Benjamin Silberberg , Christian Young , Shopna Bag , Conrad Moreira , Sophie Norton , Jessica Wells , Ramon Z Shaban
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
COVID-19 outcomes were highly inequitably distributed in Australia and worldwide. The digitalisation of public health interventions offers resource-efficiency and increased capacity for pandemic responses, but risks excluding the elderly and disadvantaged, reinforcing existing inequalities. Despite this, there has been little evaluation of the determinants of uptake of digital contact tracing.
This paper describes the use of digital contact tracing for COVID-19 in a population in metropolitan Sydney and the determinants of engagement in this population.
Methods
Routinely collected surveillance data for residents of Western Sydney Local Health District, returning a positive SARS-CoV-2 result between 1st August 2021 and 12th February 2022, were extracted including responses to a digital contact tracing questionnaire. Individual records were linked to area-level socioeconomic indices of disadvantage.
Descriptive analyses explored characteristics of non-responders and geospatial variation. Logistic regression was undertaken to evaluate the effect of age, sex and socioeconomic disadvantage on the odds of response.
Results
Of the 133 055 individuals included, 130 645 (98%) were issued a digital contact tracing questionnaire, and 106 432 (81%) responded. Odds of responding were lower in males (odds ratio: 0.79), individuals aged 80+ (odds ratio: 0.17) and the most disadvantaged communities (odds ratio: 0.32).
Conclusions
Digital data collection for contact tracing was a scalable and efficient tool in the context of the Western Sydney Local Health District COVID-19 response. However, older people and individuals in disadvantaged communities were less likely to engage.
Implications for Public Health
Responses to future pandemics should leverage the resource-efficiency of digital interventions but should avoid compounding existing health inequalities.
期刊介绍:
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH) is concerned with public health issues. The research reported includes formal epidemiological inquiries into the correlates and causes of diseases and health-related behaviour, analyses of public policy affecting health and disease, and detailed studies of the cultures and social structures within which health and illness exist. The Journal is multidisciplinary and aims to publish methodologically sound research from any of the academic disciplines that constitute public health.