COVID-19 Survivor Study

COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge burden for individuals, societies and systems. A number of studies has been conducted in COVID-19 survivors, though not much is known about the health status and associated factors among people who recovered from COVID-19 infection. Since COVID-19 is a newly emerged disease, experts are still studying how people recover from it, and studying the possible long-term effects. Therefore, the COVID-HL Network, the Asian Health Literacy Association (AHLA), and the Health Research Alliance (HRA) have jointly conducted the Global COVID-19 Survivors Survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of health literacy (HL) and digital healthy diet literacy (DDL) was addressed by public health researchers due to its essential role in evaluating online health information in the digital world with diverse information and sources. Several cross-sectional studies have reported that lower HL or DDL is associated with confusion regarding COVID-19 and erroneous beliefs.

Psychological health problems and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been summarized in COVID-19 survivors. COVID-19 survivors have significant low HRQOL after being discharged from the hospital, a considerable prevalence of neurocognitive impairment, psychiatric morbidity, and clinical outcome problems. In addition, COVID-19 survivors have suffered from fatigue or muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, and psychological health problems (anxiety, depression). These post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) further show the impact of psychological impairment, disability and low HRQOL. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the PTSS, disability, HRQOL and associated factors among COVID-19 survivors.

Sexual function was changed after life crisis. The pandemic may affect the sexuality, male reproductive system and fertility, and sexual function and behaviours in women. It even changes in the practice in sexual medicine. However, there is an opportunity to investigate the impact of COVID-19 infection on the changes in sexual functioning in COVID-19 survivors.

In our first wave survey, health literacy, digital healthy diet literacy, healthy eating behaviour, and physical activity have shown the protective impacts on mental health (fear, anxiety, depression), and HRQOL in outpatients, students, and healthcare workers. In this second wave survey, we are particularly interested in discovering COVID-19 survivors’ HL and DDL levels, their potential and psychological resilience, health-related behaviours, sexual, physical and psychological health, happiness and HRQOL.

In particular, the study focuses on the following research questions:

• What is the status of, and associated factors of fear of COVID-19, and post-traumatic stress?
• Explore the disability levels in daily life functioning due to the COVID–19 pandemic among the survivors
• Do the COVID-19 survivors with higher HL, DDL, better resilience, healthier health-related behaviours have lower scores of COVID-19 impact battery-disability?
• Do the COVID-19 survivors with higher HL, DDL, better resilience, healthier health-related behaviours have lower fear scores, a lower likelihood of post-traumatic stress symptoms?
• Do the COVID-19 survivors with higher HL, DDL, better resilience, healthier health-related behaviours have a better health-related quality of life?
• Do the COVID-19 survivors with higher HL, DDL, better resilience, healthier health-related behaviours have higher scores of sexual functioning.
• Whether the interaction between physical activity and dietary intake diminish the negative impact of COVID-19 on physical and psychological health and quality of life?

The benefit of this survey is to provide evidence for developing the multidisciplinary rehabilitation post-COVID-19 to lead to better health outcomes and improve quality of life.