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. 2023 Oct;114(5):823-839.
doi: 10.17269/s41997-023-00807-z. Epub 2023 Aug 7.

Canadian healthcare workers' mental health and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from nine representative samples between April 2020 and February 2022

Vincent Gosselin Boucher  1 , Brook L Haight  2 , Camille Léger  3   4 , Frédérique Deslauriers  3   4 , Simon L Bacon  4   5 , Kim L Lavoie  3   4 , Eli M Puterman  6 ; iCARE study team
Collaborators, Affiliations

Canadian healthcare workers' mental health and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from nine representative samples between April 2020 and February 2022

Vincent Gosselin Boucher et al. Can J Public Health. 2023 Oct.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: In the context of COVID-19, Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs) worked long hours, both to respond to the pandemic and to compensate for colleagues who were not able to work due to infection and burnout. This may have had detrimental effects on HCWs' mental health, as well as engagement in health-promoting behaviours. This study aimed to identify changes in mental health outcomes and health behaviours experienced by Canadian HCWs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Nine representative samples (Ntotal = 1615 HCWs) completed the iCARE survey using an online polling firm between April 2020 (Time 1) and February 2022 (Time 9). Participants were asked about the psychological effects of COVID-19 (e.g., feeling anxious) and about changes in their health behaviours (e.g., alcohol use, physical activity).

Results: A majority of the HCWs identified as female (65%), were younger than 44 years old (66%), and had a university degree (55%). Female HCWs were more likely than male HCWs to report feeling anxious (OR = 2.68 [1.75, 4.12]), depressed (OR = 1.63 [1.02, 2.59]), and irritable (OR = 1.61 [1.08, 2.40]) throughout the first two years of the pandemic. Female HCWs were more likely than their male counterparts to report eating more unhealthy diets (OR = 1.54 [1.02, 2.31]). Significant differences were also revealed by age, education level, income, parental status, health status, and over time.

Conclusion: Results demonstrate that the impacts of COVID-19 on HCWs' mental health and health behaviours were significant, and varied by sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., sex, age, income).

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Dans le contexte de la COVID-19, les travailleurs de la santé canadiens ont travaillé de longues heures, à la fois pour répondre à la pandémie et pour compenser pour les collègues qui n’étaient pas en mesure de travailler en raison d’infection et d’épuisement professionnel. Cela a pu générer un important impact sur leur santé mentale, ainsi que sur leurs engagements dans des comportements favorables à la santé. MéTHODES: Neuf échantillons représentatifs (Ntotal = 1 615 travailleurs de la santé) ont répondu à l’enquête iCARE par l’intermédiaire d’une compagnie de sondage en ligne entre avril 2020 (temps 1) et février 2022 (temps 9). Les participants ont été interrogés sur les effets psychologiques de la COVID-19 (p.ex., le sentiment d’anxiété) et sur les changements dans leurs comportements de santé (p.ex., la consommation d’alcool, l’activité physique). RéSULTATS: La majorité des travailleurs de santé répondants sont des femmes (65 %), ont moins de 44 ans (66 %) et ont un diplôme universitaire (55 %). Les femmes travailleuses de la santé étaient plus susceptibles de se sentir anxieuses (OR = 2,68 [1,75, 4,12]), déprimées (OR = 1,63 [1,02, 2,59) et irritables (OR = 1,61 [1,08, 2,40]) que les hommes au cours des deux premières années de la pandémie. Les femmes travailleuses de la santé étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir une alimentation plus malsaine (OR = 1,54 [1,02, 2,31]) que leurs homologues masculins. Des différences significatives ont également été révélées selon l’âge, le niveau d’éducation, le revenu, le statut parental, l’état de santé et à travers le temps. CONCLUSION: Les résultats démontrent que les impacts de COVID-19 sur la santé mentale et les comportements de santé des travailleurs de santé sont significatifs, mais varient selon les caractéristiques sociodémographiques (p.ex., le sexe, l’âge, le revenu).

Keywords: COVID-19; Health behaviour; Healthcare workers; Mental health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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