Abstract
Grocery workers were essential to the workforce and exempt from lockdown requirements as per Minnesota Executive Order 20–20. The risk of COVID-19 transmission in grocery settings is not well documented. This study aimed to determine which factors influenced seropositivity among grocery workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study of Minnesota grocery workers aged 18 and older using a convenience sample. Participants were recruited using a flyer disseminated electronically via e-mail, social media, and newspaper advertising. Participants were directed to an electronic survey and were asked to self-collect capillary blood for IgG antibody testing. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and adjusted for urbanicity, which confounded the relationship between number of job responsibilities in a store and seropositivity. Of 861 Minnesota grocery workers surveyed, 706 (82%) were tested as part of this study, of which 56 (7.9%) tested positive for IgG antibodies. Participants aged 65–74 years had the highest percent positivity. Having multiple job responsibilities in a store was significantly associated with seropositivity in our adjusted model (OR: 1.14 95% CI: 1.01–1.27). Workplace factors influenced seropositivity among Minnesota grocery workers. Future research will examine other potential factors (e.g., in-store preventive measures and access to PPE) that may contribute to increased seropositivity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 3501 |
Journal | International journal of environmental research and public health |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding: This research was funded by Minnesota Department of Health, grant: Minnesota SARS-CoV-2 Serology Studies. CON000000089530.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Grocery workers
- Serosurvey
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't