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Is SARS a Poor Man's Disease? Socioeconomic Status and Risk Factors for SARS Transmission

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  • Bucchianeri Grace Wong

    (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

This paper investigates the link between various risk factors, including socioeconomic status (SES), and the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2003. A comprehensive data set compiled by the author shows a negative and significant correlation between SARS incidence and various measures of income, but not years of education, unlike previous studies on other health conditions. The income-SARS gradient can be accounted for by controlling for pre-SARS housing values but not an array of measurable living conditions. Areas with more white-collar workers experienced a higher incidence rate, largely driven by the share of service and sales workers, after controlling for SES. These results have implications for the understanding of the SES-health link in the context of a contagious disease, the potential causality of the SES-SARS relationship and for future SARS containment strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Bucchianeri Grace Wong, 2010. "Is SARS a Poor Man's Disease? Socioeconomic Status and Risk Factors for SARS Transmission," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 13(2), pages 1-31, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:fhecpo:v:13:y:2010:i:2:n:10
    DOI: 10.2202/1558-9544.1209
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    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > SARS

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    2. Wang, Bingbing, 2022. "Housing market volatility under COVID-19: Diverging response of demand in luxury and low-end housing markets," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Chakrabarty, Debajyoti & Bhatia, Bhanu & Jayasinghe, Maneka & Low, David, 2023. "Relative deprivation, inequality and the Covid-19 pandemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    4. Luiza Nassif Pires & Laura Carvalho & Eduardo Rawet, 2020. "Multidimensional Inequality and COVID-19 in Brazil," Economics Public Policy Brief Archive ppb_153, Levy Economics Institute.
    5. Luiza Nassif-Pires & Laura de Lima Xavier & Thomas Masterson & Michalis Nikiforos & Fernando Rios-Avila, 2020. "Pandemic of Inequality," Economics Public Policy Brief Archive ppb_149, Levy Economics Institute.
    6. Low, Chien-Tat & Lai, Poh-Chin & Tse, Wing-Sze Cindy & Tsui, Chung-Kan & Lee, Herman & Hui, Pak-Kwan, 2013. "Exploring tuberculosis by types of housing development," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 77-83.

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