Newswise — A recent study, headed by Southampton and Oxford universities, has revealed that there is a significant correlation between the likelihood of long COVID and the level of deprivation within an area. The study found that individuals from the most deprived areas were 46 percent more likely to experience long COVID than those residing in the least deprived areas.
The research, which appeared in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, evaluated more than 200,000 employed adults and represents the first instance where the relationship between long COVID and socioeconomic status has been measured across multiple occupational categories.
Using information from the COVID-19 Infection Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics, the investigators determined that women were at a greater risk of experiencing long COVID. The study further revealed that females living in the least deprived regions were as likely to suffer from long COVID as males living in the most deprived regions.
The investigation demonstrated that those residing in the most deprived regions and employed in the healthcare and education industries had the greatest probability of developing long COVID in comparison to those living in the least deprived regions. Conversely, individuals employed in the manufacturing and construction sectors did not display a significant relationship between their likelihood of contracting long COVID and their level of deprivation.
The investigation demonstrated that those residing in the most deprived regions and employed in the healthcare and education industries had the greatest probability of developing long COVID in comparison to those living in the least deprived regions. Conversely, individuals employed in the manufacturing and construction sectors did not display a significant relationship between their likelihood of contracting long COVID and their level of deprivation.
"Our study aligns with prior research on health conditions outside of the pandemic, which proposes that individuals with lower socioeconomic status face inferior health outcomes and an increased likelihood of premature mortality in comparison to those with higher socioeconomic status within the same occupation. However, the degree of socioeconomic disparity can differ substantially between occupational categories."
As per the investigators, the study highlights the requirement for a broad range of public health initiatives aimed at addressing various interrelated social factors after individuals recover from COVID-19. They suggest that forthcoming health policy guidelines should integrate various dimensions of inequality, such as sex, deprivation, and occupation, when evaluating the treatment and management of long COVID.
Dr. Islam further commented, "The disparities highlighted in this study indicate that such an approach could enable more accurate identification of risk factors and have implications for addressing various illnesses and situations beyond the current pandemic."
"These results will aid health policymakers in identifying the most at-risk subpopulations, allowing for more targeted efforts and proportional distribution of resources to help reduce health disparities," stated the researchers.
Ends
Notes to editors
- Socioeconomic inequalities of long COVID: a retrospective population-based cohort study in the United Kingdom (DOI: 10.1177/01410768231168377) by Sharmin Shabnam, Cameron Razieh, Hajira Dambha-Miller, Tom Yates, Clare Gillies, Yogini V Chudasama, Manish Pareek, Amitava Banerjee, Ichiro Kawachi, Ben Lacey, Eva JA Morris, Martin White, Francesco Zaccardi, Kamlesh Khunti and Nazrul Islam will be published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine at 00:05 hrs (UK time) on Thursday 11 May 2023. The link for the full text of the paper when published will be: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01410768231166377
- The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM) is a leading voice in the UK and internationally for medicine and healthcare. Published continuously since 1809, JRSM features scholarly comment and clinical research. JRSM is editorially independent from the Royal Society of Medicine, and its editor is Professor Kamran Abbasi. JRSM is a journal of the Royal Society of Medicine and it is published by SAGE Publishing. Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 1000 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. A growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company’s continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. www.sagepublishing.com
- The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. We are among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2023). Our academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 22,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through our high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join our global network of over 200,000 alumni. www.southampton.ac.uk
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