Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most dramatic events that have recently affected the world. Coronavirus resulted in an unprecedented crisis that brought adverse consequences to economic, social, and medical spheres throughout the globe. In the United States alone, the pandemic has already resulted in more than 986,000 cases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). The illness affected millions of people internationally, but it is impossible to mention that all population groups witnessed the same impact. Some groups experienced mild effects, while others faced a disproportionally high burden of coronavirus.
The given paper is going to present the literature review on the topic. In addition to the thesis statement, a specific research question will be articulated. Then, a separate section will comment on sources of epidemiological data that will be used to collect the required information to conduct a study. The present literature review will also clarify what scientific design is appropriate. Hispanics who live in the United States are a suitable example of the population that significantly suffered from COVID-19, and the given paper is going to focus on these individuals. The assignment’s thesis is as follows: specific risk factors result in the fact that Hispanics are more subject to COVID-19 impact.
Research Question
Prior to presenting the research question, it is reasonable to comment on how coronavirus is represented among the selected population. For example, Trick et al. (2021) stipulate that Hispanics suffered from a more rapid spread of COVID-19 compared to non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites. This outcome is not unique in the research field because many scholars produce similar outcomes. In particular, scientific evidence demonstrates that a higher proportion of the Hispanic population in a state is associated with increased mortality rates from coronavirus (Im et al., 2021). In addition to that, analysis of a specific healthcare setting also reveals that Hispanics are disproportionately represented as COVID-19 patients. In particular, more than 47% of all emergency department patients in Rhode Island were Hispanic (Naganathan et al., 2021). This information can demonstrate that the given pandemic represents a more significant epidemiological burden for the selected population.
In addition to that, it is reasonable to comment on what conditions can be associated with the given state of affairs. For example, Kricorian and Turner (2021) comment on the fact that Hispanic individuals are less likely to receive COVID-19 vaccination. It is impossible to mention whether this fact can be considered a leading cause of the disease spread, but such a connection should not be ignored. Other studies also focus on the issue and stipulate that being of Hispanic ethnicity can be considered a significant risk factor for coronavirus hospital readmission (Sandoval et al., 2021). Since the findings demonstrate that the condition is significant for the selected population, it seems reasonable to conduct another study to investigate the epidemiology of COVID-19 among Hispanics living in the United States.
When it comes to the given research, it is necessary to formulate a question that will guide the scientific process of inquiry. This question should be clear, concise, specific, and realistic to ensure that it can be completely answered in a proposed study. In particular, the study is going to answer the following: What risk factors are associated with disproportionally high epidemiology rates of COVID-19 among Hispanic individuals living in the United States of America? This articulation of the question implies that the focus will be placed on looking for specific environmental, social, or health conditions that are more represented among the selected population. It is challenging to suggest what specific factors will be identified, but one expects that multiple conditions will be associated with the problem and explain why Hispanic individuals are more subjected to the COVID-19 virus.
Sources of Data
When one needs to conduct an epidemiological study, it is rational to draw significant attention to the sources of data that will be further used. At present, scientists can rely on different options to collect the required information. It is impossible to mention which sources are better or worse because each of them offers both advantages and disadvantages. This statement denotes that the same information sources can be ideal for one study and completely useless for others. That is why it is reasonable to consider what information sources are used in other epidemiological studies.
In general, it is possible to divide the sources of epidemiological data into two groups. The first of them implies the work with documents, meaning that face-to-face cooperation with individuals is not necessary. Numerous scholars rely on this approach and conduct their studies based on objective data collected from documents. This approach is beneficial because it typically results in precise and accurate findings obtained with the help of statistical calculations. Simultaneously, this source of epidemiological data leads to significant challenges because scholars are forced to make significant efforts to implement it. Scientists need to contact healthcare organizations and try to obtain permission from them to use the collected data in research. After that, statistical calculations should be conducted to understand what this information means and what conclusions can be made.
One should stipulate that the given approach is widespread in the epidemiological sphere, and some of the studies included in the review prove this statement. The study by Trick et al. (2021) relies on medical records of 743 patients to identify whether COVID-19 or influenza was more widespread among Hispanics. The given purpose demonstrates that the reliance on patient records was the most optimal decision for Trick et al. (2021). Naganathan et al. (2021) utilized the same approach and also focused on patient records. These authors wanted to determine the percentage of Hispanics among emergency department patients admitted with coronavirus. That is why it is not surprising that Naganathan et al. (2021) decided to access the medical unit’s medical records for 1,209 individuals to find the required answer. In conclusion, Sandoval et al. (2021) dealt with documents to assess the epidemiology of COVID-19 among Hispanics. These researchers analyzed the information of 1,853 patients and identified that Hispanic ethnicity was a significant risk factor (Sandoval et al., 2021). This evidence reveals that medical records represent a widespread source of epidemiological data.
In addition to that, consensus records and official organizations’ reports are considered reliable sources. For example, Im et al. (2021) decided to identify COVID-19 mortality rates in different counties. For that purpose, the researchers relied on the US Census Bureau to determine the total population (Im et al., 2021). The scientists then accessed one of the resources promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find the actual number of coronavirus deaths (Im et al., 2021). Consequently, it is possible to stipulate that the researchers relied on the appropriate source of data to find the required information.
The second source of epidemiological data refers to information obtained directly from human subjects. Researchers can use different surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to collect information from people. Many scientists rely on this approach, and Kricorian and Turner (2021) are among them. The authors wanted to determine how Hispanics participated in the COVID-19 vaccination. For that purpose, the scientists conducted a survey of 1,950 individuals and identified that the selected population was less likely to receive the vaccine (Kricorian & Turner, 2021). Consequently, scholars can engage in primary data collection to conduct a study.
The proposed research is going to utilize a two-fold approach. On the one hand, it is possible to access a local medical establishment to find out the list of Hispanic patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19. On the other hand, all these patients should be contacted to ask them participate in a survey. The second activity will be necessary to identify the required information to answer the research question.
Research Design
The given section is going to comment on the design of the proposed study. Since the task is to determine what risk factors lead to a disproportionally high prevalence of COVID-19 among Hispanics in the United States, a case-control design seems appropriate. This approach implies that researchers should compare individuals with a disease (cases) to people without this condition (controls). The comparison is needed to look back retrospectively to identify specific behaviors or characteristics features that were prevalent among the cases and absent among controls. Scholars typically rely on this design to determine the cause of a disease, meaning that the approach is appropriate for the present research. It is also worth admitting that the case-control study offers significant advantages. This design does not require much time to be conducted and is appropriate for studying new diseases. Thus, sufficient evidence demonstrates that the proposed research should be a case-control study.
In addition to that, one should mention that other epidemiological designs are not appropriate for the study. Firstly, cohort research is prospective, meaning that it looks at future consequences. For example, this design is requested when it is necessary to identify what consequences occur from exposure to a specific condition, agent, or behavior. Secondly, a cross-sectional design allows scholars to find how a disease is represented within a particular population group at the present moment. Thirdly, scientists rely on ecological research to find the rate of a condition among a specific population. All this information supports the statement that a case-control design is the most appropriate approach to answer the suggested research question.
Conclusion
Sufficient evidence demonstrates that COVID-19 is a significant challenge for the entire world, but some populations face a disproportionally high burden. In particular, some scholars stipulate that Hispanics in the United States are more affected compared to other populations (Im et al., 2021; Naganathan et al., 2021; Trick et al., 2021). That is why it is reasonable to conduct a study to identify what specific factors make this ethnic group more vulnerable. The proposed research plans to rely on both objective and subjective data because medical records and human subjects are considered data sources. Finally, a case-control design seems appropriate because it allows scholars to determine what behaviors or characteristics features can be associated with the disease spread.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). COVID data tracker. Web.
Im, C., Munasinghe, L. L., Martinez, J. M., Letsou, W., Bagherzadeh-Khiabani, F., Marin, S., & Yasui, Y. (2021). The magnitude of Black/Hispanic disparity in COVID-19 mortality across United States counties during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.International Journal of Public Health, 66, 1-8. Web.
Kricorian, K., & Turner, K. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and beliefs among Black and Hispanic Americans.PLoS One, 16(8), e0256122. Web.
Naganathan, S., Paiva, M., Soliman, L., Amanullah, S., Alusio, A. R., & Genisca, A. E. (2021). Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of emergency department patients with COVID-19 in a Rhode Island healthcare system. Rhode Island Medical Journal, 104(5), 24-29.
Sandoval, M., Nguyen, D. T., Vahidy, F. S., & Graviss, E. A. (2021). Risk factors for severity of COVID-19 in hospital patients age 18-29 years.PLoS ONE, 16(7), e0255544. Web.
Trick, W. E., Badri, S., Doshi, K., Zhang, H., Rezai, K., Hoffman, M. J., & Weinstein, R. A. (2021). Epidemiology of COVID-19 vs. influenza: Differential failure of COVID-19 mitigation among Hispanics, Cook County Health, Illinois.PLoS ONE, 16(1), e0240202. Web.