Aim:

The aim of this review is to analyze whether the social determinants of health influence the incidence of COVID.

Methods:

An exploratory systematic review was performed to obtain a general vision of the available evidence. A bibliographic search was conducted on the PubMed database and 15 studies- 14 ecological studies and one cross-sectional study- from six different countries were included, given that they met the inclusion criteria.

Results:

An association between several social determinants of health- measured individually or by means of vulnerability indexes- and COVID-19 incidence was found in different areas. Low-income, overcrowding, poor housing conditions, poverty and belonging to certain races were associated with a higher incidence. Two studies detected higher incidence amongst women, given their presence as healthcare workers and caregivers at a family level. In terms of employment and educational level, their association with COVID-19 incidence was less robust.

Conclusions:

Social determinants of health such as race/ethnicity, rent, sex, housing conditions and socio-economic level influence the distribution of COVID-19. Vulnerable areas for these factors show higher incidence levels.

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