Covid-19 has been classified as a disease that constitutes a danger to society, and preventive measures have been implemented to limit the spread of the virus. Apart from the consequences of the virus on morbidity and mortality, the covid-19 pandemic and the measures taken to reduce the pace of its spread have fundamental effects on society, which may have indirect consequences for public health.
This publication is based on the overarching goal of Swedish public health policy, which is to create the right societal conditions for good and equitable health throughout the population and to reduce avoidable health inequalities within a generation. It is structured around the eight target areas, identified as the most important factors affecting people's health.
Conditions in early life, for example, might be affected by limited access to pre-school due to parental unemployment, and this could in turn have consequences for the safety and development of children. Change in teaching methods such as distance learning and increased absenteeism might lead to difficulties for children in special needs education to finalize their education.
Access to work is declining in industries that are experiencing reduced demand, resulting in a declining labour market, which could disproportionately affect the livelihood of groups with lower education or foreign-born individuals. The quality of accommodation and neighbourhoods can decline caused by deteriorating living conditions, which might result in lower levels of trust and safety in socioeconomic disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
There is a risk that unhealthy lifestyles, linked to diet and physical activity, as well as harmful use of alcohol, narcotics, doping, tobacco use and gambling, will increase, especially among socioeconomic disadvantaged groups. The consequences of reduced control, influence and participation could be that the elderly experience increasing worry and loneliness or women and children being subjected to greater isolation and domestic violence. Finally, there is a risk that equitable and health-promoting services and other types of medical care will be less prioritized and the participation in other health promoting activities may decrease, especially among groups who already tend to participate in these activities to a lesser extent.
Covid-19 pandemic and the preventive measures taken for reducing the spread of the virus in Sweden and internationally may have negative consequences on general health and premature death. Furthermore, health inequalities between different groups based on socioeconomic conditions or according to the Discrimination Act, is at risk of increasing.
The aim of this publication is to highlight the possible negative consequences for public health due to the covid-19 pandemic and the preventive measures taken, based on the situation in Sweden during spring 2020. It is not within the scope of this publication to analyse illness and mortality directly caused by covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
On the other hand, the preventive measures taken to limit the spread of the virus may have had favourable effects for the health of various groups and offered opportunities for the development of public health. However, in this publication, we focus on the challenges and risk for public health.
It is important to continue the analysis of the consequences of the pandemic from a public health perspective, both challenges and possibilities, in order to create the long-term conditions for public health, which contributes to a good and equitable health.