Effects of changes in daily life attributed to COVID-19 on allergic diseases among Korean adolescents

Abstract

Objective

The daily lives of adolescents have changed significantly because of COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the effects of changes in daily life attributed to COVID-19 on allergic diseases among Korean adolescents.

Methods

Data from the 2021 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used. In total, 54,848 survey participants were included in the analysis. Allergic diseases included allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma. Changes attributed to COVID-19 included family economic difficulties, physical activity, breakfast skipping frequency, alcohol consumption, smoking, and depressive moods. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of changes in daily life attributed to COVID-19 on allergic diseases.

Results

Among the Korean adolescents surveyed, 29.8% experienced a deterioration in their economic status due to COVID-19, 49.1% reported decreased physical activity, 2.8% reported increased alcohol consumption, 1.0% reported an increase in their smoking behavior, and 36.9% reported an increase in depressive moods. Those diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, or asthma within the previous 12 months accounted for 17.1%, 6.2%, and 1.0% of the population, respectively. Adolescents who were significantly affected by COVID-19 in their daily lives were frequently diagnosed with allergic diseases within the last 12 months.

Conclusion

Changes in daily life due to COVID-19, including decreased physical activity and increased depressive mood, were common in adolescents and were associated with an increased prevalence of allergic diseases. Since changes in daily life due to the pandemic may increase the burden of allergic disease, additional interventions for disease management should be considered.

Keywords:

• Adolescent
• allergic disease
• allergic rhinitis
• asthma
• atopic dermatitis
• COVID-19

Authors’ contributions

MP and MAH designed the study, undertook the statistical analysis, and contributed to the interpretation of the data. MP wrote the manuscript. All authors critically revised the manuscript.

Declaration of interestNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data are available at the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey website (https://www.kdca.go.kr/yhs/).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (2021R1I1A3041301) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2022R1A5A2030454).