Level of Physical disability and life participation of post COVID-19 survivors

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to find out the level of physical disability and life participation of post COVID-19 Survivors. Objectives: To find out the physical disability level and life satisfaction of post COVID-19 Survivors, to find out the ability of understanding and communicating, getting around, getting along with people, life activities, participation in society and to find out their participation in life. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study. Two hundred participants (136 men and 64 women) from Dhaka and Bogura district, who survived from COVID-19 (through mobile phone and face to face interview) were conveniently recruited as sample for this study. Interviewer administered Bengali version of The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale II (WHODAS II) 36 items and LISAT-9 was applied to people who survived from COVID-19. Result: In the study the total participants were 200. The minimum age was 18 years old and the maximum age was 73. Each item of WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire was rated on a 5-point scale, from 1 (no difficulty) to 5 (extreme difficulty/cannot do).The disability score was calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).In this study, the greatest limitation was found in the domains of ‘life activities' (median 11, IQR range 5) and social participation (median 11, IQR range 6). Each item of LISAT-9 questionnaire was rated on a 6-point scale, from 1 (very dissatisfying) to 6 (very satisfying). In this study participants were rather satisfy with their life as a whole 62.5% (n=125) and observation indicated that participants with age range 28-37 (n=42) were large in number who were rather satisfied with their life as a whole. Strong association was found between age and partner relationship, educational status and vocational situation, occupation and both sexual life and partner relationship. Conclusion: This study provides information about limitation of post COVID-19 survivors, after surviving COVID-19 they have some limitations in life activities and social participation and they were rather satisfy in social participation. Keywords: COVID-19, physical disability, life participation, Survivors.