Youth habits during the Coronavirus pandemic worry the Public Health Agency

We moved less and our mental health deteriorated a little. These are some of the things the Public Health Agency sees Report

“If it persists, it’s not good,” says Anna Mansdotter, Unit Director at Authority.

When it comes to mental health, most people seem to already feel the same as before – at least at the start of the pandemic.

On the other hand, we see a tendency in new data collection to increase mental disorders during the fall, says Anna Mansdotter.

Effects take time

Even before the pandemic, groups in society that were in a vulnerable position have been affected by the progression of the virus.

We expected that groups with different health risks even before the pandemic would be affected the most. But it is still worrying that the results clearly confirm this.

The Swedish Public Health Agency has looked at epidemiological research conducted abroad and analyzed data at home. According to the authority, there are some aspects that mean that we are not seeing drastic changes at the population level – yet.

It may take some time before we see the full public health consequences. We learned this from past crises. For example, previous research has shown that suicide rates increase a year or two after a societal crisis – it’s important to take it with you, says Anna Mansdotter and adds:

It is alarming, then, that living conditions and living conditions have been the most affected among those who, even before the pandemic, were at increased risk of ill health. Living conditions are so crucial to the continued existence of health.

Youth habits have changed

Another cloud of concern is the consequences of the pandemic for a smaller portion of the population.

Living habits have changed the most among the youth, as well as among the youth. There are both positive and negative things. The downside is that sitting still increases but eating habits have also deteriorated. Because they are so young, it’s always alarming to keep going.

The clear thing to the authority is that more investment in public health is needed to counter the risks of growing differences in health.

Overall health should be good, on average, but the differences between population groups should not be great either, says Anna Mansdotter.

– If we do not take care of it from a comforting perspective, healthcare or other public activities may also be affected by the additional costs.

A new phenomenon

Conclusions – if any of this can even be drawn – about how the epidemic will affect the health of the population is too early to respond. It will take time, according to Anna Mansdotter, and it can get more difficult the longer it takes to figure out the cause – the pandemic or something entirely different.

It is a new phenomenon in which we do not have much help from history. We need to be humble in the face of the fact that the public health consequences of epidemics and infection control measures need to be analyzed and followed up on a large scale, she says.

Malin Johansson / TT