Functional Disabilities and Adverse Well-being by COVID-19 and Long COVID History and Employment Status: 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Am J Ind Med
• Personal Author:
  Silver, SR ; Li, J ; Ford, ND ; Saydah, SH
• Description:
  BACKGROUND
  
  Long COVID can lead to functional disabilities and decreased well-being and limit the ability to work. No study has yet assessed associations of SARS-CoV-2-infection and Long COVID with specific measures of well-being and functional disabilities among workers by employment status.
  
  METHODS
  
  Using data from the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we assessed prevalences of functional disabilities and well-being measures among adults of prime working age (25–54 years) by employment status and self-reported COVID-19 and Long COVID history. Within each employment status, we generated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) comparing respondents from each 2022 COVID-19/Long COVID category to respondents in that employment status before the pandemic (2019).
  
  RESULTS
  
  In 2022, prevalences of each functional disability except vision and all adverse mental well-being measures were highest among the 9.2% of respondents reporting a history of Long COVID. Prevalences of all outcomes were lowest for workers and highest among those unable to work. 2022 prevalences of cognitive disability (16.4% of employees, 21.4% of the self-employed) and depression (31.2% and 36.4%, respectively) among workers reporting a history of Long COVID were more than double 2019 levels. Increases in cognitive disability and depression were lower but statistically significant among workers not reporting a history of Long COVID.
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  
  High prevalences of functional disabilities and adverse well-being among workers reporting a history of Long COVID have implications for workers and employers. Also concerning are smaller increases among workers not reporting a history of Long COVID, given the large number of affected workers. Mitigating the effects of Long COVID on workers will involve efforts in multiple domains: reducing incidence, increasing healthcare practitioner awareness, improving diagnosis and treatments, and increasing employer awareness of best practices for accommodating workers with Long COVID.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System COVID-19 Depression Disabled Persons Employment Female Humans Male Middle Aged Prevalence SARS-CoV-2 United States

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• Keywords:
  Disability Employment Long COVID Unemployment Wellbeing
• Source:
  Am J Ind Med. 67(12):1089-1107
• Pubmed ID:
  39450880
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11609551
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  12
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e5b64da8ae2409a9a0a44cdd1e3a280b342b2a8b1eba6e33d0349e4f017ba80d8cb4f8873ce30db19a9c6b118ab07a547a9da81136a2f44cab61fb8efee43042
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/174251/cdc_174251_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 202.80 KB ]