Relationship of working arrangements and getting COVID-19 in the outpatients: “in the same storm but different boats”

Year 2024, Volume: 22 Issue: 2, 196 - 208, 16.08.2024

Hakan Tüzün , Merve Atik Şahin , Cansu Özbaş , F. Nur Baran Aksakal

https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.1447375

Abstract

Objective: It was aimed to examine the relationship between a getting COVID-19 and socioeconomic variables, employment status, and working arrangements including remote working and alternate working status.

Methods: The study was conducted between 1-8 June 2021 on 1090 people. It was conducted face-to-face interviews with patients who applied to tertiary outpatients in Ankara/Türkiye. A convenient sampling method was used for determining people. Except for emergency services, all outpatient clinics were included in the study. The self-reported information was used to determine the history of getting COVID-19.

Results: The regression model including all participants shows that getting COVID-19 risk higher in workers (OR: 1.719 95% CI:1.142-2.587) according to non-workers and 30-39 age group according to 18-30 (OR: 1.669 95% CI: 1.032-2.701). Bivariate analysis, including current workers, there was a statistically significant difference between income groups in terms of getting COVID-19 (p<0.05). The prevalence of COVID-19 is higher in people who attend workplace throughout the pandemic (31.3%) than in people who work remotely for a period of time (21.8%)(p<0.05); additionally, it is higher in people who have never worked alternately (33.5%) than in people who work alternately for a period of time (22.2%) during the pandemic (p<0.05). Regression model only including currently workers shows that getting COVID-19 risk higher in those who had never worked alternately during the pandemic period (OR: 1.749 95% CI: 1.091-2.804).

Conclusion: Working arrangements are among the nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) effective in combating the pandemic. More lives could be saved in future epidemics by implementing work arrangements to include more workers.

Keywords

Working Arrangement, Remote Working, Alternate Working, COVID-19, Nonpharmaceutical Interventions, Pandemic

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for the study was obtained by Gazi University Ethics Commission with Research Code No. 2021-689.

Supporting Institution

None

Thanks

None

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