Cause of Death by Race and Ethnicity in Minnesota Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2020

• Published in: Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 2435 - 2443
• Main Authors: Blake, Madelyn J., Marka, Nicholas A., Steer, Clifford J., Ravdin, Jonathan I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.08.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age groups; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Averages; Black or African American - statistics & numerical data; Black people; Cardiovascular disease; Cause of Death; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - ethnology; COVID-19 - mortality; Death; Death & dying; Diabetes; Epidemiology; Ethnicity; Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data; Female; Females; Gender; Health disparities; Health Status Disparities; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infections; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minnesota - epidemiology; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Nursing homes; Pandemics; Population; Population (statistical); Quality of Life Research; Race; Racial Groups - statistics & numerical data; Respiratory distress syndrome; Retrospective Studies; Social Inequality; Social Structure; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Tumors; Uninsured people; White People - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; Minnesota; United States > US; COVID-19; COVID-19 Health disparities; Health inequities; Public health
• ISSN: 2197-3792; 2196-8837; 2196-8837
• DOI: 10.1007/s40615-023-01709-z

Objectives To measure changes in cause of death dynamics in 2019 and 2020 and the relationship between the concurrent occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and mortality outcome by race and ethnicity. Patients and Methods We used resident mortality data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to conduct a retrospective statistical analysis of deaths in Minnesota in 2019 relative to 2020 to assess changes in mortality in a pre-pandemic and pandemic period. Results COVID-19 strongly contributed to ethnicity-related mortality disparities in Minnesota. Not only was there a greater proportion of COVID-19 decedents within Black and Hispanic populations, but their average decedent age was markedly lower relative to the White population. The Black population experienced a disproportionate increase in decedents with a 34% increase during 2020 compared to 2019. Conclusions This retrospective analysis of death dynamics and mortality outcomes in Minnesota from 2019 to 2020 demonstrated an increase in adverse mortality outcomes relative to the pre-pandemic period that disproportionately impacted Black and Hispanic minority populations.