During the Pandemic, Adolescent Depression Increased and Adult Physical Activity Decreased

Research at Kyung Hee Medical Center Digital Health Center

A study has found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, depressive feelings and suicidal tendencies among adolescents increased, while physical activity among adults decreased.

Last October, travelers wearing masks were moving inside the domestic terminal of Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Kyung Hee Medical Center announced that Professor Yeon Dong-geon of the Digital Health Center published two papers on this topic in the online edition of the international journal 'JAMA Network Open' through a comparative study of pre- and post-COVID data.

Professor Yeon first analyzed data from the Youth Health Behavior Survey, conducted annually by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, targeting middle and high school students to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescent depressive feelings and suicidal tendencies.

The analysis showed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2016 to 2019, 26.1% of adolescents experienced depressive feelings and 12.3% had suicidal tendencies. During the pandemic period of 2020 to 2021, these figures slightly increased to 26.6% and 12.5%, respectively. It was especially confirmed that female adolescents, those living in metropolitan areas, and adolescents from low-income households were more vulnerable to these indicators.

The study involved Professor Yeon Dong-geon from Kyung Hee Medical Center and Professor Woo Ho-geol from Kyung Hee University Hospital’s Department of Neurology. The paper is titled "Depressive Feelings and Suicidal Tendencies among Korean Adolescents from 2015 to 2021 and Risk Factors Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic."

Physical activity among adults also decreased during the pandemic. The research team used data from the Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to analyze changes in overall adult physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that compared to the stable trend of regular exercise before COVID-19, adult physical activity decreased by about 24%. By subgroup, physical activity decreased by 29% among the elderly, 29% among women, 30% among metropolitan residents, and 22% among adults with depressive symptoms.

This study involved Professor Yeon Dong-geon and Professor Lim Hyun-jung from Kyung Hee Medical Science Research Institute. The paper is titled "Trends in Physical Activity among Korean Adults from 2009 to 2021, Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic."

Regarding the study results, Professor Yeon evaluated, "This research suggests the need for personalized public policies to prevent increases in adolescent depressive feelings and suicidal tendencies. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, further research on adolescent mental health is necessary."

He added, "Considering that less than 30% of adults meet the minimum aerobic exercise recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), a government-wide campaign to promote physical activity after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is deemed necessary."

Meanwhile, the Kyung Hee Digital Health Center is conducting various collaborative research and industry-academia cooperation activities based on a network of key researchers in digital health fields such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI), digital therapeutics, and telemedicine.

Professor Yeondongkeun, Digital Health Center, Kyung Hee Medical Center.
Photo by Kyung Hee Medical Center

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