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Comparative Study
. 2021 Dec 14;16(12):e0261346.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261346. eCollection 2021.

Health and well-being of university students before and during COVID-19 pandemic: A gender comparison

Sunna Gestsdottir  1 , Thordis Gisladottir  1 , Runa Stefansdottir  1 , Erlingur Johannsson  1   2 , Greta Jakobsdottir  1 , Vaka Rognvaldsdottir  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Health and well-being of university students before and during COVID-19 pandemic: A gender comparison

Sunna Gestsdottir et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 has affected people's health in various ways. University students are a particularly sensitive group for mental and physical health issues. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the mental and physical health of male and female first-year university students during and before COVID-19.

Method: Total of 115 first-year university students (54% male) answered questions about mental and physical health. The students were asked to estimate their physical activity, sedentary behavior, loneliness, stress, and sleep quality during COVID-19 opposed to before the pandemic.

Result: Males had fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and their self-esteem was higher than females (p<0.05). Over 50% of both genders estimated their mental health to be worse than before COVID-19. Larger proportion of males (69%) compared to females (38%) estimated that their physical health had worsened than before the pandemic. Larger proportion of females (38%) than males (14%) experience increased loneliness and stress (68% vs. 48%). Over 70% of both genders estimated increased sedentary behavior than before the pandemic, and larger proportion of males (76%), compared to females (56%), estimated that they were less physically active than before COVID-19. About 50% of participants estimated their sleep quality was worse than before COVID-19.

Conclusion: University students estimated their mental and physical health to have deteriorated during the pandemic. Therefore, it is important that the school and healthcare systems assist students in unwinding these negative health and lifestyle changes that have accompanied the pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Study participation.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Estimation of mental and physical health compared to health before COVID-19, gender difference found for physical health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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