Health years lost due to COVID-19: findings from the Scottish Burden of Disease study

The Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO), part of Public Health Scotland (PHS), has today published research from the latest Scottish Burden of Disease study (not yet peer-reviewed) which looks at the impact of COVID-19 on the population’s health in 2020. This was measured using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) which represent the number of years lost to premature mortality and ill health, compared to aspirational health.

PHS will continue to monitor DALYs from COVID-19 and range of other causes throughout 2021. Measuring the population impact using DALYs allows us to combine the collective impact of ill-health and mortality. Doing so will be a key step in understanding the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 and the associated control measures which will help to inform future public health action and strengthen recovery from the pandemic.

Read more about the study and view the full report on the ScotPHO website (external website).