Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the socioeconomic situation worldwide, but another issue is the impact of socioeconomic status on the rate of coronavirus infections.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the socioeconomic status of individuals infected with COVID-19.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 768 hospitalized patients at 7 hospitals in Tehran, Iran from 2020 to 2021. The study included two groups: a case group of 384 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and a control group of 384 individuals hospitalized. A socioeconomic status questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.26 software, descriptive statistical tests, and logistic regression. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.
Results: The findings indicated a significant relationship between age (OR = 1.017), marital status (OR = 0.316), and education level (OR = 0.348) with the rate of infection. Individuals over 60 years old, married, and those with higher education had a greater chance of infection. The regression results for two components of economic class and housing status, categorized by housing prices and purchasing ability, were not significant (P >0.05). However, there was a significant relationship between income level (P <0.05, OR = 0.497) and the rate of infections; individuals with lower income had a lower chance of infection.
Conclusion: The researchers concluded that the Hygiene Hypothesis may influence the rate of COVID-19 infection among individuals; however, further research in this area is needed.