Households’ Socioeconomic Vulnerability Assessment Due to COVID-19 Outbreak: A Web-Based Survey in Bangladesh
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Md. Ayatullah Khan 1 * , Kazi Humayun Kabir 1 , Kamrul Hasan 1 , Rashmia Sultana 1 , Farhana Hoque 1 , Sardar Al Imran 1 , Sanju Karmokar 1
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1 Development Studies Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, BANGLADESH* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Aim: COVID-19, which can be considered a disastrous event, has created not only a public health emergency but also a major socio-economic crisis in Bangladesh. This study, therefore, aimed to assess households’ socioeconomic vulnerability due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was performed among 404 households from different districts in Bangladesh. The socioeconomic vulnerability index (SeVI) was developed using data collected from participants via an online-based self-reported questionnaire that included demographic, social, economic, and physical characteristics as well as exposure to COVID-19.
Results: The socioeconomic vulnerability index (SeVI) was calculated as an index score of 0.405 where social, economic, and COVID-19 exposure were reported to be the more impactful components of adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and exposure, respectively. Furthermore, the economic options for households were greatly limited by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Practical implications: This study may help to identify the socioeconomic issues that resulted from the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and instruct the policymakers and corresponding authorities on which areas to emphasize for policy implementation so that households become socially and economically less susceptible to the COVID-19 outbreak as well as related infectious diseases and disastrous events in the upcoming years.
Conclusion: This study found socioeconomic vulnerability among Bangladeshi households. The corresponding authorities should adopt policy initiatives to minimize the socioeconomic vulnerability due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 19, Issue 3, June 2022, Article No: em365

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/11797

Publication date: 23 Feb 2022

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