Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of JAMA Internal Medicine, 183(9), 916. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.1154 Dr. Jacob Wallace et al.
Points
- A cohort study analyzed 538,159 deaths in Florida and Ohio from March 2020 to December 2021 to assess the impact of political party affiliation on COVID-19 mortality rates.
- Researchers found significantly higher excess mortality among Republican voters compared to Democratic voters after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to all adults.
- The excess death rate gap between Republicans and Democrats widened post-vaccine availability, with Republican voters experiencing a 43% higher excess death rate than Democratic voters.
- The difference in mortality rates was more pronounced in counties with lower vaccination rates and was particularly significant among Ohio voters.
- The study highlights the influence of political ideology on health behaviors and outcomes, suggesting that political affiliation played a critical role in the severity of the pandemic and underscoring the need for public health strategies that consider sociopolitical factors.
Summary
In a comprehensive cohort study assessing the impact of political party affiliation on mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers analyzed 538,159 deaths among individuals aged 25 and older in Florida and Ohio from March 2020 to December 2021. The study aimed to determine whether excess mortality differed between registered Republican and Democratic voters, particularly after COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to all adults. Notably, the analysis revealed that excess mortality was significantly higher among Republican voters than Democratic voters post-vaccine availability, a trend that was not evident prior to this period. This difference was more pronounced in counties with lower vaccination rates and was particularly significant among voters in Ohio.
The results highlighted a stark contrast in excess death rates between the two political groups, especially after May 1, 2021. Before vaccines were universally available, the excess death rate gap between Republican and Democratic voters was minimal. However, following the widespread availability of vaccines, this gap widened substantially. Specifically, the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than that among Democratic voters, with the adjusted analysis showing an increase from -0.9 percentage points (95% prediction interval [PI], -2.5 to 0.3) pre-vaccine to 7.7 percentage points (95% PI, 6.0-9.3) post-vaccine.
These findings underscore the influence of political party affiliation on health behaviors and outcomes during the pandemic, particularly about vaccine uptake and attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention measures. The significant disparities in excess mortality between Republican and Democratic voters suggest that political ideology may have played a critical role in the severity and trajectory of the pandemic in the United States, highlighting the need for targeted public health strategies that consider sociopolitical factors in their implementation.
Link to the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2807617
References Wallace, J., Goldsmith-Pinkham, P., & Schwartz, J. L. (2023). Excess Death Rates for Republican and Democratic Registered Voters in Florida and Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Internal Medicine, 183(9), 916. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.1154
