INDIANAPOLIS – The Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy at the Indiana University Public Policy Institute is releasing new analysis on the disproportionate number of deaths among black Hoosiers due to the COVID-19 virus.
The team looked beyond differences in racial health disparities to understand the structural and social sources for these trends. They found that black Hoosiers may be at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to:
- Higher rates of employment in sectors deemed as essential services and with more human interaction
- Living in food deserts and low rates of car ownership
- Higher rates of homelessness and housing instability
- Higher proportion of the prison population
- Black Hoosiers have lower rates of health insurance and primary care providers
- Black Hoosiers have higher rates of asthma, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure than white Hoosiers
