Associations of age, health literacy, BMI, tobacco use, and COVID-19 infection history with sexual dysfunction among COVID-19 survivors: A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES

Sexual dysfunction is a prevalent and often overlooked issue among COVID-19 survivors. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with sexual dysfunction in this population.

STUDY

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A multicenter survey was conducted involving 2809 COVID-19 survivors. Sexual dysfunction was assessed using the 14-item Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ-14). Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with sexual dysfunction.

RESULTS

The CSFQ-14 scores indicated that 52.2% of the participants experienced sexual dysfunction, with higher rates observed among males (53.1%) compared to females (46.9%). Several risk factors were identified, including higher age (odds ratio, OR, 2.20; 95% confident interval, 95%CI, 1.58, 3.07; p < 0.001), a greater number of family members with COVID-19 (OR, 1.28; 95%CI, 1.02, 1.62; p = 0.037), multiple COVID-19 infections (OR, 2.13; 95%CI, 1.20, 3.77; p = 0.01), higher body mass index (BMI) (OR, 1.50; 95%CI, 1.23, 1.81; p < 0.001), COVID-19 treatment at the hospital (OR, 1.26; 95%CI, 1.06, 1.50; p = 0.01), and a history of tobacco use (OR,1.48; 95%CI, 1.13, 1.95; p = 0.005). Conversely, higher education levels (OR, 0.66; 95%CI, 0.53, 0.84; p = 0.001), current employment (OR, 0.64; 95%CI, 0.44, 0.93; p = 0.019), and greater health literacy (OR, 0.98; 95%CI, 0.97, 0.99; p = 0.004) were found to be protective factors against sexual dysfunction.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the significant burden of sexual dysfunction among COVID-19 survivors. Targeted interventions should focus on weight management, smoking cessation, and improving education and health literacy to enhance sexual well-being in this population.