Background Throughout US history, chronic and infectious diseases have severely impacted minority communities due to a lack of accessibility to quality healthcare and accurate information, as well as underlying racism. These fault lines in the care of minority communities in the US have been further exacerbated by the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by race and ethnicity, particularly among African American and Latinx communities in Eastern Pennsylvania (PA). Methods Survey data was collected in July 2021 in Philadelphia, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, PA. The 203 participants (38.7% Black, 27.5% Latinx) completed the 28-question survey of COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in either English or Spanish. Result Out of the 203 participants, 181 participants met all the inclusion criteria, including completed surveys; of these participants, over three-fifths (63.5%) were acceptant of the COVID-19 vaccine whereas the remainder (36.5%) were hesitant. Binary logistic regression results showed that age, concern for vaccine efficacy, race, knowledge on the vaccine, and belief that the COVID-19 virus is serious significantly influenced COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Minorities were more likely to be hesitant toward vaccination (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 6.8) than non-Hispanic whites. Those who believed the COVID-19 vaccine was ineffective (OR: 8.3, 95% CI: 3.8, 18.2), and that the virus is not serious (OR: 8.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 61.8) showed the greatest odds of hesitancy. Conclusions Minority status, age less than 45 years, misinformation about seriousness of COVID-19 illness, and concern about vaccine efficacy were contributing factors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Therefore, understanding and addressing the barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in minority groups is essential to decreasing transmission and controlling this pandemic, and will provide lessons on how to implement public health measures in future pandemics.

BackgroundMultiple adverse health outcomes have been linked to air pollution, particularly exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5).JustificationThis research will help to identify the role that socioeconomic and geographical factors have in increased cardiovascular disease and cardiac events due to elevated exposure amounts of PM2.5. Minorities in the United States are more likely to have or die from cardiovascular disease and also are the majority of the occupants in low-income communities with high levels of PM2.5.MethodsPM2.5pollutant concentrations were measured from 2016 to 2018 and collected by air quality monitoring equipment in Ohio. The cardiovascular disease data on adult residents of Ohio from 2016-2018 was from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR). R programming was used to find associations between cardiovascular disease and PM2.5in Ohio. Contingency tables compared the consumption of PM2.5and the rate of heart disease mortality. Heat maps indicated areas where heart disease mortality and PM2.5concentrations were highest.ResultsThe average PM2.5concentration in Ohio was determined to be 7.9 μG/m3. The highest PM2.5concentrations were found in Montgomery County, Ohio and the lowest were recorded in Allen County, Ohio. With increased population density, there was also an increase with PM2.5concentrations (P<0.01). The association between cardiovascular disease mortality and PM2.5rates in these counties was nonsignificant (P>0.01). It was also found that 31.8% of counties in Ohio had air monitoring while the remaining 68.2% did not have any form of it.ConclusionKnowing the risk of PM2.5levels in any neighborhood could help community members and leaders pick a more appropriate course of action. Reducing air pollutants in these areas may in turn reduce cardiovascular disease in that population, leading to better health outcomes and longevity. This research also identified gaps in air monitoring that assists in prioritizing areas that need immediate remediation.

Background: Throughout US history, chronic and infectious diseases have severely impacted minority communities due to lack of accessibility to quality healthcare, accurate information, and underlying racism. These fault lines in the care of minority communities in the US have been further exposed by the rise of COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among African American and Latinx communities in Eastern Pennsylvania (PA). Methods: Survey data was collected in July 2021 in Philadelphia, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, PA. The 203 participants (38.7% Black, 27.5% Latinx) completed the 28-question survey of COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in either English or Spanish. Results: Out of a total of 181 participants that met inclusion criteria of completed surveys, results indicate that 63.5% (n=115) were acceptant of the COVID-19 vaccine whereas the remainder 36.5% (n=66) were hesitant. Binary logistic regression results showed that age, concern for vaccine efficacy, race, knowledge on the vaccine, and belief that the COVID-19 virus is serious significantly influenced COVID vaccine hesitancy. Minorities were more likely to be hesitant toward vaccination (OR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.13, 6.79) than non-Hispanic whites. Those who believed the COVID vaccine was ineffective (OR: 8.29, 95% CI: 3.78,18.2), and that the virus is not serious (OR: 8.28, 95% CI: 1.11, 61.8) showed the greatest odds of hesitancy. Conclusions: Contributing factors of vaccine hesitancy in minority communities were age, concern for vaccine efficacy, and education. Understanding and addressing the barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in minority groups is essential to decreasing transmission and controlling this pandemic.