Perception of Possible SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Associated Complications in Seven Labor Sectors in Peru
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Christian R. Mejia 1 , Julio C. Charri 2 , J. Franco Rodriguez-Alarcon 3 , Kevin Flores-Lovon 4 , K. Vanesa Cuzcano-Gonzales 5 , Christeam A. Benites-Ibarra 6 , Edson Huamani-Merma 7 , Jhosephi Vasquez-Ascate 8 , Daril S. Medina 9 , Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone 10 *
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1 Universidad Continental, Lima, PERU2 Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión, Cerro de Pasco, PERU3 Asociación Médica de Investigación y Servicios en Salud (AMISS), Lima, PERU4 Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, PERU5 Universidad de San Martin de Porres, Lima, PERU6 Sociedad Cientifica de Estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional del Santa, Chimbote, PERU7 Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, PERU8 Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana, Iquitos, PERU9 Universidad Nacional San Cristobal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, PERU10 Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, BRAZIL* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Objective: To determine the perception of possible infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and associated complications according to the labor sector in Peru.
Methods: We performed an observational, cross sectional, and secondary data analysis. The study had three dependent variables that were obtained from a locally validated questionnaire, in which it is asked whether the professionals had the perception that they could be infected with SARS-CoV-2 at work, or could transmit the virus to their family/friends, and regarding the possibility of complications related to the infection.
Results: Of the 2843 workers participating in the study, those in the health sector perceived that they were more likely to be infected at work. In the multivariate analysis, adjusted for four variables, health sector workers also perceived that they could be infected more frequently at work (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 1.74; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.40-2.15; p <0.001). These professionals, moreover, perceived that they could transmit the virus to their family/friends (aPR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63-0.92; p = 0.005) or that there would be complications resulting from the infection (aPR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.48-0.73; p <0.001). On the other hand, engineering sector workers were the ones who had a greater perception that they could infect their family/friends (aPR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.20-3.20; p = 0.007), while workers from other sectors perceived that they could have more chances of complications from the infection (aPR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.05-1.30; p = 0.006).
Conclusion: The health sector may be the most vulnerable in this context, which is why occupational health teams should develop and implement specific surveillance plans to prevent and reduce the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among healthcare workers.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 18, Issue 2, April 2021, Article No: em279

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/9730

Publication date: 25 Feb 2021

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