Health-related quality of life before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to give up their daily routines and adjust to new circumstances. This might have affected health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We aimed to compare HRQOL during the first COVID-19 wave in 2020 to HRQOL before the pandemic and to identify determinants of HRQOL during the pandemic in Switzerland. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey during the pandemic (between May and July 2020; CoWELL sample; convenience sample). Before the pandemic (2015–2016), we had conducted a cross-sectional paper-based survey among a representative random sample of the Swiss general population (SGP sample). In both samples, we assessed physical and mental HRQOL (Short Form-36) and socio-demographic characteristics. In the CoWELL sample, we additionally assessed health- and COVID-19-related characteristics. Data were analysed using linear regressions. Results The CoWELL sample included 1581 participants (76% women; mean age = 43 years, SD = 14 years) and the SGP sample 1209 participants (58% women, mean age = 49 years, SD = 15 years). Adjusted for sex, age, and education, the CoWELL sample reported higher physical HRQOL (PCS, +5.8 (95% CI: 5.1, 6.6), p < 0.001) and lower mental HRQOL (MCS, −6.9 (−7.8, −6.0), p < 0.001) than the SGP sample. In the CoWELL sample, especially persons with lower health literacy, who had no support network or who have had COVID-19, reported lower HRQOL. Discussion Aspects unique to the COVID-19 pandemic affected HRQOL. Vulnerable persons such as those having had COVID-19, less support opportunities, and with lower health literacy are especially prone to impaired HRQOL during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The relationship between gender, psychosocial factors, pain, health literacy and health-related quality of life in parents of Norwegian adolescents one year into the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Furthermore, mental HRQOL increased with age, while physical HRQOL deteriorated with increasing age. Interestingly, mental HRQOL was higher when living with a partner without responsibility for children, which aligns with findings from the Norwegian national survey [ 71 , 73 ]. The findings from the Swiss [ 73 ] study is only partly consistent with our findings that gender differences are significant in both mental and physical HRQOL.…”

“…Interestingly, mental HRQOL was higher when living with a partner without responsibility for children, which aligns with findings from the Norwegian national survey [ 71 , 73 ]. The findings from the Swiss [ 73 ] study is only partly consistent with our findings that gender differences are significant in both mental and physical HRQOL. The selected group might explain the differences in the current study, where all participants are parents of adolescents, and the stress of parenting combined with living through the COVID-19 pandemic can be explanatory factors.…”

“…The differences are most evident in the younger age group, where women generally report lower HRQOL than men. In a Swiss study, men reported better mental HRQOL (MCS) than women, but the difference was not evident in the physical HRQOL (PCS) [ 73 ]. Furthermore, mental HRQOL increased with age, while physical HRQOL deteriorated with increasing age.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Weight Loss, Eating Behaviour and Quality of Life after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

“…Lockdowns and increased levels of distress due to COVID-19 have a significant impact on HRQoL. A Swiss general population study found that physical HRQoL significantly increased while mental HRQoL significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 33 ]. By contrast, in a Spanish population, both components, physical and mental, were significantly lower during the pandemic [ 34 ].…”

Assessment of the Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on the Sexual Function of Women, Levels of Oxytocin and Prolactin: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has affected sexual health at the individual, systemic, and societal levels [13]. Studies, including meta-analyses, have shown that during the pandemic, the general population noted a decrease in the assessment of female sexual functioning, including satisfaction, arousal, orgasm, and pain measured by Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) [10,[14][15][16][17][18][19]. Even though numerous studies analyzing the effects of the pandemic on women's sexual function in the general population have been conducted, there is no clear evidence that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes sexual dysfunction through an organic mechanism in women.…”