Abstract 13829: Assessing the Recovery From COVID-19-Related Disruptions to Cardiovascular-Related Screening Services by Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted routine clinical care in 2020. We aimed to assess recovery from COVID-19’s impacts on health care utilization, affordability, and cardiovascular risk factor screening in 2021, both overall and by race and ethnicity. Methods: We used 2019 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey data-a nationally-representative, cross-sectional household interview survey of US adults ( > 18 years old). Outcomes included measures of health care access, affordability, and cardiovascular risk factor screening. Logistic regression models compared outcomes in 2021 (second year of pandemic) to 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline), adjusting for age and sex. An interaction term for race/ethnicity and year assessed for differential change across racial/ethnic groups. Results: The weighted population size was 250.9 and 253.1 million adults in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, wellness visits significantly decreased for all racial/ethnic groups compared with 2019, a decline most pronounced for Asian adults. Medical financial concerns decreased for White, Black, and Hispanic adults. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes screening significantly decreased for all groups in 2021 vs. 2019, with the largest declines among Asian adults (see Table 1 and Figure 1 for all results). Conclusions: In this national study of US adults, there were significantly fewer wellness visits and lower rates of cardiovascular risk factor screening in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels, overall and across all racial and ethnic groups. These results suggest that policy efforts are needed to improve access and cardiovascular screening as the US emerges from the pandemic.