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Association between ethnicity and migration status with the prevalence of single and multiple long-term conditions in UK healthcare workers

Winifred Ekezie, Christopher A. Martin, Rebecca F. Baggaley, Lucy Teece, Joshua Nazareth, Daniel Pan, Shirley Sze, Luke Bryant, Katherine Woolf, Laura J. Gray, Kamlesh Khunti, Manish Pareek Orcid Logo, Laura Nellums, Anna L. Guyatt, Catherine John, I Chris McManus, Ibrahim Abubakar, Amit Gupta, Keith R. Abrams, Martin D. Tobin, Louise Wain, Sue Carr, Edward Dove, David Ford Orcid Logo, Robert Free, (on behalf of the UK-REACH study collaborative group)

BMC Medicine, Volume: 21, Issue: 1

Swansea University Author: David Ford Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1186/s12916-023-03109-w

Abstract

BackgroundHealthcare workers’ (HCW) well-being has a direct effect on patient care. However, little is known about the prevalence and patterns of long-term medical conditions in HCWs, especially those from ethnic minorities. This study evaluated the burden of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), i...

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Published in: BMC Medicine
ISSN: 1741-7015
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2023
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66409
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Abstract: BackgroundHealthcare workers’ (HCW) well-being has a direct effect on patient care. However, little is known about the prevalence and patterns of long-term medical conditions in HCWs, especially those from ethnic minorities. This study evaluated the burden of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), i.e. the presence of two or more single long-term conditions (LTCs), among HCWs in the United Kingdom (UK) and variation by ethnicity and migration status.MethodsWe used baseline data from the UK-REACH cohort study collected December 2020–March 2021. We used multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic, occupational and lifestyle factors to examine the relationship between self-reported LTCs/MLTCs and ethnicity, migration status and time since migration to the UK.ResultsOf 12,100 included HCWs, with a median age of 45 years (IQR: 34–54), 27% were overseas-born, and 30% were from non-White ethnic groups (19% Asian, 4% Black, 4% Mixed, 2% Other). The most common self-reported LTCs were anxiety (14.9%), asthma (12.2%), depression (10.7%), hypertension (8.7%) and diabetes (4.0%). Mental health conditions were more prevalent among UK-born than overseas-born HCWs for all ethnic groups (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) using White UK-born as the reference group each time: White overseas-born 0.77, 95%CI 0.66–0.95 for anxiety). Diabetes and hypertension were more common among Asian (e.g. Asian overseas, diabetes aOR 2.97, 95%CI 2.30–3.83) and Black (e.g. Black UK-born, hypertension aOR 1.77, 95%CI 1.05–2.99) groups than White UK-born. After adjustment for age, sex and deprivation, the odds of reporting MLTCs were lower in most ethnic minority groups and lowest for those born overseas, compared to White UK-born (e.g. White overseas-born, aOR 0.68, 95%CI 0.55–0.83; Asian overseas-born aOR 0.75, 95%CI 0.62–0.90; Black overseas-born aOR 0.52, 95%CI 0.36–0.74). The odds of MLTCs in overseas-born HCWs were equivalent to the UK-born population in those who had settled in the UK for ≥ 20 years (aOR 1.14, 95%CI 0.94–1.37).ConclusionsAmong UK HCWs, the prevalence of common LTCs and odds of reporting MLTCs varied by ethnicity and migrant status. The lower odds of MLTCs in migrant HCWs reverted to the odds of MLTCs in UK-born HCWs over time. Further research on this population should include longitudinal studies with linkage to healthcare records. Interventions should be co-developed with HCWs from different ethnic and migrant groups focussed upon patterns of conditions prevalent in specific HCW subgroups to reduce the overall burden of LTCs/MLTCs.
Keywords: Ethnic minorities, Migrants, Morbidity, Multiple chronic conditions, Multimorbidity, Comorbidity,Healthcare workers, United Kingdom
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: UK-REACH is supported by a grant from the MRC-UK Research and Innovation (MR/V027549/1) and the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) rapid response panel to tackle COVID-19. WE, RFB, KK, LJG and MP were supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM) and Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Issue: 1

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