People walk across an intersection in Seoul on March 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent survey showed that South Koreans smoked more after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but their alcohol consumption and physical activities decreased.
The Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health conducted a survey of 1,500 adult men and women aged between 20 and 65 to identify what change the coronavirus has brought to people’s health behaviors, including smoking, drinking and physical activities.
The survey compared the change in their health behaviors between before COVID-19 times (January 2020) and in COVID-19 times (October 2020).
The data showed that the smoking frequency was similar but the smoking amount increased, while the drinking frequency and the amount of alcohol intake both declined. Physical activities were also halted or decreased.
The monthly smoking frequency increased slightly to 26.1 times after the pandemic from 25.9 times before the pandemic.
People smoked 11.6 cigarettes a day before the pandemic and 11.9 after it, while 79 respondents said their daily smoking amount increased from 9.3 to 11.2.
The alcohol drinking frequency and amount both declined after the pandemic.
The monthly alcohol drinking frequency slid to 5.4 times after the pandemic from 5.9 times before the pandemic, with the daily drinking amount averaged at 6.1 glasses after the pandemic, down from 6.8 glasses before the pandemic.
In the meantime, 35.9 percent of male respondents said that they were engaged in physical activity, but 48.7 percent suspended it, and 15.4 percent stopped it.
Among women, 29.1 percent replied they were engaged in physical activity, 47 percent suspended it, and 23.9 percent stopped it.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
