Do COVID-19 infectious disease models incorporate the social determinants of health? A systematic review

Ava A. John-Baptiste*, Marc Moulin, Zhe Li, Darren Hamilton, Gabrielle Crichlow, Daniel Eisenkraft Klein, Feben W. Alemu, Lina Ghattas, Kathryn McDonald, Miqdad Asaria, Cameron Sharpe, Ekta Pandya, Nasheed Moqueet, David Champredon, Seyed M. Moghadas, Lisa A. Cooper, Andrew Pinto, Saverio Stranges, Margaret J. Haworth-Brockman, Alison GalvaniShehzad Ali

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives: To identify COVID-19 infectious disease models that accounted for social determinants of health (SDH). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, medRxiv, and the Web of Science from December 2019 to August 2020. We included mathematical modelling studies focused on humans investigating COVID-19 impact and including at least one SDH. We abstracted study characteristics (e.g., country, model type, social determinants of health) and appraised study quality using best practices guidelines. Results: 83 studies were included. Most pertained to multiple countries (n = 15), the United States (n = 12), or China (n = 7). Most models were compartmental (n = 45) and agent-based (n = 7). Age was the most incorporated SDH (n = 74), followed by gender (n = 15), race/ethnicity (n = 7) and remote/rural location (n = 6). Most models reflected the dynamic nature of infectious disease spread (n = 51, 61%) but few reported on internal (n = 10, 12%) or external (n = 31, 37%) model validation. Conclusion: Few models published early in the pandemic accounted for SDH other than age. Neglect of SDH in mathematical models of disease spread may result in foregone opportunities to understand differential impacts of the pandemic and to assess targeted interventions. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020207706], PROSPERO, CRD42020207706.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1607057
Pages (from-to)1-10
Number of pages10
JournalPublic Health Reviews
Volume45
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • infectious disease models
  • model validity
  • public health
  • social determinants of health

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