Abstract
Background: Emerging cross-sectional reports find that the COVID-19 pandemic and related social restrictions negatively affect lifestyle behaviours and mental health in general populations.
Aims: To study the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on work practices, lifestyle and well-being among desk workers during shelter-at-home restrictions.
Methods: We added follow-up after completion of a clinical trial among desk workers to longitudinally measure sedentary behaviour, physical activity, sleep, diet, mood, quality of life and work-related health using validated questionnaires and surveys. We compared outcomes assessed before and during COVID-19 shelter-at-home restrictions. We assessed whether changes in outcomes differed by remote working status (always, changed to or never remote) using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
Results: Participants (N = 112; 69% female; mean (SD) age = 45.4 (12.3) years; follow-up = 13.5 (6.8) months) had substantial changes to work practices, including 72% changing to remote work. Deleterious changes from before to during shelter-at-home included: 1.3 (3.5)-h increase in non-workday sedentary behaviour; 0.7 (2.8)-point worsening of sleep quality; 8.5 (21.2)-point increase in mood disturbance; reductions in five of eight quality of life subscales; 0.5 (1.1)-point decrease in work-related health (P < 0.05). Other outcomes, including diet, physical activity and workday sedentary behaviour, remained stable (P ≥ 0.05). Workers who were remote before and during the pandemic had greater increases in non-workday sedentary behaviour and stress, with greater declines in physical functioning. Wake time was delayed overall by 41 (61) min, and more so in workers who changed to remote.
Conclusions: Employers should consider supporting healthy lifestyle and well-being among desk workers during pandemic-related social restrictions, regardless of remote working status.
Keywords: Diet; mood; pandemic; physical activity; sedentary behaviour; sleep; work-related health.
【저자키워드】 pandemic, physical activity, diet, sedentary behaviour, Sleep, mood, work-related health., 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, clinical trial, Stress, mental health, cross-sectional, COVID-19 pandemic, outcome, Health, age, Quality of life, Follow-up, change, questionnaire, Analysis, Decline, Other outcomes, worsening, worker, participant, ANCOVA, wake, employer, Affect, populations, FIVE, physical, decrease, greater, healthy, remained, eight, added, changes in, increase in, reductions in, changed, increases in,