Journal Article

The sociodemographic patterning of sick leave and determinants of longer sick leave after mild and severe COVID-19: a nationwide register-based study in Sweden

Spetz, Malin, Nwaru, Chioma, Li, Huiqi, Natt och Dag, Yvonne, Nyberg, Fredrik, Rosvall, Maria, Santosa, Ailiana

2024

Overview

Background Studies on sociodemographic differences in sick leave after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited and research on COVID-19 long-term health consequences has mainly addressed hospitalized individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the social patterning of sick leave and determinants of longer sick leave after COVID-19 among mild and severe cases. Methods The study population, from the Swedish multi-register observational study SCIFI-PEARL, included individuals aged 18–64 years in the Swedish population, gainfully employed, with a first positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from 1 January 2020 until 31 August 2021 (n = 661 780). Using logistic regression models, analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, vaccination, prior sick leave, comorbidities and stratified by hospitalization. Results In total, 37 420 (5.7%) individuals were on sick leave due to COVID-19 in connection with their first positive COVID-19 test. Individuals on sick leave were more often women, older, had lower income and/or were born outside Sweden. These differences were similar across COVID-19 pandemic phases. The highest proportion of sick leave was seen in the oldest age group (10.3%) with an odds ratio of 4.32 (95% confidence interval 4.18–4.47) compared with the youngest individuals. Among individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19, the sociodemographic pattern was less pronounced, and in some models, even reversed. The intersectional analysis revealed considerable variability in sick leave between sociodemographic groups (range: 1.5–17.0%). Conclusion In the entire Swedish population of gainfully employed individuals, our findings demonstrated evident sociodemographic differences in sick leave due to COVID-19. In the hospitalized group, the social patterning was different and less pronounced.

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Subject: Age differences / Age groups / Chemical analysis / Comorbidity / Confidence intervals / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / Employee benefits / Environmental & Occupational Health / Female / Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa och socialmedicin / Health Sciences / Hospitalization / Humans / Hälsovetenskap / Immunization / Infectious Medicine / Infektionsmedicin / Intersectionality / Low income groups / Observational studies / Older women / Pandemics / Patterning / Polymerase chain reaction / Population studies / Public / Public health / Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine / Register / Regression analysis / Regression models / SARS-CoV-2 / Science fiction & fantasy / Severe acute respiratory syndrome / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Severity / Sick Leave / Social groups / Sociodemographics / Statistical analysis / Sweden - epidemiology / Swedish language / Vaccination / Viral diseases / Work and Health