Socio-economic determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection: results of a population-based cross-sectional serological survey in Geneva, Switzerland

Hugo-Alejandro Santa-Ramírez, Anja Wisniak, Nick Pullen, María-Eugenia Zaballa, Francesco Pennacchio, Elsa Lorthe, Roxane Dumont, Hélène Baysson, Idris Guessous and Silvia Stringhini for the Specchio-COVID19 study group.
Socio-economic determinants of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Results from a population-based cross-sectional serosurvey in Geneva, Switzerland.. Frontiers Public Health 10:874252. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.874252

Summary of the study:

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection and its health consequences have disproportionately affected lower socio-economic groups. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between socio-economic conditions and the development of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in a population-based sample from the canton of Geneva in Switzerland.

Methods: Data were extracted from a serological survey conducted among a population of adults and their household members between November and December 2020, towards the end of the second pandemic wave, in the canton of Geneva. Participants underwent a serological test to identify the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Socioeconomic conditions on various dimensions were self-reported. Logistic regressions with mixed effects were performed for each predictor to test its association with HIV-positive status as a dependent variable.

Results : A total of 2889 adults were included in the analysis. Retired people and those living in suburban areas were less likely to have an HIV-positive result compared with employed people (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.20-0.87) and those living in urban areas (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.46-0.97), respectively. People who had been experiencing financial difficulties for less than a year were more likely to have an HIV-positive result than those who had never experienced them (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.01-4.95). Level of education, occupational status and household income were not associated with seropositivity, nor were ethnic origin or country of birth.

Discussion: Although conventional measures of socio-economic position do not appear to be related to the risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 in this sample, this study highlights the importance of examining social determinants of health as a whole when assessing the differential impact of the pandemic within the population.

Link to the article in English