf Ransome, Hui Luan, Insang Song, Dustin T. Duncan

Urban Initiative

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

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.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1258-1263
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Urban Health
Volume	100
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-023-00791-2
State	Published - Dec 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health(social science)
Urban Studies
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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10.1007/s11524-023-00791-2

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title = "Church Closings Were Associated with Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates: Implications for Community Health Equity",

abstract = "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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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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Church Closings Were Associated with Higher COVID-19 Infection Rates: Implications for Community Health Equity

Abstract

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