People in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, practice social distancing while enjoying the warm spring sun and blooming flowers at Gyeongsanggamyeong Park, on March 25, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The obesity rate spiked and depressive symptoms spread in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down outdoor activities, a government report said Tuesday.
The research institute under Statistics Korea reported on Tuesday that the obesity rate in 2020 was 38.3 percent, up by 5 percentage points from the previous year, concentrated on the 20s and 30s age group.
On a score of 0 to 10, the level of anxiety or depression was 3.8 points in 2019, 3.7 points in 2020 and 4 points last year.
The level of interpersonal trust dropped from 66.2 percent in 2019 to 50.6 percent in 2020, before recovering to 59.3 percent last year.
The level of trust towards institutions rose from 41.5 percent in 2019 and 48.3 percent in 2020 to 55.4 percent last year.
The proportion of Koreans travelling domestically went from 85 percent in 2019 to 75.5 percent in 2020, before reaching a new high of 89 percent last year thanks to the increasing number of day trips.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
