Social determinants of covid-19 mortality: The Peruvian case

Abstract

Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been very
different in terms of morbidity and mortality, even among those territories
with similar socioeconomic conditions and political backgrounds.
Objective: To identify social determinants of socio-geographic
inequality from COVID-19 mortality in Peru during the first year of
pandemic.
Material and Methods: Observational ecological research, based on
the secondary analysis of mortality by COVID-19 during the year 2020 in
the subnational governments of Peru.
Results: The percentage of the population registered with social
security was the only variable with statistical significance (t=2.921;
p=0.008) that explained GMR due to COVID-19 (F=21.360; p=0.000).
Adequate employment was the only variable with statistical significance
(t=3.018; p=0.006) that explained SMR due to COVID-19 (F=18.910;
p=0.000). The excess GMR and SMR due to COVID-19 amounted to 227.93
and 138.76 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants along the social gradient
determined by the population enrolled in social security and those with
adequate employment, respectively.
Conclusions: The percentage of the economically active population
with adequate employment, which is mainly under the social security,
would have been the social determinant of the socio-gepgrphic inequality
in COVID-19 mortality between the different subnational governments of
Peru during the first year of the pandemic.