ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic had multi-faceted impacts on the working population who had to adapt to working from home (WFH). WFH has been reported to increase the rate of depression and anxiety due to social isolation;however, the cardiovascular effects of WFH are not well known yet. We aimed to assess the effects of WFH on cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): Companies that employ WFH were invited to study by occupational health specialists via respective human resources departments. WFH employees were sent an online self-reported questionnaire which included demographics, WFH conditions, medical history, new complaints during the pandemic, health behaviors during and before the pandemic, and COVID-19 exposure. Participants were also asked to provide data on blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid levels before and during the pandemic. Data collection started in January 2022 and ended in July 2022. Two hundred forty- five participants were invited, 208 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 84%), and 61 provided biological data (response rate: 25%). Result(s): Demographic data are presented in Table 1. Regarding WFH, 72 (34.6%) participants had undergone training for WFH conditions, and 87 (41.8%) were able to give regular breaks. Weekly working hours have increased by 6 hours during the pandemic (49.6+/-13.8 vs. 43.8+/-12.1, p=0.001, t-test). Participants reported a median 7.5-point satisfaction regarding WFH on a 10-point scale. One hundred-twelve (53.8%) participants had a new complaint;the most common complaints were weight gain/increased appetite (73, 35.1%), insomnia/anxiety (58, 27.9%), and physical inactivity/musculoskeletal pain (38, 18.3%). One hundred-twenty (57.7%) participants had a weight increase, an increase in median BMI (p=0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), and a shift toward pre-obesity was observed (p=0.001, chi-square test, Table 2). Most participants did not have changes in tobacco or alcohol consumption or exercise during the pandemic. Seventy-nine (37.9%) participants had a history of COVID-19 infection, and 165 (79.3%) had a relative infected with COVID-19. Data from the biological data subgroup did not show significant changes in blood pressure, blood glucose, or lipid levels. Conclusion(s): WFH adversely affected modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, and was associated with weight gain, increased work hours, caused a lack of workload planning, and increased anxiety. Previous observational studies have reported increased sedentary behavior, alcohol and food intake, and weight gain. This study adds to the literature that although risk factors are adversely affected by WFH conditions, workers were satisfied with WFH. The training rate regarding WFH conditions was low in our study;therefore, we believe WFH workers must be informed about WFH conditions, and occupational health specialists should focus on reducing specific risk factors that exist during WFH. (Table Presented).
ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: COVID-19 pandemic may cause major attitude and behavioral changes, especially in the elderly population. We aimed to examine the attitude changes of the geriatric population who previously had received training on cardiovascular health in the first three (stay-at-home) months of COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Method(s): This cross-sectional study was a questionnaire conducted with >=65-year-old attendees of daycare centers/nursing homes in certain municipalities in Istanbul city, via telephone interviews during COVID-19 pandemic's stay-at-home period. The participants had previously attended a structured awareness and training program on atrial fibrillation risk factors and a heart healthy life style project (WebsAFIs;know your heart rhythm) that was held just before the pandemic. The nurses of the project were in touch with attendees during the pandemic and kept on giving advices on heart heathy living. The questionnaire was conducted during the pandemic and health-related attitudes of the participants were described and compared based on their age group and clinical conditions. Result(s): Women constituted 66.3% of the participants and the mean age was 71.6+/-4.4 years. We detected that 60.6% of the respondents had hypertension, 26.0% diabetes, and 21.2% vascular disease. The mean body mass indices in March (28.2+/-3.8 kg/m2) and June (28.5+/-4.0 kg/m2) were similar (p>0.05). Those who would/did not do exercise increased from pre-pandemic 12.5% to 46.2% (p<0.01) during stay-at-home period, which did not differ based on the age group or examined medical conditions. More diabetic patients stated to have unhealthier diet than their non-diabetic counterparts during stay-at-home period (25.9% and 9.1%, respectively;p<0.02). Half of the respondents (50.5%) stated that they were very much worried about the health of their relatives. Near third-quarter (73.1%) of participants were using cardiovascular system drugs whereas 34.6% were using vitamin/mineral/food supplements. Conclusion(s): Though the exercise habits of the geriatric population appear to change negatively, no serious problems tend to exist regarding nutrition, cardiovascular health, and healthcare utilization. Body weight was also maintained in spite of decreased activity. The results of the questionnaire in this select group with a previous training on cardiovascular awareness just before the pandemic underlines the importance of patient empowerment in cardiovascular prevention.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the alcohol-and cigarette-use-related behaviors among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Turkey. The second objective was to evaluate whether the gender, dysfunctional COVID-19 anxiety, and presence of probable attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with the increase in alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking while controlling the effects of current age and diagnosis of anxiety disorder before the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study was conducted with an online survey among volunteer participants of young adults. The Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) were used to evaluate a group of university students. Results: A total of 1,042 respondents (mean age 26.9 +/- 10.9 years;61.6% female) filled out the survey. Of these, 17.6% reported an increase and 7.7% reported reduced cigarette smoking, whereas 10.8% reported an increase and 8.5% reported reduced alcohol consumption during the pandemic. Both rates of increased cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption were higher among males and those with probable ADHD. In the logistic regression analyses, male gender, COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety, and presence of probable ADHD were related to the increase in alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking, while the current age and diagnosis of anxiety disorder before the COVID-19 pandemic were not. Conclusion: Findings of the current study may suggest that the pandemic period is related to both anv increase and a reduction of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Males with probable ADHD and higher levels of COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety have a higher risk of increasing both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.
ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of the study is to examine the association of probable attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with the increase in video gaming and the severity of disordered gaming symptoms among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The second objective was to examine the mediating role of COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety and current age. Methods: The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1), the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale- Short Form (IGDS9-SF), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) were used to evaluate university students. Results: Participants with probable ADHD (n=117, 21.2%) did not differ in terms of age, gender, romantic relationship, and employment status when compared with participants without probable ADHD (n=441, 79.0%). However, they had higher scale scores (IGDS9-SF and CAS). In the hierarchical logistic regression analysis, probable ADHD predicted the increase in video gaming during the pandemic, but when the current age and the dysfunctional anxiety related with COVID-19 were included in the analysis, they were significant predictors, whereas probable ADHD was no more a predictor. While probable ADHD was associated with the symptom severity of disordered gaming in ANCOVA, COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety was a significant covariate. Conclusion: Findings of the current study may suggest that the relationship between probable ADHD and the increase in video gaming during the pandemic was mediated by lower age and COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety among young adults. Additionally, while COVID-19 related dysfunctional anxiety was a significant covariate for the severity of disordered gaming symptoms, probable ADHD was independently associated with the symptom severity of disordered gaming.
ABSTRACT
This study explores the response of the US stock market volatility to the COVID-19 pandemic over the period January 03 - October 15, 2020. Unlike the results from a conventional approach which reveals the absence of Granger causality, the time-varying causality results indicate two episodes detected following the FED's policy announcements, suggesting an indirect volatility response. We also discover the response to COVID-19 information in which negative news affects volatility over a longer period than positive news. These findings confirm the importance of time-varying structure as well as the negativity bias. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.