Post-Pandemic Study on Self-Reported Long Covid and its Determinants in a Rural North Indian Adult Population

Background Most studies on long COVID-19 symptoms (LCSs) have been conducted in urban areas or in hospital-based settings. To date, relevant evidence on LCSs from community-based rural studies is lacking. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate LCSs and their determinants in a rural adult population of northern India. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural predominant district, Jhajjar, Haryana, in 2023. A total of forty clusters were covered from one randomly selected subdistrict. The semistructured questionnaire on the SurveyMonkey platform consisted of questions related to sociodemographic profile, health problems, preexisting morbidity, LCSs, and functional difficulties. The data regarding infection with COVID-19 were collected based on self-reported positive RT‒PCR results for SARS-CoV-2. Results Out of the 3700 eligible individuals identified, 2954 (79.8%) were surveyed. Based on a self-reported positive test, the rate of past COVID-19 infection was 6.2% (183/2954, 95% CI: 5.3–7.1). Furthermore, approximately 23% (42/183, 95% CI: 17.01–29.7) of the infected patients had LCS, whereas 1.4% (42/2954) of the study population had LCS. The prevalence of LCSs was greater in females than in males (28.7% vs 17.7%). Weakness (14, 33.4%), weight loss (6, 14.3%), memory problems (6, 14.3%) and headache (4, 9.5%) were common reported LCSs. Univariable analysis revealed a significant association between LCSs and age groups of 26–35 years (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10–0.83, p value = 0.019), lower education (OR 4.46, 95% CI: 1.47–13.78, p value = 0.003), preexisting morbidities such as seeing difficulty (OR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.09–7.58, p value = 0.021), difficulty in self-care (OR 3.72, 95% CI: 1.07–12.88, p value = 0.021), and communication difficulties (OR 5.28, 95% CI: (0.76–45.74, p value = 0.046). The multivariable analysis also revealed a similar pattern. Conclusion One-fifth of those who were previously infected with COVID-19 had developed LCSs. A greater probability of LCSs was found among older females, participants with less education, and participants with preexisting comorbidities.