COVID-19 mortality across occupations and secondary risks for elderly individuals in the household: A population register-based study

Objectives This is the first population-level study to examine inequalities in COVID-19 mortality according to working-age individuals ’ occupations and the indirect occupational effects on COVID-19 mortality of older individuals who live with them. Methods We used early-release data for the entire population of Sweden of all recorded COVID-19 deaths from 12 March 2020 to 23 February 2021, which we linked to administrative reg isters and occupational measures. Cox proportional hazard models assessed relative risks of COVID-19 mortality for the working-aged population registered in an occupation in December 2018 and the older population who lived with them. Results Among working aged-adults, taxi/bus drivers had the hig hest relative risk of COVID-19 mortality: over four times that of skilled workers in IT, economics, or administration when adjusted only for basic demographic characteristics. After adjusting for socioeconomic factors (education, income and country of birth), there are no occupational groups with cl early elevated (statistically significant) COVID-19 mortality. Neither a measure of exposure within occupations nor the share that generally can work from home were related to working-aged adults’ risk of COVID-19 mortality. Instead of occupational factors, traditional socioeconomic risk factors b est explained variation in COVID-19 mortality. Elderly individuals, however, faced higher COVID-19 mortality risk both when living with a delivery or postal worke...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health - Category: Occupational Health Tags: Original article Source Type: research