AUTHOR=Elsinga Jelte , Kuodi Paul , Shibli Haneen , Gorelik Yanay , Zayyad Hiba , Wertheim Ofir , Abu Jabal Kamal , Dror Amiel , Nazzal Saleh , Glikman Daniel , Edelstein Michael 

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

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=68

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605970

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1605970

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> 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.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> 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.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Among the 881 included participants the average post-COVID HRQoL score was lower among Arabs/Druze than Jews (0.83 vs. 0.88; <italic>p</italic> = 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; <italic>p</italic> = 0.014), despite adjusting for socioeconomic variables.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> 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.</p>