Age group differences in psychological distress and leisure-time exercise/socioeconomic status during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis during 2020 to 2021 of a cohort study in Japan

Yoshinobu Saito; Sho Nakamura; Kaname Watanabe; Hiromi Ikegami; Naoko Shinmura; Shinya Sato; Yohei Miyagi; Hiroto Narimatsu

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1233942

Age group differences in psychological distress and leisure-time exercise/socioeconomic status during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis during 2020 to 2021 of a cohort study in Japan

Front Public Health. 2023 Oct 25:11:1233942. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1233942. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yoshinobu Saito^{1

2

3}, Sho Nakamura^{4

5}, Kaname Watanabe^{4

6}, Hiromi Ikegami^{4

7}, Naoko Shinmura^{4

7}, Shinya Sato^{8

9

10}, Yohei Miyagi⁹, Hiroto Narimatsu^{3

4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Sport Management, Nippon Sport Science University, Yokohama, Japan.
² Graduate School of Physical Education, Health and Sport Studies, Nippon Sport Science University, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Center for Innovation Policy, Kanagawa University of Human Services, Kawasaki, Japan.
⁴ Cancer Prevention and Control Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan.
⁵ Graduate School of Health Innovation, Kanagawa University of Human Services, Kawasaki, Japan.
⁶ Department of Genetic Medicine, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan.
⁷ Hygeia Communication General Incorporated Association, Kawasaki, Japan.
⁸ Morphological Information Analysis Laboratory, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan.
⁹ Molecular Pathology and Genetics Division, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Pathology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Yokohama, Japan.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between psychological distress and leisure-time exercise/socioeconomic status by age group, using data from a cohort study in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among participants in the ME-BYO cohort, aged 20-85 years, living or working in Kanagawa, Japan. A questionnaire was disseminated to 1,573 participants (51.7% men) between December 2020 and March 2021. The questionnaire items included psychological distress (using the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K6]), leisure-time exercise, and socioeconomic status. Multivariate analyses were conducted using logistic regression analysis for each age group.

Results: We found that 47.4% of 20-39-year-olds, 40.6% of 40-64-year-olds, and 28.3% of 65-85-year-olds experienced psychological distress (K6: ≥5 points). For those aged 20-39 years, leisure-time exercise (odds ratio [OR] (95% confidence interval) = 0.45 (0.28-0.73)) and higher annual household income [0.53 (0.32-0.90)] were associated with less psychological distress. For those aged 40-64 years, older age was associated with less psychological distress, while full-time work [1.98 (1.05-9.71)] was associated with more psychological distress. In the 65-85-year age group, higher education and higher annual income tended to be associated with less psychological distress. For those over 40 years of age, living with other(s) was associated with reduced psychological distress.

Conclusion: In the general population of Japan, not engaging in leisure-time exercise and low income affect psychological distress among young adults. Further detailed studies are needed to consider overall physical activity, job type, and work style.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; physical activity; social disparities; social environments.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise
Female
Humans
Japan / epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Psychological Distress*
Social Class
Stress, Psychological / epidemiology
Young Adult

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant [No. 16H06277 (CoBiA)] from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This work was also supported in part by a grant from the Kanagawa Prefectural Government of Japan.