• Rodrigo Núñez-Cortés, Maritza Ortega-Palavecinos, Camilo Soto-Carmona, Pablo Torres-Gangas, Ma Paz Concha-Rivero, and Rodrigo Torres-Castro.
• Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile.
• Gac Med Mex. 2021 Jan 1; 157 (3): 263-270.

IntroductionHistorically, pandemics have resulted in higher mortality rates in the most vulnerable populations. Social determinants of health (SDH) have been associated with people morbidity and mortality at different levels.ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between SDH and COVID-19 severity and mortality.MethodsRetrospective study, where data from patients with COVID-19 were collected at a public hospital in Chile. Sociodemographic variables related to structural SDH were classified according to the following categories: gender, age (< 65 years, ≥ 65 years), secondary education (completed or not), work status (active, inactive) and income (< USD 320, ≥ USD 320).ResultsA total of 1,012 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were included. Average age was 64.2 ± 17.5 years. Mortality of the entire sample was 14.5 %. Age, level of education, unemployment and income had a strong association with mortality (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe findings reinforce the idea that SDH should be considered a public health priority, which is why political efforts should focus on reducing health inequalities for future generations.Copyright: © 2021 Permanyer.

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