Research identifies six groups in the population more susceptible to the impact of the pandemic

Dr. Belén Arranz, Dr. Judith Usall i Rodié and Dr. Antoni Serrano from the Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu participate in the project COM-COVID, leds by Dr. Cristina Vilaplana from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute.

Researchers have presented the results of the project COM-COVID, a questionnaire for the public aimed at understanding the effects of the pandemic on society. The COM-COVID is an initiative of the SMA-TB Consortium, led by the UTE and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), with the collaboration of the Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu and Parc Santari Sant Joan de Déu, and the Fight AIDS Foundation. The results have been sent in a report by email to all the participants of the questionnaire who requested it, and the research article can also be consulted at medRxiv.

The questionnaire, which is officially registered as a cross-sectional study, was distributed in 5 languages, using a snowball strategy through social media and messaging services. "We wanted to reach the maximum number of people possible, so we decided on this strategy," explains Dr Cristina Vilaplana (IGTP), who also led this study.

After studying 56,656 completed questionnaires, the researchers have been able to confirm the results of previous studies on smaller studies on selected groups (elderly, young, professional groups etc) and identify as many as six populations who would benefit from intervention: women; people under 42; people caring for others, including children; people in situations of social or economic vulnerability; key workers, or unskilled workers; COVID-19 patients and health professionals, above all those working with COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, from the results of the questionnaire, those who have been able to best manage the pandemic have been those over 61, married and widowed people, those who felt well (at the time of answering the questionnaire) and in general it has had less effect on people with doctorates, higher education and qualified jobs.

“The data obtained could help to design measures adapted to our environment and not only in healthcare, but extending measures for the groups we have identified. Now the effort to generate resources has been made, so the current task is to see that they are actively implemented,"

"The results obtained could help with healthcare planning and public health policy design, to adjust containment mechanisms with a view to future outbreaks and other particularly difficult situations for society as a whole, so that we can adapt to people's real needs."

Results of the PROJECT COM-COVID(only catalan)

Reference

Research identifies six groups in the population more susceptible to the impact of the pandemic. Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute