COVID-19-related Adolescent Mortality and Morbidity in nineteen European countries

Abstract

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents in most countries experienced a syndemic of malnutrition, obesity, deprivation, mental health problems, inequalities, and the effects of climate change. Today, other factors have added to this burden during the pandemic, and it's important a reflection on their relationship with mortality and morbidity. Three double models were fitted to analyze the relationship between different factors with the number of diagnosed cases and deaths. The 1a and 1b use a multiple Poisson regression. The 2a and 2b are optimized models that use the same variables as prior models but with backward selection with a p-value <0.05 as the limit. Finally, the 3a and 3b models (backward stepwise multivariable Poisson regression) include the variable "fully vaccinated." All models used the at-risk population (15-19 years or total population) as a regression covariate ( Increased Access to quality healthcare (IRR 0.68; CI 0.55-0.84), increased private sector involvement (IRR 0.86; CI 0.82-0.90), Gini coefficient (IRR 0.93; CI 0.88-0.99), and full vaccination (IRR 0.94; CI 0.90-0.99), represent protective factors of COVID-19 mortality in this population Being fully vaccinated and having Access to quality medical care are protective factors against COVID-19 mortality in this age group. Interestingly, the more Pollution, the greater the risk of dying from COVID-19. We stress the great importance of coordination between the public and private sectors to address crises such as the current one.