Health behaviours of young adults during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic - a longitudinal study.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has created a number of obstacles to daily functioning, which have led to a need for major changes in lifestyles. The aim of the study was to assess whether and to what extent the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the health behaviours of young adults.Methods
506 people aged 18 to 34 ([Formula: see text] =24.67 years ±4.23 years) who filled in an online survey were qualified for the study. Assessment was made of eating habits (a modified Food Frequency Questionnaire, FFQ), physical activity and sedentary behaviours (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, short form IPAQ-SF), sleep quality (The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and generalized anxiety (Generalized anxiety Disorder, 7-item, GAD-7 scale).Results
During the pandemic, young adults changed their dietary preferences toward sweets and cereal products, increased alcohol (p < 0.001) and fat (p = 0.005) intake, significantly reduced their physical activity (from 8752.5 metabolic equivalents (MET) min/week vs. 6174.6 MET min/week, p < 0.001), increased the time spent sedentarily (Me = 240 min vs. Me = 360 min, p < 0.001) and had decreased sleep quality (PSQI score Me = 7.00 vs. Me = 9.00).Conclusions
The Covid-19 pandemic worsened health behaviours and intensified the feeling of generalized anxiety in young adults. Generalized anxiety during obligatory lockdown had the greatest negative impact on sedentary behaviours and sleep quality.
SUBMITTER: Czenczek-Lewandowska E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8170456 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description: Not available
| S-BSST1055 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundDigital physical activity (PA) program use has been associated with higher PA guideline adherence during COVID-19 pandemic confinements. However, little is known longitudinally about exercise locations (inside vs outside the home environment), digital program use, and their associations with moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and muscle-strengthening activities (MSAs) during the pandemic.ObjectiveThe aims of this study were to assess the relationship between exercise location and use of digital programs with PA guideline adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic, describe how individuals exercised inside and outside of their home environments, and explore which sociodemographic and contextual factors were associated with exercise locations and digital PA program use.MethodsActive UK adults (N=1938) who participated in the 1-month follow-up survey of the Health Behaviours During the COVID-19 Pandemic (HEBECO) study (FU1, June-July 2020) and at least one more follow-up survey (FU2, August-September; FU3, November-December 2020) reported exercise locations and types of exercises inside and outside their homes, including digital programs (online/app-based fitness classes/programs), MVPA, and MSA. Generalized linear mixed models were used to assess associations of exercise location and digital PA program use with PA guideline adherence (MVPA, MSA, full [combined] adherence), and predictors of exercise location and digital program use.ResultsAs the pandemic progressed, active UK adults were less likely to exercise inside or to use digital PA programs compared with periods of initial confinement: 61% (95% CI 58%-63%; weighted n=1024), 50% (95% CI 48%-53%; weighted n=786), and 49% (95% CI 46%-51%; weighted n=723) performed any exercise inside their homes at FU1, FU2, and FU3, respectively. At FU1, FU2, and FU3, 22% (95% CI 21%-25%; weighted n=385), 17% (95% CI 15%-19%; weighted n=265), and 16% (95% CI 14%-18%; weighted n=241) used digital PA programs, respectively. Most participants who exercised inside already owned indoor equipment, used digital PA programs, or had their own workout routines, whereas MVPA and gentle walking were the most common exercise types performed outside the home. Being female, nonwhite, having a condition limiting PA, indoor exercising space, a lower BMI, and living in total isolation were associated with increased odds of exercising inside the home or garden compared with outside exercise only. Digital PA program users were more likely to be younger, female, highly educated, have indoor space to exercise, and a lower BMI. While exercising inside was positively associated with MSA and exercising outside was positively associated with MVPA guideline adherence, both inside (vs outside only) and outside (vs inside only) activities contributed to full PA guideline adherence (odds ratio [OR] 5.05, 95% CI 3.17-8.03 and OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.10-3.23, respectively). Digital PA program use was associated with a higher odds of MSA (OR 3.97-8.71) and full PA (OR 2.24-3.95), but not with MVPA guideline adherence.ConclusionsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, full PA guideline adherence was associated with exercising inside and outside of one's home environment and using digital PA programs. More research is needed to understand the reach, long-term adherence, and differences between digital PA solutions.
| S-EPMC9217149 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPregnant women's stress, mental and physical health, and health behaviours can have important implications for maternal and child health outcomes.AimTo examine pregnant women's levels of stress, mental and physical health, and health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted online, with recruitment and data collection occurring between 16/6/20 and 17/7/20. Participants were pregnant women recruited via online pregnancy/parenting communities. Participants self-reported their levels of general stress, pregnancy-specific stress and COVID-19 related stress, mental and physical health, general health behaviours, and COVID-19 related health behaviours.Findings573 pregnant women participated in the survey. Participants were most commonly resident in the United States (42.6%, n=243), Ireland (41.2%, n=235) or the United Kingdom (10%, n=57). The majority (80.0%, n=457) were married and educated to degree level or above (79.3, n=453). Pregnant women reported high levels of pregnancy-specific and COVID-19-related stress, and low levels of mental and physical health, during the pandemic. Encouragingly, pregnant women in this study generally reported high levels of adherence to public health advice and pregnancy health behaviours. Stress and general mental health outcomes were best predicted by well-being factors (including stress and social support). Health impairing behaviours (e.g. poor diet) were predicted by both well-being and demographic factors.DiscussionInterventions targeting pregnancy- and pandemic-specific stress at the population level will be essential to support mental health and minimise adverse outcomes for women and children during the pandemic.
| S-EPMC9051042 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic and the implemented lockdown strongly impact on everyone's daily life. Stressful situations are known to alter eating habits and increase the risk for obesity. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the lockdown measures on nutrition behavior among young adults.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1964 voluntary participants from Bavarian universities. All participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire, semi-quantitatively evaluating the amount and type of food before and during pandemic lockdown. Study subjects were inquired to give information about acquisition and food procurement. The primary outcome was the change in food amount, secondary outcomes included alterations of food composition and procurement.ResultsOur study cohort (mean age 23.3 ± 4.0 years, 28.5% male) had a mean body mass index of 22.1 ± 4.5 kg/m2. The overall food amount increased in 31.2% of participants (n = 610) during lockdown and decreased in 16.8% (n = 328). A multinominal regression model revealed that an increased food intake was less likely in male participants (OR, 0.7 [CI 0.6-0.9]) and more likely with increasing BMI (OR, 1.4 [CI 1.3-2.0]), increased sports activity (OR, 1.3 [CI 1.2-1.8]), augmented mental stress (OR 1.4 [1.1-1.7]), and an alteration of alcohol consumption (reduced alcohol amount, OR, 1.4 [CI 1.1-1.7], increased alcohol, OR, 1.9 [CI 1.4-2.5]). Increase in food intake was mainly triggered by consumption of bread (increased in 46.8%, n = 284) and confectionary (increased in 64.4%, n = 389).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic lockdown significantly affected eating habits in young adults. Further investigation to evaluate long-term effects on weight change and comorbidities are warranted.
| S-EPMC7705857 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the population's mental health and well-being are likely to be profound and long lasting.AimsTo investigate the trajectory of mental health and well-being during the first 6 weeks of lockdown in adults in the UK.MethodA quota survey design and a sampling frame that permitted recruitment of a national sample was employed. Findings for waves 1 (31 March to 9 April 2020), 2 (10 April to 27 April 2020) and 3 (28 April to 11 May 2020) are reported here. A range of mental health factors was assessed: pre-existing mental health problems, suicide attempts and self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, defeat, entrapment, mental well-being and loneliness.ResultsA total of 3077 adults in the UK completed the survey at wave 1. Suicidal ideation increased over time. Symptoms of anxiety, and levels of defeat and entrapment decreased across waves whereas levels of depressive symptoms did not change significantly. Positive well-being also increased. Levels of loneliness did not change significantly over waves. Subgroup analyses showed that women, young people (18-29 years), those from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds and those with pre-existing mental health problems have worse mental health outcomes during the pandemic across most factors.ConclusionsThe mental health and well-being of the UK adult population appears to have been affected in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increasing rates of suicidal thoughts across waves, especially among young adults, are concerning.
| S-EPMC7684009 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionWe assessed change in substance use from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults and identified factors associated with initiation/increase in use.MethodsThe sample comprised young adults from a longitudinal investigation of 1294 youth recruited at ages 12-13 (1999-2000) in 10 Montréal-area high schools. Pre-pandemic data on use of cannabis, alcohol, combustible cigarette, e-cigarette and binge drinking were collected at ages 20.4, 24.0 and 30.6. During COVID-19, data were collected from December 2020 to June 2021 (age 33.6). We studied the prevalence of any and weekly/daily use from age 20.4 to 33.6. Individual-level change in substance use during the pandemic was estimated as differences in the frequency of use from age 30.6 to 33.6 versus from age 24.0 to 30.6. Heterogeneity in the risk of initiated/increased substance use during COVID-19 across sociodemographic subgroups was assessed using modified Poisson regression.ResultsThe prevalence of cannabis use increased from 17.5% to 23.1% from before to during the pandemic; e-cigarette use increased from 3.8% to 5.4%. In individual change analyses, the proportion of participants whose substance use did not change ranged from 48.9% (alcohol) to 84.0% (e-cigarettes). The incidence of initiated/increased cannabis use (22.4%), and quit/decreased alcohol (35.2%) and binge drinking (53.5%) were higher during the pandemic than between ages 24.0 to 30.6. Low education and living alone were associated with higher risks of initiated/increased use of most substances.DiscussionMost participants reported stable patterns in substance use from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic.FundingThe NDIT study was supported by the Canadian Cancer Society (grant numbers 010271, 017435, 704031) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant number 451832).
| S-EPMC9021679 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeWe investigated the relationships between physical isolation at home during the period when many US states had shelter-in-place orders and subsequent longitudinal trajectories of depression, anxiety, and loneliness in older adults over a 6 month follow-up.MethodsData were from monthly online questionnaires with US adults aged ≥ 55 in the nation-wide COVID-19 Coping Study (April through October 2020, N = 3978). Physical isolation was defined as not leaving home except for essential purposes (0, 1-3, 4-6, and 7 days in the past week), measured at baseline (April-May). Outcomes were depressive symptoms (8-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), anxiety symptoms (5-item Beck Anxiety Inventory), and loneliness (3-item UCLA loneliness scale), measured monthly (April-October). Multivariable, population- and attrition-weighted linear mixed-effects models assessed the relationships between baseline physical isolation with mental health symptoms at baseline and over time.ResultsPhysical isolation (7 days versus 0 days in the past week) was associated with elevated depressive symptoms (adjusted β = 0.85; 95% CI 0.10-1.60), anxiety symptoms (adjusted β = 1.22; 95% CI 0.45-1.98), and loneliness (adjusted β = 1.06; 95% CI 0.51-1.61) at baseline, but not with meaningful rate of change in these mental health outcomes over time. The symptom burden of each mental health outcome increased with increasing past-week frequency of physical isolation.ConclusionDuring the early COVID-19 pandemic, physical isolation was associated with elevated depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and loneliness, which persisted over time. These findings highlight the unique and persistent mental health risks of physical isolation at home under pandemic control measures.
| S-EPMC8895362 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionPublic health mitigation policies aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 led to an increase in mental health problems (MHPs). This study examines the association between multiple pre-pandemic health behaviors and MHPs prior to, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe analyzed a representative population sample of 11,256 adults (aged 20-65 years) from Understanding Society-The UK Household Longitudinal Study. Baseline data from participants interviewed in 2017/2019 (wave 9) were linked to web surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify mutually exclusive health behavior (physical activity, alcohol consumption, eating habits and smoking tobacco) clusters by gender, and examined the sociodemographic correlates of each cluster. We assessed how pre-pandemic latent classes of health behaviors were associated with changes in MHPs during the pandemic using fixed effects regression models.ResultsThree health behavior clusters were identified: positive (33%), moderate (24%), and high risk (43%), where similar behaviors clustered within individuals and sociodemographic circumstances. In particular, gender, age, migrant status and ethnicity were found to have strong associations with each cluster. Our results also demonstrated a clear association in MHPs with health behaviors both prior to, and during the pandemic. There were significant increases in MHPs between 2017/2019 and January 2021, with fluctuations coinciding with changes in public health mitigation policies. Assessments across the three clusters showed about 25.2%, 16.9%, and 0.7% increases in MHPs in the positive, moderate and high risk health behavior clusters, respectively.DiscussionThis study shows that pre-pandemic health behaviors were significantly associated with mental health before and during the pandemic. Holistic policy interventions and promotions targeting multiple health behaviors may be an effective strategy to improve mental health in the pandemic recovery period.
| S-EPMC9877513 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated lockdown could be considered a 'perfect storm' for increases in emotional distress. Such increases can only be identified by studies that use data collected before and during the pandemic. Longitudinal data are also needed to examine (1) the roles of previous distress and stressors in emotional distress during the pandemic and (2) how COVID-19-related stressors and coping strategies are associated with emotional distress when pre-pandemic distress is accounted for. METHODS:Data came from a cohort study (N = 768). Emotional distress (perceived stress, internalizing symptoms, and anger), COVID-19-related stressors, and coping strategies were measured during the pandemic/lockdown when participants were aged 22. Previous distress and stressors were measured before COVID-19 (at age 20). RESULTS:On average, participants showed increased levels of perceived stress and anger (but not internalizing symptoms) during the pandemic compared to before. Pre-COVID-19 emotional distress was the strongest predictor of during-pandemic emotional distress, followed by during-pandemic economic and psychosocial stressors (e.g. lifestyle and economic disruptions) and hopelessness, and pre-pandemic social stressors (e.g. bullying victimization and stressful life events). Most health risks to self or loved ones due to COVID-19 were not uniquely associated with emotional distress in final models. Coping strategies associated with reduced distress included keeping a daily routine, physical activity, and positive reappraisal/reframing. CONCLUSIONS:In our community sample, pre-pandemic distress, secondary consequences of the pandemic (e.g. lifestyle and economic disruptions), and pre-pandemic social stressors were more consistently associated with young adults' emotional distress than COVID-19-related health risk exposures.
| S-EPMC7338432 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced novel stressors into the lives of youth. Identifying factors that protect against the onset of psychopathology in the face of these stressors is critical. We examine a wide range of factors that may protect youth from developing psychopathology during the pandemic. We assessed pandemic-related stressors, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and potential protective factors by combining two longitudinal samples of children and adolescents (N = 224, 7-10 and 13-15 years) assessed prior to the pandemic, during the stay-at-home orders, and six months later. We evaluated how family behaviors during the stay-at-home orders were related to changes in psychopathology during the pandemic, identified factors that moderate the association of pandemic-related stressors with psychopathology, and determined whether associations varied by age. Internalizing and externalizing psychopathology increased substantially during the pandemic. Higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors was associated with increases in internalizing and externalizing symptoms early in the pandemic and six months later. Having a structured routine, less passive screen time, lower exposure to news media about the pandemic, and to a lesser extent more time in nature and getting adequate sleep were associated with reduced psychopathology. The association between pandemic-related stressors and psychopathology was reduced for youths with limited passive screen time and was absent for children, but not adolescents, with lower news media consumption related to the pandemic. We provide insight into simple, practical steps families can take to promote resilience against mental health problems in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and protect against psychopathology following pandemic-related stressors.
| S-EPMC8357139 | biostudies-literature