Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are considered a high-risk group and have been advised to stay home or practice social distancing. This qualitative study examined the effects of strong quarantine measures and social distancing on older adults’ lifestyles. The participants in this study were 13 people aged 65 and older with chronic diseases who resided in South Korean communities. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to interpret the data collected from in-depth interviews. Four themes and 13 subthemes were identified. The four themes were “lifestyle changes,” “increased cautiousness in daily life,” “psychological changes,” and “adaptation to life during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The participants followed quarantine rules strictly and noted lifestyle changes, such as increased time spent at home due to social distancing guidelines, a smaller radius of daily activity, and changes in exercise and dietary habits. They also reported increased caution toward other people and objects that other people interacted with due to their fear of COVID-19 infection. They expressed fear about COVID-19 infection and anxiety about COVID-19-related news, and they often felt bored and depressed; however, the participants accepted, endured, and gradually adapted to these lifestyle changes. Non-face-to-face community support is urgently needed for older adults facing reduced levels of physical activity and psychological hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The working environment of nurses contains numerous hazards that can be particularly harmful to pregnant women. In addition, pregnancy-induced changes can themselves cause discomfort. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze pregnant nurses’ experiences of clinical work. This qualitative study analyzed data collected through in-depth interviews. From January to June in 2020, 12 shift-work nurses who had experienced pregnancy within three years were interviewed. The main question was “Could you describe your clinical work experience during pregnancy?” Qualitative data from field notes and transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Six categories were extracted that described the nurses’ clinical work experience during pregnancy, as follows: “enduring alone,” “organizational characteristics of nursing,” “risky work environment,” “strengths that sustain work during pregnancy,” “growth as a nurse,” and “methods to protect pregnant nurses.” Pregnant nurses experienced various difficulties due to physical and mental changes during pregnancy, and the clinical working environment did not provide them with adequate support. The findings of this study will be helpful for developing and implementing practical maternity protection policies and work guidelines.

With population aging, increasingly many elderly individuals are expected to participate in economic activities. Elderly workers have a higher prevalence of multiple chronic diseases, making it necessary to examine elderly workers’ experiences of health-related self-management in work environments. This qualitative study investigated the meaning of work and health-related self-management experiences among elderly workers with multiple chronic diseases. The study participants were elderly workers residing in South Korea (65 years old or older) with at least two chronic diseases. Twelve participated in individual interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative content analysis was conducted with the transcribed data. Six themes, 21 sub-themes, and 40 codes were derived. The themes were “benefit of work on health and life”, “adaptation to a new work environment”, “endurance”, “continuous efforts to maintain health”, “difficulties in self-management”, and “requirements for health promotion”. The participants experienced difficulties in health-related self-management due to time constraints, poor work environment, and financial burdens. However, participants expressed their desire to invest effort into managing their physical and psychological health and to work as long as possible. Programs that consider the aging and health-related characteristics of elderly workers and their work environments should be developed and implemented.