University students' living conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and predictors of their subjective health views: A cross-sectional survey.

This study aimed to explore the factors influencing subjective health views based on the living conditions and concerns of university students during the coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. From March to April 2021, a questionnaire survey was administered to 8,547 Japanese university students, and logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors related to subjective health views. The results showed that satisfaction with quality of sleep (OR = 2.651, 95% Cl 2.370-2.966,p < 0.001), satisfaction with university life (OR = 2.486, 95%Cl 2.215-2.789, p < 0.001), satisfaction with diet (OR = 1.849, 95% CI: 1.496-2.285, p < 0.001), regular exercise (OR = 1.759, 95% CI: 1.594-1.941, p < 0.001), consciousness of nutritional balance (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.147-1.420,p < 0.001), eating breakfast every day (OR = 1.247, 95% CI: 1.121-1.387, p < 0.001), and consuming soft drinks at least once a week (OR = 0.865, 95% CI: 0.755-0.966, p = 0.010) were positive factors for subjective views of health. On the other hand, anxiety about whether the necessary credits can be obtained (OR = 0.885, 95% CI: 0.799-0.980, p = 0.019), infection from minimal outings (OR = 0.881, 95% CI: 0.794-0.976, p = 0.016) building and maintaining friendships on campus (OR = 0.867, 95% CI: 0.767-0.980, p = 0.023), and being able to continue working (OR = 0.713, 95% CI: 0.640-0.795, p < 0.001) were identified as negative factors. To ensure a healthy university life during the COVID-19 pandemic or future pandemic, supports tailored to students' living conditions and measures to address their anxieties are required.

Relationship between the Engel Coefficient, Life Satisfaction, and Subjective Health for Senior Citizens in Korea: Moderating Effect of COVID-19.

The purpose of this study was to explore the determinants of life satisfaction for Korean senior citizens. Subjective health and the Engel coefficient were used as the explanatory variables. This research also aimed to examine the moderating effect of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the relationship between the Engel coefficient and life satisfaction for Korean senior citizens. Archival data (Korean longitudinal study of aging) were used for this work. The study period is 2018 and 2020; the number of observations was 3879. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the research hypotheses. To examine further, this research performed additional analyses: sub-sample analysis, median split, and independence tests. The results indicated that the Engel coefficient is negatively associated with life satisfaction, while subjective health is positively related to life satisfaction. Moreover, Korean senior citizens' life satisfaction was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research provides information for building policy for senior Korean citizens.

Who has experienced better or worse health conditions since the outbreak of COVID-19?: results from a representative cross-sectional survey in Seoul.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the entire world population in many ways. This study aimed to analyze the patterns of changes in eating, food purchasing and preparation, physical activity, and subjective health after COVID-19 outbreak by various sociodemographic factors and to understand the factors associated with changes in subjective health. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a representative sample from Seoul was used for the analysis. The data collection was conducted from September to October 2020. A total of 3,833 citizens aged more than 18 years old participated in the Seoul Food Survey. Descriptive statistics and generalized ordinal logistic regression models were used to understand the changes in health behaviors, health indicators, and subjective general health by various socioeconomic status. RESULTS: It was shown that the changes in household income, food expenditure, food consumption and physical activities differed significantly by age, education, occupation, income, weight, and food security status. Low-income and food-insecure households were affected more severely by the pandemic. Older age, household food insecurity, income reduction, increased home cooking and frequency of having instant foods, decreased physical activity and weight gain were significant factors explaining worse perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that focusing on older populations and low-income families with food insecurity should be prioritized during infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the role of physical activities and instant food consumption in explaining perceived health should be investigated further in this prolonged battle with the pandemic situation.

COVID-19 vaccine refusal associated with health literacy: findings from a population-based survey in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Poor health literacy is associated with lower utilization of preventable services. However, the relationship between health literacy and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy remains controvertible. METHODS: This study used data from 229,242 individuals who completed the Community Health Survey in Korea from August 16 to October 31 in 2021. To operationalize COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, we measured vaccine refusal, which is defined as not having been vaccinated and not intending to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Health literacy is operationalized in two dimensions; the ability to understand spoken directions from health professionals and the ability to understand written information regarding health. Covariates include sex, age, educational level, marital status, employment status, basic living security pension status, and subjective health status. Two multivariable logistic regression models were run to determine factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine refusal. Model 1 included sociodemographic characteristics and subjective health status. Model 2 added two health literacy variables. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Only 3.9% of the Korean adult population were estimated to refuse COVID-19 vaccine. The most commonly cited reasons for COVID-19 vaccine refusal were concerns about vaccine adverse events (47.6%), followed by the assessment of one's own health status (29.5%). Individuals who found spoken directions very difficult to understand were more likely to refuse COVID-19 vaccine than those who found spoken directions very easy (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.28-1.87, p < 0.001). People who did not pay attention to written information were more likely to refuse COVID-19 vaccine than those who reported it to be very easy to understand (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.13-1.45, p < 0.001). People in all other categories of the literacy spectrum for either spoken or written information did not have an increased risk of COVID-19 vaccine refusal. CONCLUSION: Health literacy was significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine refusal. Health literacy programs could be beneficial to reduce vaccine refusal, particularly for the people who find spoken directions from health professionals very difficult to understand and those who do not pay attention to written information.

Association between smartphone overdependency and mental health in Korean adolescents during the COVID pandemic; Age-and gender-matched study.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between smartphone dependency (SD) and mental health (MH) in adolescents in order to develop and implement plans pertaining to SD control. Methods: Raw data from the 16th Online Adolescent Health Behavior Survey in 2020 were analyzed. A total of 482 respondents were selected as study subjects based on their experience of smartphone overdependence (SO), specifically, 241 participants whose score for SO was 37 or higher (Group 2) and age- and gender-matched 241 participants whose score was lower than 10 (Group 1). Results: Frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis (χ2 test), and multinomial logistic regression were performed Analysis shows that the MH affecting the increase in SO is the subjective perception of happiness, subjective perception of stress, sadness and despair, and experience of Loneliness. But, the variable affecting the reduction is the subjective evaluation of sleep quality. The likelihood of SO increased as adolescents felt unhappier [Exp (ß) = 2.408] and more stressed [Exp (ß) = 4.453] and more often felt lonely [Exp (ß) = 8.149], but the likelihood decreased as they had neither sufficient nor insufficient sleep duration [Exp (ß) = 0.344]. The findings suggest that it is necessary to develop aggressive measures for the prevention and management of MH in adolescents showing SO because mental health is closely linked to SD. In developing the measures, realistic approaches to widely pervasive SO among adolescents should be explored by taking into account MH factors, that is, predictors of SO, and the characteristics of youths, such that they can self-control smartphone use and form desirable life habits.

Examining the Complex (Curvilinear and Contingent) Associations between Social Distancing Compliance and Subjective Health during a Global Health Crisis.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated a potential curvilinear link between social distancing behavior and subjective health in later life. It also evaluated whether food insecurity and community social capital moderated the focal relationship. METHODS: Data were drawn from three waves of the COVID Impact Survey (N = 19,234). Mixed-effects models were fitted. RESULTS: Social distancing has a non-monotonic (U-shaped) relationship with subjective health, i.e., individuals with low and high levels of social distancing show relatively better health. Moreover, the negative linear relationship between social distancing and health is weaker among people suffering from food insecurity as well as those living in communities with lower stocks of social capital. DISCUSSION: This study sheds new light on the health implications of social distancing during the pandemic. Our findings dovetail with the steeling hypothesis, i.e., that social distancing is less harmful for U.S. older adults exposed to prior stressful or vulnerable conditions.

Self-isolation practices and perceived social support from friends: the impact on adolescents’ mental health

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the moderating effect of perceived social support from friends in the associations between self-isolation practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and adolescents’ mental health (i.e., depression, subjective health complaints, self-harm), measured six months later (Time 2). Participants were 1,567 7th and 8th graders (51% female;51% white;M age = 13.67) from the United States. They completed questionnaires on perceived social support from friends, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm at Time 1, and self-isolation practices during COVID-19, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm at Time 2. The findings revealed that self-isolation practices during COVID-19 was related positively to Time 1 perceived social support from friends, and negatively to Time 2 depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm, while accounting for Time 1 mental health outcomes. Higher perceived social support from friends at Time 1 buffered against the negative impacts on adolescents’ mental health outcomes at Time 2 when they practiced greater self-isolation during COVID-19, while lower perceived social support at Time 1 had the opposite effects on Time 2 mental health outcomes. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Factors associated with subjective state of health in college students.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been deeply painful, it has provided a rare opportunity to study the behavioral responses of individuals in adapting to an unprecedented life event. An analysis of participants' subjective health ratings during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted by utilizing data from a survey of college students across seven universities in the US. In this study, we challenged the unidimensional factors to the subjective wellbeing by considering all multiplicative associations of those factors. Considering the interaction terms is especially important as not considering those impacts might obscure our understanding regarding the real associations. It was found that while higher screen hours, BMI, and various negative feelings are negatively associated with higher subjective health, higher family income, social class, and students' and their mothers' educations are associated with a higher subjective well-being. However, the impacts of the majority variables are interactive. For instance, the impact of mother's education varies based on the genders of students, or the impact of screen hours differs based on family income. In addition, the degree students limit of exercise at home or gym changes based on the negative feeling they experience during the pandemic. Remarkably, during the pandemic while irrationally limiting exercise at home was associated with a lower subjective health, limiting exercise at gym was positively associated with the response.

"White collars" on self-reported well-being, health and work performance when teleworking from home

In the wake of the pandemic, telework became relevant to more employees than before. Researchers suggest both positive and negative impact of telework on employees. The study examines office workers' self-reports on the impact of teleworking on their subjective well-being, health, and productivity. Data (N = 475) were collected from teleworkers in Lithuania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that teleworking during the pandemic had a negative impact on the well-being (in work-life balance aspect) and health (mostly in terms of mental exhaustion) of office workers, while work performance suffered relatively less. Also, this study revealed three original observations. First, well-being evaluations of teleworkers were found to be most correlated with close relationships and age. Second, teleworkers who live with their parents have the most positive evaluations of teleworking in all three areas: well-being, health, and productivity. And third, the overlap between family and work when working from home increases the likelihood that women and young workers will be less concerned about healthy living habits. This study contributes to a better understanding of the factors teleworkers face when working at home and can help companies improve their hybrid working strategies. © Agota Giedre Raišiene, Violeta Rapuano, Greta Masilionyte, Simonas Juozapas Raišys, 2022.

Association of self-rated health with type and frequency of social interaction during the declaration of COVID-19 state of emergency among Japanese community-dwelling oldest-old adults.

AIM: To investigate whether the type and frequency of social interaction during the state of emergency due to coronavirus disease were associated with self-rated health (SRH) after the state of emergency. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional study were collected for 889 oldest-old adults in Bibai City, Hokkaido, Japan. In total, 612 participants (mean age: 83.0 ± 4.3 years; women: 51.8%) were included in the analysis, taking biological sex into account. The self-reported questionnaire included questions about demographic variables, SRH (July 2020, after the emergency), and the type and frequency of social interaction (March 2020, during the state of emergency). RESULTS: There was no significant association between social interaction and SRH in men (P > 0.05). Women who had social interactions (both face-to-face and non-face-to-face) more than once a week during the state of emergency reported higher SRH after the emergency than those who did not (odds ratio 2.17, 95% confidence interval 1.07-4.41). CONCLUSIONS: Having both types of interaction more than once a week during the state of emergency was related to higher SRH after the emergency among oldest-old women. It is suggested that having opportunities for both types of interaction at least once a week would potentially be beneficial for high SRH in women, even in situations where the declaration of a state of emergency restricts face-to-face interaction. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 405-411.

Subjective health status: an easily available, independent, robust and significant predictive factor at the prometaphase of vaccination programs for the vaccination behavior of Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed COVID-19 vaccination as an emergent and important method to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Since China started vaccination programs in December 2020, vaccination has spread to provinces and municipalities nationwide. Previous research has focused on people's vaccination willingness and its influencing factors but has not examined vaccination behavior. We examine the effectiveness of psychosocial factors in predicting vaccination behavior. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was performed among Chinese adults on 8 May and 4 June 2021. The statistical analysis of the data included univariate analysis, receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis and ordinal multiclassification logistic regression model analysis. RESULTS: Of the 1300 respondents, 761 (58.5%) were vaccinated. Univariate analysis showed that a high education level and good subjective health status were protective factors for vaccination behavior, while suffering from chronic diseases was a risk factor. ROC analysis showed that subjective health status (AUC = 0.625, 95% CI: 0.594-0.656, P < 0.001) was the best predictor of vaccination behavior. Logistic regression analysis with subjective health status as a dependent variable indicated that older age, female sex, depression, neurasthenia, obsession, hypochondriasis and chronic disease were significant risk factors, while positive coping tendencies were a significant protective factor. CONCLUSION: Our study found a simple and effective marker, subjective health status, that can predict vaccination behavior. This finding can guide future epidemic prevention work.

[CHANGING OF SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND HEALTH OF OLDER WOMEN DURING COVID-19: OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE FACTORS].

The social well-being and health of citizens of all countries has been greatly tested during the pandemic of COVID-19. The situation has exacerbated many social problems. Older women found themselves in a particularly difficult situation, who experienced increased psychological burden, deteriorating health conditions, and social isolation. Even the family had not always proved to be a way of improving the status of women. All this has led to the need to examine the real problems, the objective and subjective factors affecting women's social well-being and the ways in which older women are better off.

Ageism and older people's health and well-being during the Covid-19-pandemic: the moderating role of subjective aging.

In the Covid-19 pandemic, being older means being in a special focus: Probabilities for severe infections and mortality rise with increasing age and protective measures for this population group have been increased. This was accompanied by public discourse that portrayed older adults stereotypically as vulnerable and frail but also highlighted the hardships younger people have to endure to protect them. Given the possibly detrimental effects of ageism on individuals and societies, we were interested in older adults' perception of ageism in the Corona-crisis and its relation to their health and well-being. Furthermore, we were interested in subjective aging variables as moderators in the ageism-health relationship. In June 2020, N = 611 independently living people aged 60 + from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg were recruited via a survey research institute and interviewed online or by phone. They reported on perceived ageism in different contexts, their life satisfaction, subjective health, subjective age and self-perceptions of aging. Depending on context, ageism was perceived by around 20% of participants, and overall negatively related to subjective health and life satisfaction after the onset of the pandemic. Moderated hierarchical regressions showed that a younger subjective age buffered the negative effect of ageism on subjective health, while perceiving aging as social loss increased its effect on life satisfaction. We discuss the importance of addressing and reducing ageism (not only) in times of crisis and the consequences for individuals and societies.

Emotional reactions and subjective health status during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel: the mediating role of perceived susceptibility.

The general consensus is that COVID-19, the virus spreading rapidly across the globe, affects physical health but also mental health and mental well-being. This study aimed to assess the associations among emotional reactions toward COVID-19, knowledge about COVID-19, perceived susceptibility to this disease, and subjective health status. This study was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1,085 Israeli adults who completed an online survey between April 23 and May 5, 2020. The self-administered questionnaire included questions about emotional reactions to COVID-19, knowledge about COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, subjective health status, and sociodemographic variables. Participants (aged 18-96) reported high levels of emotional reactions to COVID-19. Most respondents were worried (77.4%), afraid (62.8%) or stressed (55.3%). Emotional reaction scores were higher among women than among men. In the regression model, emotional reactions were higher for older participants, those who rated their subjective health status as poorer, and those who were employed, with the final model explaining 11.6% of the variance in emotional reactions. Perceived susceptibility significantly mediated the relationship between subjective health status and emotional reactions. The high prevalence of emotional responses among women, older people and those with lower subjective health ratings points to the need for intervention programs primarily targeting these groups.