Prevalence and Associations of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Defined Long COVID Among Adults: Cross-Sectional...

Long COVID is a clinical condition that significantly influences quality of life, productivity, and morbidity in the individuals affected. Much of the research to date has examined medical comorbidities and their associations with long COVID, but there remains a substantial need to understand the social and behavioral factors associated with long COVID.

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associations of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)-defined long COVID among adults in the United States through the application of the Andersen behavioral model.

This cross-sectional database study used the 2022 MEPS dataset. Variables in this analysis were organized according to the Andersen behavioral model. The appropriate weighting variable was used to obtain weighted population-based estimates. Between-group differences (ie, those with MEPS-defined long COVID vs those without) were assessed using chi-square tests, and a multivariable binomial logistic regression model was developed to assess the association between each variable and having MEPS-defined long COVID.

A total of 11,266 individuals were eligible for inclusion in this study. This represented a weighted population of 256,500,584 American adults. Of these 11,266 individuals, 790 (7%; weighted population=18,397,214) had MEPS-defined long COVID, whereas 10,476 (93%; weighted population=238,103,371) did not. Variables identified that were statistically associated with having MEPS-defined long COVID among American adults included 3 predisposing variables (age, sex, and Asian race), 2 enabling variables (marital status and employment status), 3 need variables (number of chronic conditions, health status, and instrumental activity of daily living limitations), 1 personal health practices variable (ever receiving the COVID-19 vaccine), and 1 external environmental variable (south region).

The prevalence and factors associated with having MEPS-defined long COVID among American adults in this study offer insights to expand our limited understanding of the complex environmental and social factors associated with MEPS-defined long COVID. Further research is required among the long COVID population to better understand and differentiate the causes and consequences of this condition.