Changes in Quality of Life Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Jewish and Arab Populations in Israel: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Main Authors: Jelte Elsinga (Author), Paul Kuodi (Author), Haneen Shibli (Author), Yanay Gorelik (Author), Hiba Zayyad (Author), Ofir Wertheim (Author), Kamal Abu Jabal (Author), Amiel Dror (Author), Saleh Nazzal (Author), Daniel Glikman (Author), Michael Edelstein (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objectives: The long-term impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities is under-researched. We investigated changes in health-related inequalities following SARS-CoV-2 infection between the Jewish majority and the Arab/Druze minority in Israel.Methods: Patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test processed from one of the Northern-Israeli government hospitals between 03/2021 and 05/2022 were invited to participate. We collected socio-demographic, COVID-19-related, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) information using a validated questionnaire. We compared pre- and post COVID-19 HRQoL changes between Jews and Arabs/Druze, up to 12+ months post-infection using an adjusted linear regression model.Results: Among the 881 included participants the average post-COVID HRQoL score was lower among Arabs/Druze than Jews (0.83 vs. 0.88; p = 0.005). Until 12 months post-infection, HRQoL changes were similar for Arabs/Druze and Jews. After 12 months, HRQoL dropped significantly more among Arabs/Druze than among Jews (0.11 points difference between the groups; p = 0.014), despite adjusting for socioeconomic variables.Conclusion: 12 months post-infection, COVID-19 affected the HRQoL of Arabs/Druze more than Jews, with the gap not fully explained by socio-economic differences. The COVID-19 pandemic may widen pre-existing long-term health inequalities.

Item Description

1661-8564
10.3389/ijph.2023.1605970