Investigation the prevalence of COVID-19 in different occupations in Shahroud city

M Jamshidi Rastani; A Heydari; M Rohani-Rasaf; A Barkhordari; M Nikjoo

doi:10.18502/tkj.v15i1.12975

M Jamshidi Rastani Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
A Heydari Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
M Rohani-Rasaf Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
A Barkhordari Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
M Nikjoo Environmental Health, Shahroud Municipality, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tkj.v15i1.12975

Keywords: Covid-19 Disease, Job Title, Gender, Smoking, Comorbidity Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Covid-19 was first reported as a viral disease in China in 2019, and it soon became a global pandemic. In addition, the types of occupations people have and the environments in which they work may increase the likelihood of being exposed to the virus. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in various occupations and its relationship with some effective parameters in Shahroud City.

Materials and Methods: This research is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study that was conducted in 2021. The required information was extracted from the database provided by Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. These files contain the results of the comprehensive study of COVID-19 in Shahroud. All the jobs that were asked of the person were classified based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations and suspicious and definite cases were examined in different occupations. The information was analyzed using SPSS software version 22.

Results: According to the results, the highest percentage of cases (45%) was in healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses, and operating room staff—in other words, all employees working in the healthcare system. The next highest percentages were in household and home nursing workers (44.5%), retirees (43.2%), and construction workers (43%). The relationship between variables such as age, smoking status, presence of comorbidities, and presence of a high body mass index (BMI) associated with Covid-19 disease was examined by the regression test. It was found that the relationship was significant and that these variables affected the prevalence of the disease. Based on the odds ratio in the age variable, with each year of age, the chance of getting infected increased by 1%. A current smoker had a reduced chance of getting the disease by 57.2%. Having a comorbidity increased the chance of getting the disease by 14%, and with each increase in BMI, the chance of getting the disease increased by 3.8%.

Conclusion: The study found that in some occupations, such as healthcare workers, the prevalence of the disease was higher because workers were in direct contact with patients and people infected with the virus. In general, it can be said that the prevalence of the disease was low in workers who could telework and remain at home rather than go to a job or in the community. Factors such as age, the presence of comorbidities, status as a current smoker, and having a high BMI affected contracting Covid-19 disease.