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Background: Physical activity is indicated as a treatment for Long COVID, but prevention is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) before and after acute SARS-Cov-2 infection and the presence of Long COVID symptoms in adults., Methods: We used data from the Sulcovid-19, a longitudinal study carried out with individuals who were infected by SARS-Cov-2 between December/2020 and March/2021. Participants were asked about 19 symptoms commonly associated with long COVID. Three PA variables were built, as follows: (1) remained inactive; (2) became inactive; (3) remained active., Results: 2.919 people were interviewed. The prevalence of individuals who had at least one symptom of Long COVID is 48.3% (95%CI 46.5-51.1). Our results showed that 71.8% (95%CI 70.1-73.4) of the individuals remained inactive, 14.9% (95%CI 13.6-16.2) became inactive and 13.3% (95% CI 12.1-14.6) remained active. The likelihood of experiencing long COVID symptoms was reduced in the musculoskeletal (PR 0.70; 95%CI 0.49-0.99), neurological (PR 0.61; 95%CI 0.43-0.88), and respiratory (PR 0.58; 95%CI 0.35-0.96) systems in those who remained active. In addition, the likelihood of experiencing Long COVID symptoms was 7% less in those who remained active., Conclusions: Continuous PA practice showed important protection effect for Long COVID symptoms in adults., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the reorganization of health services to cater to the needs of individuals affected by the virus., Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and the utilization of health services among adults in southern Brazil.  METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with individuals aged 18 years and older, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between December 2020 and March 2021. Questionnaires were electronically collected using tablets through the REDCap platform via phone calls. The health service utilization outcomes assessed included Primary Health Care, general practitioners, private emergency care, and specialized services. The exposure variable was the presence of musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in different regions, such as cervical, upper limbs, thoracic, lumbar, and lower limbs. Poisson regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between health service utilization during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and musculoskeletal pain during and after the infection with SARS-CoV-2 among adults in southern Brazil. Data were analyzed using the Stata 16.1 statistical package.  RESULTS: A total of 2,919 individuals were interviewed. Overall, individuals with musculoskeletal pain were found to utilize health services approximately 15 percentage points higher when compared to those without musculoskeletal pain. In adjusted analysis, individuals who reported musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection were up to twice as likely to use health services. Among them, the emergency care unit was the most frequently used service, particularly in those with pain in the lower limbs (RP=2.19, 95% CI 1.66-2.87) and thoracic region (RP=2.04, 95% CI 1.47-2.84). Notably, the highest magnitudes of association were observed with emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, especially neurologists, who were two to three times more likely to be sought, followed by pulmonologists.  CONCLUSION: Health service utilization was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. All regions, except for the cervical region, showed a correlation with the use of Primary Health Care. The thoracic region featured an association with pulmonologists and emergency room utilization. Additionally, health services like emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, including cardiologists and neurologists, were commonly utilized across all regions in southern Brazil., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Health counseling is a prevention and health promotion action, especially in the context of a pandemic, for both preventing disease and maintaining health. Inequalities may affect receipt of health counseling. The aim was to provide an overview of the prevalence of receiving counseling and to analyze income inequality in the receipt of health counseling., Methods: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey study with individuals aged 18 years or older with diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19 using RT-PCR testing between December 2020 and March 2021. They were asked about receipt of health counseling. Inequalities were assessed using the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX) measures. We used the Chi-square test to assess the distribution of outcomes according to income. Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment., Results: A total of 2919 individuals were interviewed. Low prevalence of health counseling by healthcare practitioner was found. Participants with higher incomes were 30% more likely to receive more counseling., Conclusions: These results serve as a basis for aggregating public health promotion policies, in addition to reinforcing health counseling as a multidisciplinary team mission to promote greater health equity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Evidence on inequalities in the health services use is important for public policy formulation, even more so in a pandemic context. The aim of this study was to evaluate socioeconomic inequities in the specialized health use services according to health insurance and income, following COVID-19 in individuals residing in Southern Brazil., Methods: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey with individuals aged 18 years or older diagnosed with symptomatic COVID-19 using the RT-PCR test between December 2020 and March 2021. Questions were asked about attendance at a health care facility following COVID-19, the facilities used, health insurance and income. Inequalities were assessed by the following measures: Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX). Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment using the Stata 16.1 statistical package., Results: 2,919 people (76.4% of those eligible) were interviewed. Of these, 24.7% (95%CI 23.2; 36.3) used at least one specialized health service and 20.3% (95%CI 18.9; 21.8) had at least one consultation with specialist doctors after diagnosis of COVID-19. Individuals with health insurance were more likely to use specialized services. The probability of using specialized services was up to three times higher among the richest compared to the poorest., Conclusions: There are socioeconomic inequalities in the specialized services use by individuals following COVID-19 in the far south of Brazil. It is necessary to reduce the difficulty in accessing and using specialized services and to extrapolate the logic that purchasing power transposes health needs. The strengthening of the public health system is essential to guarantee the population's right to health., (© 2023. The Author(s).)