The social isolation enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic reduces the Health-Related Quality of Life score in the adult population of Metropolitan Lima, Peru

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults in Metropolitan Lima, Peru, with experienced social isolation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic regardless of if the person was infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) adjusted by age, sex and body mass index (BMI). Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 256 men and 382 women living in Metropolitan Lima, who were administered the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) questionnaire (SF-20) virtually to assess their health-related quality of life. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was used to determine the relationship between HRQoL with BMI, sex, age, COVID-19 status and obligatory social isolation; with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Obesity (beta coefficient, 95%CI [95% confidence interval]: -262 – -116), female sex (beta coefficient, 95%CI: -151 – -59), the longest time of mandatory social confinement (beta coefficient, 95%CI: -6.8 – -0.2), and the existence of chronic disease (beta coefficient, 95%CI: -147 – -44) were associated with a low total score of the HRQoL questionnaire. Conclusions: Mandatory social confinement may have harmed the perception of health-related quality of life.