Mental health was the highest concern among healthcare industry employees and healthcare provider occupations compared to most other industries, reflected in higher risk for depression, anxiety, and medication usage to treat these conditions, while risk of injury was not a major concern.
Key Findings
Results
Healthcare industry employees and healthcare provider occupations showed higher rates of depression compared to most other industries and occupations.
Odds ratios for depression comparisons ranged from 0.41 to 0.82, indicating that other industries had lower odds of depression relative to the healthcare reference category
Data drawn from 2020 and 2023 NHIS surveys with 61,090 total records (31,568 for 2020 and 29,522 for 2023)
After Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) weighting, records derived to a total of 510,289,600 weighted records
Associations were evaluated through PSU adjusted logistic regression using healthcare industry as the reference category
Results
Healthcare industry employees and healthcare provider occupations showed higher rates of anxiety compared to most other industries and occupations.
Odds ratios for anxiety comparisons ranged from 0.41 to 0.82, with healthcare serving as the reference category
The range of ORs mirrors that of depression findings, suggesting consistent mental health burden across both conditions
Comparisons were made across multiple industries and occupations simultaneously
Results
Healthcare industry employees and healthcare provider occupations showed higher rates of medication usage to treat mental health conditions compared to most other industries.
Odds ratios for medication usage to manage mental health conditions ranged from 0.36 to 0.83 for other industries relative to healthcare
This finding was consistent with the elevated depression and anxiety rates observed in the healthcare sector
Medication usage was assessed as one of 15 main outcomes evaluated in the study
Results
Healthcare industry employees demonstrated higher rates of diabetes compared to most other industries and occupations.
Odds ratios for diabetes comparisons ranged from 0.43 to 0.76, indicating lower odds of diabetes in other industries relative to healthcare
Diabetes was one of 15 main outcomes evaluated, alongside cancer, injuries, and mental health diagnoses
This finding was observed across both industry and occupation sub-stratified analyses
Results
Risk of injury was not identified as a major concern for healthcare industry employees compared to other industries.
The study evaluated injuries broadly as well as injuries at home, injuries at work, visits to the emergency room, and repetitive strain injuries as separate outcomes
Despite some specific instances, injury risk did not emerge as a distinguishing concern for healthcare workers relative to other industries
This finding contrasts with the prominent mental health differences observed
Methods
The study used a retrospective ecological epidemiological design analyzing NHIS data from 2020 and 2023.
Total of 61,090 records analyzed (31,568 for 2020 and 29,522 for 2023)
After PSU weighting, the total derived to 510,289,600 weighted records
Fifteen main outcomes were evaluated: injuries, injuries at home, injuries at work, ER visits, repetitive strain injuries, depression, anxiety, dementia, medication usage for mental health, cancer, and diabetes diagnoses
PSU adjusted logistic regression was used with healthcare industry and occupation as the reference category for all comparisons
Evensen-Martinez M, Phipps M, Correa N, Zapata I. (2026). Wellness assessment of United States healthcare provider and healthcare-support personnel using NHIS (National Health Interview Survey).. Public health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2026.106213