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Are Older Populations at a Disadvantage? County-Level Analysis of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Urban and Rural America
[Rural America and coronavirus epidemic: Challenges and solutions]

Author

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  • Seung-won Emily Choi
  • Tse-Chuan Yang
  • Deborah S Carr

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study examines how areas with different older population compositions are affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and whether urban and rural counties face different challenges.MethodsApplying negative binomial regression to a data set of U.S. counties (N = 3,042), we estimated the relationship between older population ratios and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and how this relationship changes over time in urban and rural counties, respectively.ResultsAlthough low-ratio counties show the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, confirmed cases in high-ratio counties (>25% of the total population is aged 65 and older) increase exponentially with time in urban areas. High-ratio rural counties hit their peak later and recover more slowly compared to low- and medium-ratio rural counties.DiscussionBoth urban and rural counties with larger older populations are more vulnerable and their disadvantages in COVID-19 infections are more rapidly exacerbated over time in urban areas. This underscores the importance of early action in those counties for effective intervention and prevention.

Suggested Citation

  • Seung-won Emily Choi & Tse-Chuan Yang & Deborah S Carr, 2021. "Are Older Populations at a Disadvantage? County-Level Analysis of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Urban and Rural America [Rural America and coronavirus epidemic: Challenges and solutions]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(3), pages 93-98.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:76:y:2021:i:3:p:e93-e98.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbaa182
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