Title : Association between health outcomes and quality of life domains in Brazilians with post-covid-19 conditions

Background: Post-COVID-19 conditions are associated with persistent clinical manifestations that may impair individuals’ functional capacity, mental health, and quality of life (QoL). Understanding the relationship between health outcomes resulting from COVID-19 and the different domains of QoL is essential to support care and rehabilitation strategies. This study aimed to analyze the association between health outcomes related to post-COVID-19 conditions and quality of life domains assessed using the Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36).

Methods: This cross-sectional, retrospective, multicenter study was conducted across the five regions of Brazil and included 854 adults (≥18 years) with a confirmed COVID19 diagnosis at least one year prior to data collection. Data were collected using the COVID-19 Patient Monitoring Software, developed and validated in Brazil. Health outcomes related to post-COVID-19 conditions were obtained through self-report, including the presence of persistent sequelae, while quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 instrument. Inferential analyses compared mean QoL domain scores between participants with and without post-COVID-19 sequelae, adopting a significance level of 5%. The study was approved by a Research Ethics Committee and funded by CNPq/DECIT/MCTIC (Grant No. 445654/2023-6).

Results: Of the 854 participants, 64.3% reported post-COVID-19 sequelae. Compared with individuals without sequelae, those with sequelae presented significantly lower scores in the domains of Physical Functioning (75.92±24.94 vs. 88.64±16.94; p<0.001), Role Limitations due to Physical Health (53.33±38.59 vs. 75.08±32.13; p<0.001), Bodily Pain (61.45±20.15 vs. 71.15±18.59; p<0.001), Role Limitations due to Emotional Problems (50.52±39.34 vs. 71.80±34.51; p<0.001), and Mental Health (56.42±21.97 vs. 66.10±19.52; p<0.001). No significant difference was observed in the Social Functioning domain (55.58±15.16 vs. 56.11±14.31; p=0.619). General Health Perceptions (51.18±8.98 vs. 49.51±9.43; p=0.010) and Vitality (51.75±13.98 vs. 44.93±13.58; p<0.001) showed higher scores among participants with sequelae.

Conclusions: The presence of post-COVID-19 sequelae was associated with poorer quality of life, particularly in domains related to physical functioning, mental health, pain, and emotional wellbeing. These findings demonstrate the multidimensional impact of post-COVID-19 conditions on individuals’ health and reinforce the need for longitudinal follow-up and multidisciplinary interventions aimed at physical, emotional, and functional rehabilitation in this population.

Prof. Dr. Francisca Elisângela Teixeira Lima is a faculty member at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Brazil, and a researcher in the Graduate Program in Nursing. She is a registered nurse with a PhD in Nursing and conducts research in the fields of Public Health, Health Promotion, Social Determinants of Health, Quality of Life, Post-COVID-19 Conditions, Child Health, and Educational Technologies in Health. She coordinates and collaborates on research projects funded by national research agencies, including a project supported by CNPq/DECIT/MCTIC (Grant No. 445654/2023-6).