Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2023

Document Type

Research Paper

Department

Whittier Scholars Program

First Advisor

Melanie Householder

Second Advisor

Scott Creley

Abstract

IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the discussion on social inequality and vulnerabilities of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community. The understanding is that inequality is a multifaceted issue that stems from the historical mistreatment of BIPOC individuals—their sociodemographic and economic backgrounds are at the most risk in population studies. Many predictors of contracting COVID-19 included employment status (ability to work from home), education level, income (wealth), and housing conditions (environment) (Rozenfeld et al., 2020). Contracting COVID-19 in South Los Angeles was more likely to happen among those from racial and ethnic minorities and those living in poverty than among White and wealthy individuals (Allan-Blitz, Goldbeck, Hertlein, Turner, & Klausner, 2021)—this comes from an analysis of the demographics, socioeconomic, and risk factors of the community of South Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVE The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected BIPOC individuals. The relationship between socioeconomic status and demographics is powerful enough to affect the care and resources of those within South Los Angeles. As a result of structural and systemic issues, the community of "South Los Angeles has had a 40% higher case rate than the entire country's rate (Bonilla & Bradley et al., 2021)". Understanding the reasons for this disparity will help with more health-affirming care and resources in South Los Angeles.

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