Inequalities in the Health Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Piedmont Region, Italy

Abstract

(1) Introduction: Several studies observe a social gradient in the incidence and health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they rely mainly on spatial associations because individual-level data are lacking. (2) Objectives: To assess the impact of social inequalities in the health outcomes of COVID-19 during the first epidemic wave in Piedmont Region, Italy, evaluating the role of the unequal social distribution of comorbidities and the capacity of the healthcare system to promote equity. (3) Methods: Subjects aged over 35, resident in Piedmont on 22 February 2020, were followed up until 30 May 2020 for access to swabs, infection, hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit, in-hospital death, COVID-19, and all-cause death. Inequalities were assessed through an Index of Socioeconomic Disadvantage composed of information on education, overcrowding, housing conditions, and neighborhood deprivation. Relative incidence measures and Relative Index of Inequality were estimated through Poisson regression models, stratifying by gender and age groups (35–64 years; ≥65 years), adjusting for comorbidity. (4) Results: Social inequalities were found in the various outcomes, in the female population, and among elderly males. Inequalities in ICU were lower, but analyses only on in-patients discount the hypothesis of preferential access by the most advantaged. Comorbidities contribute to no more than 30% of inequalities. (5) Conclusions: Despite the presence of significant inequities, the pandemic does not appear to have further exacerbated health inequalities, partly due to the fairness of the healthcare system. It is necessary to reduce inequalities in the occurrence of comorbidities that confer susceptibility to COVID-19 and promote prevention policies that limit inequalities in the mechanisms of contagion and improve out-of-hospital timely treatment.