Domain | Factors | Description | |
1 | Socioeconomic 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 | ||
2 | Demographic 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 | ||
3 | Minority 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’ | ||
4 | High 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 | ||
5 | Epidemiological 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 | ||
6 | Low 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.