Racial and ethnic health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic

This chapter examines changes in physical and mental health and health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and our econometric model allows effects to vary across time and racial and ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and other). For all groups, self-reported physical health improved suddenly early in the pandemic before eventually returning to around its original level. While mental health worsened somewhat for all groups during the pandemic, this appears more plausibly attributable to the continuation of a pre-pandemic trend than a causal effect of the pandemic itself. Days consuming alcohol increased temporarily, most clearly among Whites. Exercising increased among all groups, while marijuana use dropped for Hispanics and those in the “other” race/ethnicity category.