Determinantes sociais da saúde e hospitalizações por COVID-19 no município de Passo Fundo, RS

Abstract

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization, and its impacts on individuals' lives are of various orders. Objective: To assess the relationship between Social Determinants of Health and the final outcome of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the municipality of Passo Fundo, RS. Methodology: A cross-sectional study conducted by analyzing data on individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, as reported. Absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies of the variables of interest were distributed. The relationship between clinical outcome and social vulnerability was assessed using the chi-square test with a statistical significance of 5%. Results: 3,175 patients were hospitalized, with 55.9% being male, 55.1% adults, 94.2% white, 50.1% having completed elementary education, 60.9% had chronic cardiovascular disease, 85% presented respiratory discomfort, 80.8% required ventilatory support, and 24.6% died. The highest prevalence of hospitalizations was observed in the Santa Marta neighborhood with 27.8 hospitalized per thousand inhabitants, and the highest lethality was in the Valinhos neighborhood with a rate of 42.1%. A prevalence of 62.4% of individuals in a condition of social vulnerability was observed, with a higher frequency of deaths (28.5%, p<0.001) in this group. Conclusion: The pandemic exposed the effects of social inequality on health, mediated by the intersection of social dimensions.