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

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ford ND ; Li J ; Saydah SH ; Silver, Sharon R.
• 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 the prevalence 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 well-being measures were highest among the 9.2% of respondents reporting a history of Long COVID. For each outcome, prevalences were lowest for workers and highest among those unable to work. 2022 prevalence 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: The high prevalence 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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System BRFSS COVID-19 Disabled Workers Employment Status Functional Disability Long COVID Occupations Well-being
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Georgia ; Ohio
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070262
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2024 Dec; 67(12):1089-1107
• Contact Point Address:
  Sharon R. Silver, NIOSH, MS R-19, 1150 Tusculum Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  ssilver@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b175aea0dc8d57f6b8e14f489e3d46f153f386196b90fc46539b65d686d6ba48f2436d361fec72e11c5935cccb129ebd02d9b26bc0515191da0af2d0b7e659ab
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208509/cdc_208509_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.07 MB ]