Impact of the pandemic on the quality of life in the Polish and German population

Abstract

Introduction. Quality of life during the pandemic has taken on a completely different dimension. As a result of the restrictions, it was necessary to reorganize life in every sphere. This could lead to a number of negative consequences, including the deterioration of physical and mental health, as well as disturbances in the ability to establish proper social relationships. Objective. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on the quality of life in the Polish and German population. Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of 200 people, of which 100 people are respondents living in Poland, while the remaining 100 live in Germany. The research tool used in this study was a questionnaire. The questionnaire was created in two language versions: Polish and German. The obtained results are presented in the form of pie charts and bar graphs. Pie charts present the results in percentages, obtained in individual questions included in the questionnaire. Results and discussion. The results indicate a change in the frequency of undertaking physical activity. The number of respondents undertaking physical activity has significantly decreased, while the respondents who do not undertake physical activity during the pandemic constitute almost half of the respondents from Poland. The situation in Germany is completely different, as the number of people undertaking and not undertaking physical activity has not changed significantly. As a result of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, almost half of the respondents from Poland began to feel a little fatigued while performing everyday activities, while the level of fatigue of the German respondents did not change significantly and oscillates around the same limits as before the pandemic. The quality of sleep in Polish respondents definitely decreased from good to moderate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while in German respondents there is no significant decrease in sleep quality. Conclusions. 1. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the mental health of the Polish population to a large extent, while the negative impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic on the German population is observed to a much lesser extent. 2. The pandemic situation contributed to a significant deterioration in the quality of life in the case of the Polish population, while in the case of the German population, no significant deterioration in the overall quality of life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was documented. 3. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in the level of physical fitness and the frequency of undertaking physical activity in the Polish population, while in the case of the German population, the level of physical fitness slightly deteriorated, but no significant decrease in the frequency of undertaking physical activity was observed during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 4. Among the Polish population, the general well-being has clearly deteriorated, however, in the case of the German population, there is no significant decrease in well-being caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.