# FIU Center for Reducing Health Disparities in Substance Abuse & HIV in South Florida

> **NIH NIH U54** · FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $195,567

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Background: The United States (US) remains one of the epicenters of the global COVID-19 public health
emergency, resulting in the government’s implementation of mitigation policies to stem and contain the virus.
Despite these measures, people of color (POC - Blacks, Latinx and American Indian/Alaska Native
populations) in the US are disproportionately represented in the epidemic. Objectives: The overall objective of
this study is to evaluate the impact of macro and ecological policies by (a) using state and county level data to
report on COVID-19 health outcomes experienced by communities of color and (b) conducting in-depth
interviews among community members and providers to understand their perceptions about accessing and
providing healthcare services. Design: Firstly, there will be an ecological study at the US state and county
levels examining the relationship between racial/ethnic density and COVID-19 outcomes, considering selected
COVID-19 risk factors (crowding, poverty level, percentage of essential workers) as moderators in that
relationship. Secondly, there will be a policy study of differences on timing, interpretation and implementation
of federal and state level mitigation policies on COVID-19 outcomes. Finally, interviews will be conducted to
understand provider and patient viewpoints about how macro level social and health policies implemented by
federal and local governments influence providers’ perception about delivery of care and community members’
perception about accessing COVID-19 healthcare services. Analysis: Descriptive statistics will be used to
describe COVID-19 prevalence by racial/ethnic density in states and counties, followed by bivariate
correlations. Any statistically significant correlation (<0.10) in the bivariate correlations will be incorporated into
the regression models with COVID-19 incidence, prevalence and death rate as outcomes. Regression models
will be used to determine the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and state and county level
demographic data and COVID-19 policy data. For the interviews, content analysis will be used to analyze
qualitative data about perceived barriers and facilitators accessing and providing care. Significance: The
results of this study will help to understand the underpinnings of social mechanisms and disparities contributing
to the overrepresentation of underrepresented minority populations in the COVID-19 public health crisis. The
study objectives are in line with recent NIMHD priorities issued for the COVID-19 response to support studies
that investigate the “influence of state and local mitigation policies on differences in health services utilization
and health outcomes, the role of community-level protective factors and interventions in mitigating the adverse
consequences of the sector disruptions caused by the outbreak, the influence of COVID-19–related racism and
other types of discrimination, and the role of social determinants of health in influencing p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10203496
- **Project number:** 3U54MD012393-04S3
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIC F WAGNER
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $195,567
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-20 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10203496

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10203496, FIU Center for Reducing Health Disparities in Substance Abuse & HIV in South Florida (3U54MD012393-04S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10203496. Licensed CC0.

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