The COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge to population health and behavior. Many studies indicated significant changes in mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, during this period. Yet few studies have traced mental health trajectories from the pre-pandemic phase through the post-emergency period to determine whether deterioration persisted and which groups remained vulnerable.
The pandemic also reshaped social interaction, accelerating the adoption of digital technologies such as internet and social media use. Older adults are particularly vulnerable in this digital era, as many have limited access and skills. Little is known about how Internet use changes across pandemic periods among older adults and how these changes are related to the risk of mental and physical outcomes.
Parallel to these psychosocial changes, the pandemic saw a rise in preventive health behaviors, particularly vaccination. Importantly, vaccination behaviors revealed interdependencies across diseases. Studies indicated that pre-pandemic influenza vaccination predicted COVID-19 vaccination, and vice versa, highlighting spillover effects in preventive health behaviors. Whether these patterns persist in the post-emergency phase remains unclear, especially as influenza resurges following the relaxation of control measures.
Though acute impacts on mental health, digital engagement, and vaccination are partly documented, their long-term trajectories remain poorly understood. It remains unclear whether pandemic-related shifts in health and behavior have persisted into the post-emergency era. Thus, our study aims to:1)Examine how common mental health problems evolved across peri-pandemic phases and identify vulnerable subgroups;2)Investigate how pre-pandemic internet use influenced trajectories of loneliness, social isolation, and physical morbidity among older adults;3)Assess how different vaccination behaviors predicted each other over time across peri-pandemic phases.
