Repeated cross-sectional survey reveals high long COVID prevalence declining over time in China, indicating the protective role of vaccination and healthy lifestyle factors.
Key Points
To determine the prevalence, symptom trajectory, and clinical and lifestyle determinants of long COVID following the 2022 Omicron wave.
Conducted a two-wave repeated cross-sectional online survey among the general population in mainland China in August 2023 and August 2024 (N=47,464).
Evaluated participant symptoms and demographic characteristics using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors associated with long COVID.
The overall prevalence of long COVID was 52.34%, with fatigue identified as the most common symptom, showing a gradual decline across survey waves.
Positive associations with long COVID were observed for female gender (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.12–1.22), age 18–59 years (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.11–1.32), chronic diseases (OR 2.19, 95% CI 2.07–2.31), mental disorders (OR 2.98, 95% CI 2.85–3.11), and alcohol drinking (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.17–1.29).
Protective inverse associations occurred with regular sleep-wake cycles (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.77–0.84), daily vegetable intake (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.79–0.88), and vaccination (2 doses: OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77–0.93; 3 doses: OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79–0.95; ≥4 doses: OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.70–0.93).