Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Lebanon’s socio-economic situation has deteriorated significantly in recent years, a decline further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has had profound effects on the well-being and quality of life of the Lebanese population. The primary objective of this study is to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the general Lebanese population before and after COVID-19, using the SF-6D measure. Secondary objectives are to identify key predictors of HRQoL in Lebanon, including sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of government interventions in mitigating the crisis's impact on HRQoL.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Lebanese population before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated sample size was 577 participants. Independent samples t-tests, and Chi-square analysis were used to examine differences in sociodemographic and health characteristics between pre-COVID and post-COVID participants.
RESULTS: The results revealed a significant improvement in HRQoL in the post-pandemic phase, as reflected by higher SF-6D utility index scores (pre-COVID: 0.646±0.284; post-COVID: 0.719±0.258). Regression analysis, controlling for sociodemographic factors, identified time (pre/post-COVID) (B=0.06; P<0.001; CI: 0.039, 0.08), number of children aged 14 or below (B=-0.017; P<0.001; CI: -0.028, -0.007), and smoking (B=-0.006; P=0.001; CI: -0.01, -0.002) as key predictors of HRQoL.
CONCLUSIONS: These results add to a growing body of research on the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on HRQoL, especially in the MENA region where data remains limited. When facing worldwide health crises, governments can contribute to the development of a more robust and health-conscious society by tackling these issues.