Consequences of post COVID-19 on general health and lifestyle among young adults: a population-based study

<bold>Background:</bold> Long lasting symptoms after COVID-19, i.e. post COVID-19, have been reported to be common also among young adults. Post COVID-19 have been associated with poor quality of life, but few studies have investigated how post COVID-19 influences general health and lifestyle among young adults. <bold>Aims and objectives:</bold> To investigate how post COVID-19 influence general health and lifestyle factors among young adults. <bold>Methods:</bold> The study included 1,577 participants aged 26-29 years from the Swedish population-based cohort BAMSE who reported having had COVID-19. Information on post COVID-19, general health and changes in lifestyle factors were self-reported between October-December 2023. Post COVID-19 was defined as at least one long-term (≥2 months) symptom after COVID-19. <bold>Results:</bold> Sixty-two (3.9%) participants reported ongoing post COVID-19 symptoms and 166 (10.5%) reported previous post COVID-19 symptoms. The most common ongoing symptoms were altered smell or taste, mental illness, and fatigue. Ongoing post COVID-19 symptoms was associated with lower wellbeing (27.4% vs. 68.8% very good or great), self-perceived health (32.3% vs. 70.8% completely healthy) and life joy (22.6% vs. 42.1% very much), all p-values <0.001. Ongoing and previous post COVID-19 was also associated with negative lifestyle changes compared to before the pandemic, e.g. reduced physical activity, less healthy diet, reduced sleep, and increased stress (all p-values <0.001). However, sex, education, occupation, smoking, or overweight was not associated with post COVID-19. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Young adults with post COVID-19 reported substantial decreased general health and negative lifestyle changes after the pandemic