COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia exposed the interplay between multidimensional poverty, ethnic diversity, and armed conflict. This crisis worsened inequalities, disproportionately affecting Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities already living in adverse conditions. Armed conflict fur...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514076/full |
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| author | Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Wilson Giovanni Jiménez-Barbosa Javier Riascos-Ochoa Federico Cosenz |
| author_facet | Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Wilson Giovanni Jiménez-Barbosa Javier Riascos-Ochoa Federico Cosenz |
| author_sort | Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia exposed the interplay between multidimensional poverty, ethnic diversity, and armed conflict. This crisis worsened inequalities, disproportionately affecting Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities already living in adverse conditions. Armed conflict further weakened social capital, limiting wellbeing in impoverished and violent regions. This study aimed to investigate the associations of poverty, ethnicity, and conflict zones with COVID-19 mortality.MethodsA retrospective observational study based on national records was conducted in Colombia from March 2020 to December 2022, in which COVID-19 cases confirmed by PCR or antigen tests were analyzed. Demographic, ethnic, and mortality data were obtained from the National Institute of Health, while poverty data were obtained from the DANE's 2018 census. Descriptive analyses, chi-square tests, and bivariate analyses were performed. A multilevel logistic regression model identified risk factors, reporting odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsBetween March 2020 and December 2022, 6,313,872 COVID-19 cases were recorded in Colombia. Afro-Colombians 2.58% and Indigenous peoples (2.75%) had higher mortality than White/Mestizo individuals did (2.24%). ZOMAC municipalities reported a mortality rate of 3.61%, and PDET municipalities reported a mortality rate of 3.20%. Multilevel analysis revealed increased mortality risks for Afro-Colombians (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.11–1.18), Indigenous peoples (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.17–1.28), and residents of ZOMAC (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.66–1.72) and PDET municipalities (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.44–1.49).ConclusionsThis study highlights disparities in COVID-19 mortality influenced by ethnic, socioeconomic, and territorial factors, with a greater burden on Afro-Colombians, Indigenous peoples, and conflict zones. Public health policies must address these structural inequalities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5d8aa9b00a3240e18140758c8d02ef23 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-5d8aa9b00a3240e18140758c8d02ef232025-08-20T03:48:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-05-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15140761514076COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national recordsClaudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez0Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez1Wilson Giovanni Jiménez-Barbosa2Javier Riascos-Ochoa3Federico Cosenz4Intensive Care Department, Hospital Universitario Mayor-Mederi, Bogotá, ColombiaEscuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Basic Sciences and Modeling, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Basic Sciences and Modeling, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Political Sciences and International Relations, University of Palermo, Palermo, ItalyBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia exposed the interplay between multidimensional poverty, ethnic diversity, and armed conflict. This crisis worsened inequalities, disproportionately affecting Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities already living in adverse conditions. Armed conflict further weakened social capital, limiting wellbeing in impoverished and violent regions. This study aimed to investigate the associations of poverty, ethnicity, and conflict zones with COVID-19 mortality.MethodsA retrospective observational study based on national records was conducted in Colombia from March 2020 to December 2022, in which COVID-19 cases confirmed by PCR or antigen tests were analyzed. Demographic, ethnic, and mortality data were obtained from the National Institute of Health, while poverty data were obtained from the DANE's 2018 census. Descriptive analyses, chi-square tests, and bivariate analyses were performed. A multilevel logistic regression model identified risk factors, reporting odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsBetween March 2020 and December 2022, 6,313,872 COVID-19 cases were recorded in Colombia. Afro-Colombians 2.58% and Indigenous peoples (2.75%) had higher mortality than White/Mestizo individuals did (2.24%). ZOMAC municipalities reported a mortality rate of 3.61%, and PDET municipalities reported a mortality rate of 3.20%. Multilevel analysis revealed increased mortality risks for Afro-Colombians (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.11–1.18), Indigenous peoples (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.17–1.28), and residents of ZOMAC (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.66–1.72) and PDET municipalities (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.44–1.49).ConclusionsThis study highlights disparities in COVID-19 mortality influenced by ethnic, socioeconomic, and territorial factors, with a greater burden on Afro-Colombians, Indigenous peoples, and conflict zones. Public health policies must address these structural inequalities.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514076/fullethnicarmed conflictsColombiamortalitymultidimensional poverty |
| spellingShingle | Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Claudia Inés Birchenall-Jiménez Wilson Giovanni Jiménez-Barbosa Javier Riascos-Ochoa Federico Cosenz COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records Frontiers in Public Health ethnic armed conflicts Colombia mortality multidimensional poverty |
| title | COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records |
| title_full | COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records |
| title_short | COVID-19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty, ethnicities, and armed conflict in Colombia: retrospective observational study based on national records |
| title_sort | covid 19 mortality associated with multidimensional poverty ethnicities and armed conflict in colombia retrospective observational study based on national records |
| topic | ethnic armed conflicts Colombia mortality multidimensional poverty |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514076/full |
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