A park located in the Mapo Ward of Seoul is closed on Sept. 20, 2020, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
DAEJEON, Sept. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Koreans are gaining interest in health management at home as they are spending more time indoors due to the coronavirus.
Medical authorities are asking the public to exercise as often as possible since staying indoors prevents people from being exposed to appropriate amounts of sunlight, which may weaken the bones.
They argue that staying indoors over an extensive period as part of the efforts to curb the coronavirus spread can lead to vitamin D deficiency.
While 10 to 15 minutes of daily sun exposure is enough to provide a day’s worth of vitamin D, even that is becoming a harder task for many people due to the pandemic.
In fact, the number of patients suffering from vitamin D deficiency has been on a constant increase in recent years.
The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service reported that the number of individuals suffering from vitamin D deficiency reached 159,424 last year, which was 3.2 times more than in 2015 (49,852 people).
Of the total last year, the vast majority (125,610) were women.
Vitamin D is crucial to maintaining bone density. Its deficiency can cause various diseases including osteoporosis and musculoskeletal disorder.
Women, in particular, suffer from a loss of bone density following menopause, exposing them to a higher risk of osteoporosis.
“Walking indoors or engaging in other indoor activities will help,” said Dr. Jeong Yeon-jae, head of the Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine Daejeon Branch.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
