Telecommuting Frequency and Preference among Japanese Workers According to Regional Cumulative COVID-19 Incidence: A Cross-Sectional Study
Hiroka Baba,
Kazunori Ikegami,
Hajime Ando,
Hisashi Eguchi,
Mayumi Tsuji,
Seiichiro Tateishi,
Masako Nagata,
Shinya Matsuda,
Yoshihisa Fujino,
Affiliations
Hiroka Baba
Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Kazunori Ikegami
Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Hajime Ando
Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Hisashi Eguchi
Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Mayumi Tsuji
Department of Environmental Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Seiichiro Tateishi
Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Masako Nagata
Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Shinya Matsuda
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
Yoshihisa Fujino
Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Fukuoka, Japan
This study aimed to examine the relationship between telecommuting and the regional cumulative COVID-19 incidence. This was a cross-sectional study analyzing 13,468 office workers. The participant groups, according to the level of cumulative COVID-19 incidence by prefecture, were used as the predictor variable, and telecommuting frequency and preference were used as outcomes. We employed an ordinal logistic regression analysis. In regions with a high cumulative COVID-19 incidence, the proportion of participants who telecommuted more than 2 days per week was 34.7%, which was approximately 20% higher than in other regions. Telecommuting preference was stronger in areas with higher COVID-19 influence. However, in other regions, the proportion of participants who did not want to telecommute was higher than that of those who wanted to telecommute. We found that telecommuting frequency and preference were higher in regions with high cumulative COVID-19 incidence.
