Risk Factors Associated to Mortality in the Indigenous Population with Covid-19 in Mexico

Bibliographic Data

ID18934276
AuthorsLaura Flores-Cisneros (0000-0003-0515-5661, Direccion General de Epidemiologia, corresponding author), Rosaura Gutiérrez-Vargas (0000-0001-6836-3076, Direccion General de Epidemiologia), Carlos Escondrillas‐Maya (Direccion General de Epidemiologia), Brenda Téllez-Flores (Mexican Social Security Institute), Gabriel García-Rodríguez (0000-0002-1227-0687, Direccion General de Epidemiologia), Ruy Lopez‐ridaura (0000-0002-2853-6275, Secretaria de Salud), Christian Arturo Zaragoza-Jiménez (0000-0002-7109-6981, Secretaria de Salud), Dulce González-Islas (0000-0002-3378-1769, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias)
Year2025
Publication date2025-06-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2196-8837 • E-ISSN: 2197-3792
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s40615-025-02525-3
PMID40576873
OpenAlexW4411731582
LanguageEN
References cited14

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indigenous population in Mexico was subject to several factors that caused them to have a higher mortality risk than the non-Indigenous population. These risk factors included language barriers, poverty, comorbidities, inadequate access to health services, lack of social security, limited education, and substandard housing, inter alia. This study aims to determine the factors associated with COVID-19 mortality in the Indigenous population in Mexico. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study. METHODS: This study utilized data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance System for Viral Respiratory Disease (SISVER) collected during 2020 and 2021 to examine the population recognized as Indigenous. RESULTS: A total of 506,956 COVID-19 cases were reported, with 0.75% identified as Indigenous. The logistic regression assessed the combined effect of Indigenous status and each risk factor. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with or without interaction terms were reported. The identified risk factors were the following: age of > 60 years × Indigenous (aOR 9.19, CI 95% 6.38-13.2, p 7 days × Indigenous (aOR 5.86, CI 95% 4.10-8.37, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Belonging to the Indigenous population is a significant risk factor for COVID-19 mortality in Mexico. Although both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups share common risk factors, the combined effect of Indigenous status and each risk factor reveals greater vulnerability among the former. Significant interactions were observed with age over 60 years, sex, and delays in seeking medical care after the onset of symptoms

Biology · Environmental health · Indigenous · Odds ratio · Population · Risk factor · Demography · Health, Education, and Cultural Studies · Indigenous Health and Education · Medicine · Migration, Education, Indigenous Social Dynamics · Epidemiology · Internal Medicine