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Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 outbreak has led to relevant changes in everyday life worldwide. One of these changes has been a rapid transition to and an increasing implementation of working from home (WH) modality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mandatory WH during the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors, Mediterranean diet adherence, body weight, and depression. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the early 2022 at the National Research Council of Italy using ad hoc questions and validated scales collecting information on physical activity, sedentary behavior, hobbies/pastimes, dietary habits including adherence to the Mediterranean diet, body weight, and depression during WH compared with before WH. 748 respondents were included in the study. An increased sedentary lifetime was reported by 48% of respondents; however, the subsample of workers who previously performed moderate physical activity intensified this activity. Body weight gain during WH was self-reported in 39.9% of respondents. Mediterranean diet adherence increased (p≪0.001) during WH compared with before WH. The average level of mental health did not record an overall variation; however, the proportion of subjects with mild and moderate depression increased (p = 0.006), while workers who reported values indicative of depression before the transition declared an improvement. These findings highlight health-related impact of WH during the COVID-19 pandemic that may inform future strategies and policies to improve employees' health and well-being.

SUBMITTER: Scoditti E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10984516 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study.

Scoditti Egeria E Bodini Antonella A Sabina Saverio S Leo Carlo Giacomo CG Mincarone Pierpaolo P Rissotto Antonella A Fusco Stanislao S Guarino Roberto R Ponzini Giuseppe G Tumolo Maria Rosaria MR Magnavita Nicola N Tripepi Giovanni Luigi GL Garbarino Sergio S

PloS one 20240401 4

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to relevant changes in everyday life worldwide. One of these changes has been a rapid transition to and an increasing implementation of working from home (WH) modality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mandatory WH during the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors, Mediterranean diet adherence, body weight, and depression. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the early 2022 at the National Research Council of Italy using ad hoc questions and ...[more]

PMID: 38558099

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Project description:BackgroundSocial isolation measures are requisites to control viral spread during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, if these measures are implemented for a long period of time, they can result in adverse modification of people's health perceptions and lifestyle behaviors.ObjectiveThe aim of this cross-national survey was to address the lack of adequate real-time data on the public response to changes in lifestyle behavior during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-national web-based survey was administered using Google Forms during the month of April 2020. The settings were China, Japan, Italy, and India. There were two primary outcomes: (1) response to the health scale, defined as perceived health status, a combined score of health-related survey items; and (2) adoption of healthy lifestyle choices, defined as the engagement of the respondent in any two of three healthy lifestyle choices (healthy eating habits, engagement in physical activity or exercise, and reduced substance use). Statistical associations were assessed with linear and logistic regression analyses.ResultsWe received 3371 responses; 1342 were from India (39.8%), 983 from China (29.2%), 669 from Italy (19.8%), and 377 (11.2%) from Japan. A differential countrywise response was observed toward perceived health status; the highest scores were obtained for Indian respondents (9.43, SD 2.43), and the lowest were obtained for Japanese respondents (6.81, SD 3.44). Similarly, countrywise differences in the magnitude of the influence of perceptions on health status were observed; perception of interpersonal relationships was most pronounced in the comparatively old Italian and Japanese respondents (β=.68 and .60, respectively), and the fear response was most pronounced in Chinese respondents (β=.71). Overall, 78.4% of the respondents adopted at least two healthy lifestyle choices amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike health status, the influence of perception of interpersonal relationships on the adoption of lifestyle choices was not unanimous, and it was absent in the Italian respondents (odds ratio 1.93, 95% CI 0.65-5.79). The influence of perceived health status was a significant predictor of lifestyle change across all the countries, most prominently by approximately 6-fold in China and Italy.ConclusionsThe overall consistent positive influence of increased interpersonal relationships on health perceptions and adopted lifestyle behaviors during the pandemic is the key real-time finding of the survey. Favorable behavioral changes should be bolstered through regular virtual interpersonal interactions, particularly in countries with an overall middle-aged or older population. Further, controlling the fear response of the public through counseling could also help improve health perceptions and lifestyle behavior. However, the observed human behavior needs to be viewed within the purview of cultural disparities, self-perceptions, demographic variances, and the influence of countrywise phase variations of the pandemic. The observations derived from a short lockdown period are preliminary, and real insight could only be obtained from a longer follow-up.

Project description:This paper analyses the relationship between working from home (WFH) and mental well-being at different stages during the first two critical years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when governments repeatedly imposed lockdowns and enacted WFH mandates to contain the spread of the virus. Using data from a representative survey conducted at four different time periods in 2020 (first lockdown, subsequent gradual reopening), 2021 (further lockdown) and 2022 (restrictions widely lifted) in the 27 EU member states, it examines the changing role of several mediators over time: work-family conflict, family-work conflict, stability, resilience, isolation, the importance of different support networks, workload, physical risk of contracting COVID-19 at work and housing conditions. For the first lockdown, it also differentiates by previous WFH experience, in terms of WFH novices and experienced WFH workers. It likewise differentiates by gender, in order to take the potential gendered nature of COVID-19 measures into account. The results point to several important mediators: for those who work from home, less family-work conflict and isolation, but greater stability, resilience, network support from family and friends, and superior housing conditions were associated with better mental well-being. The relevance of mediators was specific to certain stages of the pandemic. Stability was the most important mediator during the first lockdown. Work-family conflict and family-work conflict were only relevant during the first lockdown, while resilience and isolation mattered especially towards the end of the pandemic. Unlike established WFH workers, WFH novices had an advantage during the first lockdown, benefiting from lower family-work conflict and more helpful networks of family and friends. Our results differ by gender: for females who undertook WFH, important mediators were work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Both were related to adjustments they had to make in work and non-work hours in response to the enforced closure of schools and childcare facilities. For males who undertook WFH, support from networks of family and friends was an important mediator during the first lockdown.

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed various aspects of our lives, including how we work. Since the start of the pandemic, numerous organizations in Canada have mandated their employees to work from home (WFH) on a full-time basis. The rapid rise in the number of remote workers and the possibility for WFH continuing in the future signifies the importance of understanding the health and well-being of employees working from home over the course of the pandemic in Canada. We present the findings of two surveys (initial and 6-month follow-up) to examine the health and well-being of WFH employees during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. We analyzed the changes in mental and physical health and well-being of employees who were working from home between two time points during the pandemic.MethodsInitial survey was completed between October 2020 and December 2020 (n = 1617); follow-up survey was completed between May 2021 and June 2021 (n = 382). We calculated the frequencies for survey questions involving demographics, WFH preferences, workstation setup training, employment situation, provision of hardware technologies, provision and usage of software technologies, and organization's return to work plan. We conducted Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to analyze the within-individual changes in mental and physical health and well-being of the 382 respondents who completed both the initial and follow-up surveys.ResultsOur analyses showed significant changes in various aspects of employee mental and physical health and well-being. Burnout, stress, general mental health, and job insecurity levels significantly decreased between the two time periods. Work-related sedentary behaviour reduced over time; however, the average proportion of time spent sitting during work hours was more than 80% in both surveys. Employees received more help and feedback from their colleagues and experienced a better sense of community with their co-workers over time.ConclusionThe findings can inform workers and organizations on the changes in mental and physical health and well-being of employees working from home during the pandemic. By understanding the changes in worker health and well-being, employers can develop effective strategies and implement policies that help protect employees' health and well-being.

Dataset Information

Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study.

Publications

Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study.

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