Background

The infection control policy affected people’s well-being during COVID-19, especially those vulnerable population. The study aimed to explore the factors, including socio-demographic characteristics and loneliness, associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Hong Kong Chinese population under the pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted between June and December 2020 among adult Chinese population during the 2^nd wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong (HK). Due to the social distancing measures, most of the questionnaires were filled in via online platforms with the rest being administrated in person. HRQoL was measured by Hong Kong validated EQ-5D-5L instrument (EQ-5D-5L HK). Loneliness was measured by a single item question regarding the frequency of the participant reporting feeling lonely and subjective social status (SSS) was measured by the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status.

Results

A total of 503 responses were collected. The HRQoL score of the respondents was significantly lower than the refer norms profile among local population. The findings identified that a younger age, single, a higher subjective social status, and a lower level of loneliness were significantly associated with better HRQoL. Moreover, these factors may also interact with each other to influence HRQoL. Specifically, older participants reported lower HRQoL than younger participants especially when they report a higher level of loneliness.

Conclusions

The present study found that some groups of population may face extra vulnerabilities during the pandemic in terms of declined HRQoL. Reducing loneliness can be protective of the HRQoL during the pandemic, especially among older people. It provides useful information for policy-makers to provide effective services to help people recover from the global pandemic.