Population-based correlates of COVID-19 infection: An analysis from the DFW COVID-19 prevalence study

Abstract

Background COVID-19 has resulted in over 1 million deaths in the U.S. as of June 2022, with continued surges after vaccine availability. Information on related attitudes and behaviors are needed to inform public health strategies. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19, risk factors of infection, and related attitudes and behaviors in a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban population. Methods The DFW COVID-19 Prevalence Study Protocol 1 was conducted from July 2020 to March 2021 on a randomly selected sample of adults aged 18–89 years, living in Dallas or Tarrant Counties, Texas. Participants were asked to complete a 15-minute questionnaire and COVID-19 PCR and antibody testing. COVID-19 prevalence estimates were calculated with survey-weighted data. Results Of 2969 adults who completed the questionnaire (7.4% weighted response), 1772 (53.9% weighted) completed COVID-19 testing. Overall, 11.5% of adults had evidence of COVID-19 infection, with a higher prevalence among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black persons, essential workers, those in low-income neighborhoods, and those with lower education attainment compared to their counterparts. We observed differences in attitudes and behaviors by race and ethnicity, with non-Hispanic White persons being less likely to believe in the importance of mask wearing, and racial and ethnic minorities more likely to attend social gatherings. Conclusion Over 10% of an urban population was infected with COVID-19 early during the pandemic. Differences in attitudes and behaviors likely contribute to sociodemographic disparities in COVID-19 prevalence.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 and longitudinal antibody levels in a community-based cohort

“…As previously described, the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) COVID-19 Prevalence Study recruited 21,597 community-dwelling adults (ages 18-89) between July 2020 and March 2021 to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in Dallas and Tarrant counties [32]. Prior to completing COVID-19 PCR and antibody testing, all participants completed a baseline 15-minute questionnaire collecting demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, ZIP code of residence), health conditions, socioeconomic factors (education, insurance status, employment, status), COVID-19 symptoms, and attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19.…”

“…Herein, we report results of the longitudinal component of the DFW COVID-19 Prevalence Study, which was conducted from May 2021 to December 2021 among a subset of participants. We invited all participants with positive COVID-19 PCR and/or antibody testing at baseline (cases) and selected participants with negative PCR and antibody testing (controls), matched on age +/-5 years, sex, race/ethnicity, ZIP code and neighborhood socioeconomic status (based on proportion of low SES addresses in the census block group) to complete a follow-up questionnaire, anti-spike antibody testing, and repeat anti-nucleocapsid testing [32].…”