The Impact of COVID-19 on Health, Day-to-day Life, and Health-related Behaviors: the Multiethnic Cohort Study
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2022
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Abstract
The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease that it causes - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - has impacted the health and day-to-day life of individuals, especially the elderly and people with certain preexisting medical conditions, including cancer. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to better understand how COVID-19 impacted health, day-to-day life, access to care, and health-related behaviors, including breast and colorectal cancer screening, by studying the participants in the University of Hawaii Cancer Center Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study.
The MEC was established in 1993 – 1996 and has been following over 215,000 residents of Hawai’i and Los Angeles for the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. It includes men and women of five ethnic groups: Japanese Americans, Native Hawaiians, African Americans, Latinos, and Whites. MEC participants were sent an invitation to participate in an online survey on the impact of COVID-19 on their daily life activities, including adherence to cancer screening. Approximately 7,000 MEC members responded. Responses were compared between males and females and by race/ethnicity to describe the differences between the groups.
African American men (compared to White men), women (compared to men), and men and women with more education, were more likely to make changes to their lifestyle or daily activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. So were men with heart disease, hypertension, or lung disease, COPD, or asthma, and women with hypertension or lung disease, COPD, or asthma, compared to their healthy counterparts. Native Hawaiian men and women, and men and women of Other race/ethnicity, compared to Whites, and older men and women were less likely to make changes to their lifestyle or daily activities.
Men with more education, women compared to men, men with heart disease, and women with hypertension, kidney disease, and diagnosed with cancer in the past 5 years, compared to their healthy counterparts, were more likely to postpone regular health care visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Latino and Native Hawaiian men, Native Hawaiian women, and older women were less likely to postpone regular health care visits.
Men with more education, men with heart disease and those diagnosed with cancer in the past 5 years, and women with hypertension, lung disease, COPD, or asthma, kidney disease, and those diagnosed with cancer in the past 5 years were more likely to postpone surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese American men and women and Native Hawaiian women were less likely to postpone any surgical procedure(s).
Lastly, women with more education, women compared to men, men diagnosed with cancer in the past 5 years, and women with lung disease, COPD, or asthma, and those diagnosed with cancer in the past 5 years were more likely to postpone any cancer screening test/procedure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese American men and women and older women were less likely to postpone any cancer screening test/procedure.
This study revealed specific associations of factors like race/ethnicity, age, education level, and comorbidities with the healthcare decisions of MEC participants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaiʻi and Los Angeles. Increased monitoring of patients in high-risk groups for cancer and other diseases is of the utmost importance as the chance of undiagnosed cases or poor prognosis due to delayed screening and treatment increases.
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Epidemiology, Cancer Screening, COVID-19, Health-related Behaviors, Lifestyle, Multiethnic Cohort
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115 pages
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