Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Korean Adolescents' Mental Health and Lifestyle Factors.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused changes in the daily lives of Korean adolescents and affected their emotional well-being. This study compared lifestyle factors and the mental health status of adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from a national cross-sectional cohort (Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, KYRBS) collected in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak and in 2020 during the pandemic. This study included 57,303 students from the 2019 KYRBS and 54,948 from the 2020 KYRBS. Lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, physical activity levels, time spent studying, duration of Internet use, and mental health status, including perceived stress, experience of depressive mood, and suicidal ideation and attempts, were included in the analyses. RESULTS: The perceived stress levels, self-reported depressive mood, and suicidal thoughts and attempts were lower in the students surveyed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the students surveyed in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak. The time spent studying and sleep duration decreased compared to before the pandemic, and sleep satisfaction increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. DISCUSSION: Our results showed an improvement in mental health status in Korean adolescents during the pandemic, but caution is needed when interpreting these results. Future research is needed to determine the effects of a long-lasting pandemic on mental health and lifestyle factors in adolescents.

Relationship between the Toothbrushing Behavior and Hand Hygiene Practices of Korean Adolescents: A Study Focused on the 15th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey Conducted in 2019.

Hand hygiene is one of the most important measures available to prevent infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and it is recommended that individuals wash their hands periodically before and after meals, after using toilets, before preparing food at home, at schools, and in public places. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral hygiene and hand hygiene in Korean adolescents. Data from 57,303 adolescents who participated in the 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based survey were analyzed to determine the relationship between oral hygiene and hand hygiene. A complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed to determine association between toothbrushing behavior and handwashing practices. According to the results of this study, adolescents who brushed their teeth after lunch were 1.48 times more likely to practice handwashing before lunch than were those who did not brush their teeth after lunch (p < 0.001). In addition, the odds ratios adjusted for gender, grade, school type, and residence were found to be 1.87 (p < 0.001). Moreover, these adjusted odds ratios were higher in students who received personal hygiene education (OR: 1.98, p < 0.001). Oral hygiene practices were found to be related to personal hygiene, as assessed by handwashing, in Korean adolescents. Additional studies are needed to develop ways of improving the hygiene and health of adolescents.