Date of Award

January 2024

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Daniel Weinberger

Second Advisor

Ted Cohen

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status, as indicated by education level, on relative excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, while adjusting for age, sex, and racial/ethnic differences. We utilized U.S. mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics from January 2014 to December 2020 to perform this observational study and employed a multivariate regression model to estimate the relative excess mortality rates from March 2020 to December 2020. Seasonality was assumed to be affected by these selected demographic variables. The results of our analysis were unexpected, suggesting that individuals of higher education levels indeed exhibit higher relative risk ratios, likely due to the baseline mortality advantages in this group. Limitations such as data inaccuracy and concerns about the generalizability of our findings across broader demographic contexts still exist. Further study should be conducted to explore the complex interplay between socioeconomic status, education, and health outcomes in pandemic conditions.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

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