University of Glasgow

Academic Institute

Serena Pattaro

eDRIS-2021-0119

This study aims to use linked administrative data for a large cohort of the Scottish population to enhance our understanding of how the occupational, household and environmental circumstances in which people live impact the risk of adverse Covid-19 outcomes. There is growing evidence that a range of social and environmental factors may put some groups at greater risk in the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of these risks may arise from the occupations that individuals do: the extent to which they work in close proximity with others or are unable to work from home, for example. Others may stem from household and housing conditions, notably larger household size and levels of overcrowding, or from environmental factors such as exposure to air pollution. These risk factors may help explain why the impacts of Covid-19 have been so much worse for groups with lower socio-economic status. A better understanding can therefore inform immediate responses to the pandemic but also longer-term efforts to reduce social inequalities as a form of public health intervention. As part of the Covid-19 Data Intelligence Network and Covid-19 Data Taskforce, a research team from the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR) has been tasked by Scottish Government to investigate the socioeconomic, household and environmental risk factors for Covid-19 health outcomes.

By using linked administrative data at individual, household and area-level, we aim to obtain a more accurate estimation of the social (non-health) risk factors associated with Covid-19 outcomes, compared to area-level proxy indicators for socioeconomic position that are often used in epidemiological studies in this area. This will improve our understanding of the consequences of Covid-19 disease for at-risk vulnerable groups in the population, including those advised to shield due to underlying health conditions and those living in households with a shielded individual. The results of this study will help to inform current and future government policy responses, as lockdown measures are lifted and continuing interventions are needed to contain the resurgence of infections among vulnerable groups.

25/11/2020

TRE