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. 2020 Aug 2;17(15):5575.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17155575.

Bidirectional Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns on Health Behaviors and Quality of Life among Chinese Adults

Xiuqiang Wang  1   2 , Si Man Lei  1   3 , Shenglong Le  1   4 , Yanxiang Yang  5 , Boyi Zhang  5 , Wu Yao  5 , Zan Gao  6 , Sulin Cheng  1   2   4   5
Affiliations

Bidirectional Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns on Health Behaviors and Quality of Life among Chinese Adults

Xiuqiang Wang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created challenges that have caused profound changes in health behaviors. This study aimed to explore how COVID-19 is affecting the health-related quality of life (QoL) among Chinese adults.

Methods: The data of health-related behaviors and QoL were collected via online surveys from 2289 adults (mean age = 27.8 ± 12 years) who had been isolated at home for an average of 77 days.

Results: More than 50% of the respondents reported that their time engaged in daily physical activity (PA) decreased, while sedentary behavior (SB) time increased compared with that before the lockdown. Only 20% of the respondents reported engaging in moderate-to-vigorous PA, 23% of adults reported changed their diets to be healthier, and 30% reported consuming more vegetables, fruits, and milk products than before home-isolation. During home-isolation, 75.2% of the adults rated their sleep quality as very good, and 65% reported that they were satisfied with their QoL. Sleep quality mediated the relationship between PA and QoL.

Conclusion: The two-to-three-month home-isolation has had mixed effects on adult health behaviors in China. The participants were found to have focused more on their eating quality and patterns, which had a positive influence on their QoL. However, people should be encouraged to exercise at home with limited space to maintain a generally healthy lifestyle during a prolonged quarantine.

Keywords: diet; pandemic; physical activity; sedentary behavior; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scheme of path analysis. The model explained 50.9% (r2 = 0.509) and 2.4% (r2 = 0.024) of the variance in quality of life and sleep quality, respectively, in the male group and 49.6% (r2 = 0.496) and 2.8% (r2 = 0.028), respectively, in the female group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of people participating in physical activity (PA) during the home-isolation period. (A) Frequency of participation in different exercises. (B) Duration of participation in different exercises per time. (C) Frequency of participation in different daily physical activities. (D) Duration of participation in daily activities per time.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportion of dietary consumption frequency and daily amount during the home-isolation period. (A) Consumption frequency of whole grain. (B) Daily amount consumption of whole grain (C) Consumption frequency of meat products. (D) Daily amount consumption of meat products. (E) Consumption frequency of vegetable and fruit. (F) Daily amount consumption of vegetable and fruit.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proportion of self-perceived changes in physical condition and behaviors during the home-isolation period. (A) Change in physical condition. (B) Change in PA and sedentary behaviors. (C) Change in eating time. (D) Change in sleep quality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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