IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i11p6652-d827505.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Ryuichi Ohta

    (Community Care, Unnan City Hospital, 96-1 Iida, Daito-cho, Unnan 699-1221, Japan)

  • Yoshinori Ryu

    (Community Care, Unnan City Hospital, 96-1 Iida, Daito-cho, Unnan 699-1221, Japan)

  • Chiaki Sano

    (Department of Community Medicine Management, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Japan)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Improvement in Quality of Life through Self-Management of Mild Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-9, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6652-:d:827505
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/11/6652/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/11/6652/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ryuichi Ohta & Mikiya Sato & Jun Kitayuguchi & Tetsuhiro Maeno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Potential Help-Seeking Behaviors Associated with Better Self-Rated Health among Rural Older Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-8, August.
    2. Sirven, Nicolas, 2006. "Endogenous social capital and self-rated health: Cross-sectional data from rural areas of Madagascar," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(6), pages 1489-1502, September.
    3. Fahad D. Algahtani & Sehar-un-Nisa Hassan & Bandar Alsaif & Rafat Zrieq, 2021. "Assessment of the Quality of Life during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-12, January.
    4. Linda L Coventry & Johanna W van Schalkwyk & Peter L Thompson & Scott A Hawkins & Desley G Hegney, 2017. "Myocardial infarction, patient decision delay and help‐seeking behaviour: a thematic analysis," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(13-14), pages 1993-2005, July.
    5. Joanne Lawrence-Bourne & Hazel Dalton & David Perkins & Jane Farmer & Georgina Luscombe & Nelly Oelke & Nasser Bagheri, 2020. "What Is Rural Adversity, How Does It Affect Wellbeing and What Are the Implications for Action?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-13, October.
    6. Bayu Begashaw & Fasil Tessema & Hailay Abrha Gesesew, 2016. "Health Care Seeking Behavior in Southwest Ethiopia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(9), pages 1-13, September.
    7. Ryuichi Ohta & Akinori Ueno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Changes in the Comprehensiveness of Rural Medical Care for Older Japanese Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-9, October.
    8. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Older People’s Help-Seeking Behaviors in Rural Contexts: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    9. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Jun Kitayuguchi & Chiaki Sano & Karen D. Könings, 2021. "Educational Intervention to Improve Citizen’s Healthcare Participation Perception in Rural Japanese Communities: A Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-11, February.
    10. Yumi Naito & Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Solving Social Problems in Aging Rural Japanese Communities: The Development and Sustainability of the Osekkai Conference as a Social Prescribing during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-15, November.
    11. Alberts, Jantina F. & Sanderman, Robbert & Gerstenbluth, Izzy & van den Heuvel, Wim J. A., 1998. "Sociocultural variations in help-seeking behavior for everyday symptoms and chronic disorders," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 57-72, April.
    12. Ryuichi Ohta & Koichi Maiguma & Akiko Yata & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "A Solution for Loneliness in Rural Populations: The Effects of Osekkai Conferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-10, April.
    13. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Daisuke Kataoka & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Effectiveness and Challenges in Local Self-Governance: Multifunctional Autonomy in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-14, January.
    14. Ryuichi Ohta & Mikiya Sato & Jun Kitayuguchi & Tetsuhiro Maeno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "The Association between the Self-Management of Mild Symptoms and Quality of Life of Elderly Populations in Rural Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-10, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ryuichi Ohta & Takuji Katsube & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Challenges in Help-Seeking Behaviors among Rural Older People Mitigated through Family Physician-Driven Outreach: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Ryuichi Ohta & Koichi Maiguma & Akiko Yata & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Rebuilding Social Capital through Osekkai Conferences in Rural Communities: A Social Network Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Associations between Perception of Help-Seeking Behaviors and Quality of Life among Older People in Rural Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-10, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Associations between Perception of Help-Seeking Behaviors and Quality of Life among Older People in Rural Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-10, October.
    2. Ryuichi Ohta & Akinori Ueno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Changes in the Comprehensiveness of Rural Medical Care for Older Japanese Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-9, October.
    3. Ryuichi Ohta & Koichi Maiguma & Akiko Yata & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "A Solution for Loneliness in Rural Populations: The Effects of Osekkai Conferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-10, April.
    4. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Older People’s Help-Seeking Behaviors in Rural Contexts: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    5. Ryuichi Ohta & Koichi Maiguma & Akiko Yata & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Rebuilding Social Capital through Osekkai Conferences in Rural Communities: A Social Network Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-10, June.
    6. Ryuichi Ohta & Mikiya Sato & Jun Kitayuguchi & Tetsuhiro Maeno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "The Association between the Self-Management of Mild Symptoms and Quality of Life of Elderly Populations in Rural Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-10, August.
    7. Ryuichi Ohta & Emily Weiss & Magda Mekky & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Relationship between Dysphagia and Home Discharge among Older Patients Receiving Hospital Rehabilitation in Rural Japan: A Retrospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-17, August.
    8. Yumi Naito & Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Solving Social Problems in Aging Rural Japanese Communities: The Development and Sustainability of the Osekkai Conference as a Social Prescribing during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-15, November.
    9. Ryuichi Ohta & Mikiya Sato & Jun Kitayuguchi & Tetsuhiro Maeno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Potential Help-Seeking Behaviors Associated with Better Self-Rated Health among Rural Older Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-8, August.
    10. Nidhi Saraswat & Bronwyn Everett & Rona Pillay & Neeta Prabhu & Amy Villarosa & Ajesh George, 2022. "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Indian Immigrants in Australia towards Oral Cancer and Their Perceived Role of General Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-16, July.
    11. Naoto Mouri & Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Effects of Shopping Rehabilitation on Older People’s Daily Activities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-9, January.
    12. Ryuichi Ohta & Akiko Yata & Yuki Arakawa & Koichi Maiguma & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Rural Social Participation through Osekkai during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-9, May.
    13. Moe Kuroda & Ryuichi Ohta & Kaku Kuroda & Seiji Yamashiro & Keiichiro Kita, 2021. "The Seamless Communication on a Rural Island in Japan: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Healthcare Professionals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-12, September.
    14. Ryuichi Ohta & Takuji Katsube & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Challenges in Help-Seeking Behaviors among Rural Older People Mitigated through Family Physician-Driven Outreach: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-8, December.
    15. Ryuichi Ohta & Yoshinori Ryu & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Family Medicine Education at a Rural Hospital in Japan: Impact on Institution and Trainees," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, June.
    16. Kasumi Nishikawa & Ryuichi Ohta & Chiaki Sano, 2022. "Factors Associated with Motivation for General Medicine among Rural Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-15, April.
    17. Agampodi, Thilini Chanchala & Agampodi, Suneth Buddhika & Glozier, Nicholas & Siribaddana, Sisira, 2015. "Measurement of social capital in relation to health in low and middle income countries (LMIC): A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 95-104.
    18. Hidayah Karuniawati & Nila Sari & Md. Sanower Hossain & Wan Ismahanisa Ismail & Aniq Hudiyah Bil Haq & Tri Yulianti & Taufik Taufik & Gardhika Rizky Sudarsono, 2022. "Assessment of Mental Health and Quality of Life Status of Undergraduate Students in Indonesia during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, September.
    19. Edmond Pui Hang Choi & Bryant Pui Hung Hui & Eric Yuk Fai Wan & Jojo Yan Yan Kwok & Tiffany Hei Lam Tam & Chanchan Wu, 2021. "COVID-19 and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Community-Based Online Survey in Hong Kong," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.
    20. Zeynep Or & Florence Jusot & Engin Yilmaz, 2008. "Impact of health care system on socioeconomic inequalities in doctor use," Working Papers DT17, IRDES institut for research and information in health economics, revised Sep 2008.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6652-:d:827505. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.