Association between Changes in Daily Life Due to COVID-19 and Depressive Symptoms in South Korea.

We aimed to examine changes in daily life due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among younger (≤64 years) and older (≥65 years) individuals and to analyze their association with depressive symptoms. Raw data from the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey were used to analyze 228,485 individuals. Changes in daily life due to COVID-19 were measured using a questionnaire that evaluated changes in physical activity, sleep duration, instant food intake, and drinking and smoking status. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 scale, and logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association between the two variables. This study confirmed a significant association between the two variables and found that the intake of instant food showed the largest difference in odds ratios between the younger (OR: 1.851; 95% CI: 1.720-1.992) and older groups (OR: 1.239; 95% CI: 1.060-1.447). A major finding of this study is that the analysis of the association between the two variables revealed a stronger correlation in more variables in the younger population compared to the older population. To address COVID-19-related depression and prepare for potential mental health crises, countries should expand response measures.

The Relationship between Chronotype, Physical Activity and the Estimated Risk of Dementia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Our study examined the association between chronotype, daily physical activity, and the estimated risk of dementia in 170 community-dwelling older adults. Chronotype was assessed with the Horne-Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Daily physical activity (of over 3 METs) was measured with a tri-axial accelerometer. The Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) was used to measure the estimated risk of dementia. The evening chronotype, low daily physical activity, and dementia were positively associated with each other. The participants with low physical activity alongside evening preference had 3.05 to 3.67 times higher estimated risk of developing dementia, and participants with low physical activity and morning preference had 1.95 to 2.26 times higher estimated risk than those with high physical activity and morning preference. Our study design does not infer causation. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that chronotype and daily physical activity are predictors of the risk of having dementia in older adults aged 70 years and above.