Exploring social determinants of health and their impacts on self-reported quality of life in long COVID-19 patients, 2024, Pham et al.

Exploring social determinants of health and their impacts on self-reported quality of life in long COVID-19 patients
Pham, Anh; Smith, Julia; Card, Kiffer G.; Byers, Kaylee A.; Khor, Esther

This study explores the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) experienced by patients with Long COVD-19 using data from British Columbia’s post-COVID-19 Recovery Clinics.

A retrospective cohort of 3463 patients was analyzed to assess HRQoL through the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire which includes five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, physical health, and mental health) administered to patients; responses were analyzed using the Visual Analogue Score (VAS).

Notably, 95% of participants reported HRQoL scores below 90, with 50% scoring under 60, indicating significant impacts on their well-being. The analysis revealed that HRQoL is significantly influenced by various social determinants of health (SDoH), including age, sex, employment status, and ethnicity, each showing distinct correlations with HRQoL dimensions and overall VAS scores. Specifically, older age was associated with decreased mobility and increased pain/discomfort but less anxiety and depression, highlighting varying impacts across the age spectrum.

The study highlights the multifaceted impacts of Long COVID on the lives of patients and underscores the necessity of targeted strategies to improve HRQoL among diverse groups, considering specific SDoH. Such a comprehensive approach could lead to more equitable health outcomes and support the development of tailored public health policies aimed at the recovery and rehabilitation of Long COVID sufferers.

Link | PDF (Nature Scientific Reports) [Open Access]

 

Reading through this, I can't find a single useful thing in there, all of this can be safely ignored to focus on treating the illness. Even if there are some differences based on some factors, and really here age is at least as much biological as it's social, it's not as if there's anything specific that can be done. But of course lots of people will waste time and resources doing that. And it won't achieve a single thing, but they will report that it does, because this entire discipline is a dysfunctional mess.

Look at the following example: living alone. It's mainly framed as being social isolation, when they are actually missing the fact that people almost all abandon the chronically ill with time. Because we are ill, and for no other reason. Fix the illness, the root cause, and you fix the consequences. But they can't think that way, they are trained to think about irrational nonsense.

Right now I don't live alone because I am fortunate to have parents who support me. In a few years I will not, and likely will spend the rest of my days alone. Here's how they frame this:

Oh, is the health care system going to find me a wife? Or at least a girlfriend? Since adults who don't live alone don't live in some commune or crèche, the live as couples, usually romantic. Well my ex dumped me because I'm ill and it made her life miserable. Twice. We planned on marrying last year, and she dumped me, again. So did my ex before that, we were planning to get married, I got ill, things got derailed, and she left.

This is not a problem that health care systems can fix in itself. It's ridiculous. There is a root cause they can fix, but to spend even a second on this is a complete waste of everything, so of course this is where they spend most of their pathetic efforts.

Also, sometimes you have to ignore the "it could just be association" and use your damn brain:

That of course people who are more ill work less, and it's the only reason they work less here. This is not association it's clear cause-and-effect, but they're not interested in solving the root cause because they don't believe in it, and would rather do useless BS like finger-paintaing class and other junk.

Because, nooo, they think the reverse explanation that makes no sense is just as likely:

So maybe it's not that people who aren't healthy work less because of health problems, it could be that they work less because they are not completely in a healthy state. Which is somehow supposed to be different. Or whatever.

Here is what they suggest as potential responses:

Just pure nonsense. Hey good luck promoting this, or whatever. And under no circumstances should you do "social prescribing", whatever the hell that may be.

Real research, please. It's 90% junk and this is what gets reflected in news reports. Junk. Pure garbage.