Table 1

COVID-19 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) domains and factors

DomainFactorsDescription
1Socioeconomic vulnerability*Below poverty level*Calculated as the proportion of households at 0%–99% federal poverty level
Unemployed*Calculated as the proportion of households with both respondent and spouse (if present) unemployed
No high school diploma*Calculated as the proportion of respondents with less than a high school diploma
2Demographic vulnerability and disability*Aged 65 or older*Calculated as the proportion of respondents aged 65 or older
Single-parent household*Calculated as the proportion of single-parent households with children under 18 years old
Psychological disability†Calculated as the proportion of respondents with a score of 13 or above on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale
3Minority status and language barriers*Minority*Calculated as the proportion of non-white race or Hispanic ethnicity respondents
Non-English speaker*Calculated as the proportion of respondents who speak English ‘not well’ or ‘not at all’
4High housing density*Multiunit structures/mobile homes*Calculated as the proportion of respondents who live in a multifamily or mobile house
Urbanisation‡Calculated as the proportion of respondents who live in an urban or metropolitan area
Extended household†Calculated as the proportion of households with three or more adults
5Epidemiological risk factors§High blood pressure§Calculated as the proportion of respondents with ever physician-diagnosed high blood pressure
Heart disease§Calculated as the proportion of respondents with ever physician-diagnosed heart disease
Asthma§Calculated as the proportion of respondents who reported currently having asthma
Smoking§Calculated as the proportion of respondents who reported being a current or former smoker
Obesity§Calculated as the proportion of respondents with a BMI of 30 or more for non-Asians or 27 or more for Asians
Diabetes§Calculated as the proportion of respondents with ever physician-diagnosed diabetes
Healthcare occupation†Calculated as the proportion of respondents with an occupation in healthcare delivery
High-risk occupation†Calculated as the proportion of respondents in essential occupations that have high risk of exposure to infectious diseases
6Low access to healthcare‡No health insurance†Calculated as the proportion of respondents who reported having no health insurance in the past 12 months
No usual source of healthcare†Calculated as the proportion of respondents who reported no usual source of healthcare (ie, doctor’s office, community or government clinic, community hospital)
  • *Adapted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI).

  • †Author included.

  • ‡Adapted from Acharya and Porwal.45

  • §Adapted from Surgo Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI).

  • BMI, body mass index.