Differences in Multi-Faceted Lifestyles in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Association with Depression and Quality of Life of Older Adults in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Kang-Hyun Park,Ah-Ram Kim,Min-Ah Yang,Ji-Hyuk Park

doi:10.3390/nu13114124

Kang-Hyun Park, Ah-Ram Kim + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13114124

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Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, due to the number of newly reported confirmed cases and the rapid increase in deaths. Therefore, countries around the world limited their population to policies such as “social distancing” or “staying at home” to prevent the spread of the virus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in lifestyle pre and post the outbreak COVID-19 among older adults in South Korea and to identify the impact of lifestyle differences on depression and quality of life. Methods: An online single questionnaire covering sociodemographic data, lifestyle details, depression status, and quality of life level was distributed using mailing lists and social media. To assess lifestyles differences in older people pre and post the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the online single questionnaire was used post COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the participants’ memories, they responded lifestyles at two time points (pre and post COVID-19 pandemic). Results: The results showed that there was a significant decrease in physical activity and activity participation during the pandemic. In terms of nutrition, there was no statistically significant change pre and post the outbreak COVID-19, except for the intake of protein, fat, and vitamins. Additionally, the results showed that the resulting lifestyle differences seem to have had a negative impact on depression and quality of life among older adults in South Korea. Conclusion: There was a significant difference the lifestyle patterns among the participants in South Korea between the current period and pre COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it is observed that these differenced lifestyles were associated with depression and quality of life among the participants. Our findings may help to develop public health programs that support healthy lifestyles in pandemic conditions.

Highlights

IntroductionThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory syndrome that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 [1]
A high percentage of polled individuals lived with family members during the COVID-19 pandemic; only 7.6% lived alone
We identified the impact of lifestyle on depression and quality of life in elderly people post the outbreak of COVID-19

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory syndrome that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 [1]. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic due to the number of newly reported confirmed cases and the rapid increase in deaths [2]. By the beginning of August 2021, more than 200 million COVID-19 cases were reported worldwide of which approximately. Countries around the world started limiting their population to policies such as “social distancing” or “staying at home” to prevent the spread of the virus [4,5]. Social distancing or staying at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 leads to isolation, which is likely to adversely affect individuals’ physical and mental health [6] Countries around the world started limiting their population to policies such as “social distancing” or “staying at home” to prevent the spread of the virus [4,5]. 4.0/).

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