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. 2022 May 30;19(11):6652.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116652.

Improvement in Quality of Life through Self-Management of Mild Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

Ryuichi Ohta  1 , Yoshinori Ryu  1 , Chiaki Sano  2
Affiliations

Improvement in Quality of Life through Self-Management of Mild Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

Ryuichi Ohta et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has inhibited people's help-seeking behaviors (HSBs). In particular, older people in rural communities experienced limited access to medical care, which negatively affected their quality of life (QOL). Within HSB, self-management of mild symptoms may mitigate the difficulties experienced by older people in rural communities. However, few studies have examined the relationship between self-management and QOL. Therefore, we conducted a prospective cohort study to clarify this relationship. Our participants were over 65 years of age and lived in rural communities. QOL was measured with the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L). Demographic data and QOL were collected from participants via questionnaires in 2021 and 2022. The exposure group showed a significantly greater change in EQ-5D-5L health status index scores than the control group (p = 0.002). In addition, the exposure group scored significantly lower than the control group on the EQ-5D-5L dimension "usual activities" in 2021 and on all dimensions in 2022. Thus, self-management of mild symptoms may improve QOL among older people in rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational interventions for this population regarding self-management could improve QOL for entire communities.

Keywords: COVID-19; EQ-5D-5L; help-seeking behavior; quality of life; rural community; self-care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

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Figure 1
Flowchart of participant selection.
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Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.