Medical Student Albany Medical College Albany, New York, United States
Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is one of many diseases that’s been shown to disproportionately affect patients within racial/ethnic minorities. Particularly, this is seen through higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalizations, and ultimately death. Additionally, several studies have identified obesity as a risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 disease and increased mortality. However, there are limited studies evaluating the risk of developing severe COVID-19 across various race/ethnicities in conjunction to varying BMI ranges, particularly in the pediatric population. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is one of several children’s hospitals in Los Angeles County. The diverse population in Los Angeles County is reflected in CHLA’s patient population. Notably, a large proportion of CHLA’s patient population identifies as Hispanic/Latino. Serving a heavily populated region, CHLA conducts over 700,000 patient visits annually. This translates into a large and diverse dataset that will significantly contribute to the field of COVID-19 research. Objective: This study aims to elucidate associations between race/ethnicity and BMI on the rates of developing moderate or severe COVID-19 disease. Design/Methods: This study has been IRB approved. A retrospective review of all documented COVID-19 positive patients from CHLA between July 2020 to June 2023 was conducted, totalling to over 13,000 cases. Study subjects will be organized based on age, race/ethnicity, and BMI. Then, subjects will be further categorized as having mild, moderate, or severe disease based on various clinical parameters such as type of patient visit (outpatient versus inpatient), supplemental oxygen requirements, ICU admission, and death. Risk of disease severity will be expressed as hazard ratios with associated confidence intervals and p-values. Timeline: 11/23: Continue to input race/ethnicity information for subjects. 12/23: Implement CDC/WHO BMI parameters to organize subjects based on weight categories. 1/24-2/24: Complete data analysis.
