The relationship between living in poverty and youth COVID-19 testing in underserved populations.

Creator(s)

Emily M. D'Agostino
Derek D. Cyr
Lisa Wruck
Maria Victoria Ferraris
Lisa Gwynn
Ryan J. Coller
Dana Keener Mast
Jennifer E. Schuster, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Jennifer Goldman, Children's Mercy Kansas CityFollow
Corinne McDaniels-Davidson
Susan M. Kiene
Eyal Oren
Krista M. Perreira

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2025

Identifier

DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.06.006; PMCID: PMC12288119

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children living in poverty face particular risk for pandemic-related adverse health events. Place-based pandemic-related health inequities may vary for children living in poverty due to social and environmental factors. We aimed to examine the association between living in low-income households and COVID-19 testing in youth across several regions of the United States.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study drew data from three Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations projects (2021-2023). The association between living in low-income households and COVID-19 testing was analyzed by project using logistic regression adjusted for age, sex assigned at birth, race and ethnicity, and household member job loss.

FINDINGS: Participants (n = 2934; median [first quartile-third quartile] age, 12 [11-13] years; sex, 52 % male; race, 56 % White, 21 % other; ethnicity, 48 % Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin; income, 18 % living in a low-income household) were included. Overall, 83·5 % of the participants had prior COVID-19 testing. Youth participants living in low-income households had 39 % lower adjusted odds of prior testing for COVID-19 compared to those not living in low-income households (0·61; 95 % CI, 0·42-0·88).

INTERPRETATION: Youth living in low-income households had lower odds of prior testing for COVID-19 compared to those not living in low-income households.

Journal Title

Annals of epidemiology

Volume

108

First Page

99

Last Page

105

MeSH Keywords

Humans; COVID-19; Male; Female; Poverty; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adolescent; Child; United States; COVID-19 Testing; Vulnerable Populations; SARS-CoV-2

PubMed ID

40523455

Keywords

COVID-19; low-income households; poverty; testing; vulnerable populations; youth

Comments

Grants and funding

• U24 MD016258/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States

Recommended Citation

D'Agostino EM, Cyr DD, Wruck L, et al. The relationship between living in poverty and youth COVID-19 testing in underserved populations. Ann Epidemiol. 2025;108:99-105. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.06.006