2021 Volume 86 Issue 786 Pages 2147-2157
The purpose of this study is to investigate how people's outing behavior changed before, during, and after the state of emergency declaration in April-May 2020, and also how their health satisfaction and stress levels changed. In this study, we analyzed the differences between respondents' attributes, such as differences in attitudes toward emergency declarations by gender, age, employment status, and other personal attributes, and the changes in their relationship with their children. In addition, we conducted a model analysis of health satisfaction during the period of emergency to acquire knowledge of the personal attributes, lifestyle behaviors, and attitudes that are associated with health satisfaction during the period of emergency. In the past, there have been studies that have investigated and analyzed the relationship between outing behavior and health. However, there have been no studies that have investigated the changes in outing behavior and the attitude toward health during and after the state of emergency declaration.
The survey was conducted in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures, which had the longest period of emergencies in Japan. The survey targeted men and women who are in the 20s to 70s age group. The survey was conducted in July 2020 using an online questionnaire. The survey items are categorized into "respondent attributes," "means of transportation before, during, and after the state of emergency declaration," "outing behavior, time use, and health before, during, and after the state of emergency declaration," and "behavior, health, and post-declaration awareness during the state of emergency declaration. " Note that the period before the state of emergency declaration is before April 6, the period during the state of emergency declaration is from April 7 to May 25, and the period after the state of emergency declaration is the period of response.
The findings of this study are as follows:
(1) There was a tendency for major behavioral changes to occur during the state of emergency declaration, and a tendency to return to the situation before the declaration, with the effects of the period remaining even after its passing.
(2) A majority of people refrained from going out, and when some people did go out, they wore masks and were conscious of not going into crowds. There were a certain number of people who did not have any awareness of what is considered to be effective in preventing the spread of infection.
(3) During the period of emergency, there was a decrease in the use of trains and buses. The number of people who only walked or who did not go out increased.
(4) During the period of emergency, the time spent outside the office became shorter and less frequent, and telecommuting increased. While some people increased their workload, a certain number of people decreased their workload.
(5) During the period of emergency, changes in parents’ relationship with their children were more common among younger parents and children. There was also a significant difference in employment status.
(6) A model analysis of health satisfaction during the period of the emergency showed that health satisfaction was significantly related to stress levels, time spent on housework, and employment status.
