Archives of Public Health published an individual-level study on excess mortality during the COVID-19 crisis in Belgium, conducted by Van den Borre and colleagues. This study investigates how pre-existing health conditions and social background contributed to mortality patterns during the pandemic.

Using data from almost 1.4 million adult members of Solidaris, the second-largest health insurance fund in Belgium, the study examines all-cause mortality in 2020 and 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic period (2015–2019). Key determinants include pre-existing health conditions, a proxy for low socio-economic status, nationality of origin, and living arrangement. Directly Standardised Mortality Rates (DSMRs) and Poisson regression analyses were used to gauge absolute and relative mortality inequalities.

Key findings indicate that individuals without pre-existing conditions experienced significant excess mortality in 2020, alongside men with multiple conditions. However, persons with cancer showed a mortality deficit after adjusting for social and demographic factors, highlighting the complexity of pandemic mortality dynamics. The results emphasize the importance of jointly considering health and social characteristics when assessing excess mortality.

The full article is available via https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-024-01437-8.