The association between depression and non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors in South Korean older adults stratified by sex

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesThis study evaluated the association between depression and non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors among community‐dwelling South Korean older adults.MethodsWe utilized the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey—a community‐based nationwide survey. A score of 10 points or higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 was defined as depression. Non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors was assessed on the following three behaviors: washing hands, wearing masks, and watching distance. We also included socio‐demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and COVID‐19‐related characteristics as covariates. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, and all statistical analyses were stratified by sex.ResultsThe 70,693 participants included 29,736 men and 40,957 women. Notably, 2.3% of men and 4.2% of women had depression. Non‐compliance with washing hands was significantly higher in men than women (1.3% vs. 0.9%), whereas no significant differences were observed in wearing masks and watching distance. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that depression was positively associated with non‐compliance with washing hands and watching distance in both sexes. The association between depression and non‐compliance with wearing masks was significant only in women.ConclusionsThere was an association between depression and non‐compliance with COVID‐19 preventive behaviors in South Korean older adults. This signifies that health providers need to reduce depression to improve compliance with preventive behaviors in older adults.