On the Association of Community Belonging With Over Time Changes in Self‐Rated Health and Mental Health Since the COVID‐19 Pandemic

This study evaluates how community belonging influences over time changes in self-rated health (SRH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) after the COVID-19 pandemic using a large Canadian population survey (N = 9013, response rate 25%). The study uses descriptive analysis and a set of ordered logistic regressions. The results suggest that 1 year after the height of the pandemic, most of the respondents consider their SRH and SRMH as excellent, good, or fair, with 89.1% for SRH and 85.7% for SRMH. By contrast, only 10.8% and 14.3% of respondents reported poor and very poor SRH and SRMH. Furthermore, about 25%-29% of respondents reported that their SRH and SRMH became better over time, and only 11%-12% reported worsening SRH and SRMH, while the rest reported no changes. Regression results suggest that higher levels of community belonging are associated with higher SRH and SRHM. For instance, reporting strong community belonging is associated with higher SRH (OR = 4.734, 95% CI [4.004, 5.598]) and SRMH (OR = 5.778, 95% CI [4.879, 6.842]). Moreover, they suggest that a higher level of community belonging is associated with perceived improvement over time in SRH and SRMH. For example, reporting strong community belonging is associated with more improvement over time in SRH (OR = 2.105, 95% CI [1.757, 2.523]) and SRHM (OR = 1.927, 95% CI [1.607, 2.312]). The study concluded by discussing theoretical, policy, and methodological implications of these findings.