The Impact of “Three Zones” Closed-off Management in Communities on Individuals’ Mental Health and Lifestyle During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The "three zones" closed-off management in communities is an innovative anti-pandemic measure in China that divides communities into lockdown zones, controlled zones, and precautionary zones to contain the spread of the pandemic and reduce the infection rate. This paper aimed to explore the impact of "three zones" closed-off management in communities on individuals' mental health and lifestyle. Two hundred participants were recruited from Shenzhen city, where a seven-day "three zones" closed-off management was implemented, to complete the online survey made available through a link shared via the Wechat group. The study found that during the lockdown period, individuals’ positive mental health, unhealthy eating behaviors, physical activity, and sleep quality decreased by 8.5%, 5.4%, 22.0%, and 10.2%, respectively, while sedentary time increased by 21.7% markedly. In addition, residents living in controlled zones had poorer mental health but more physical activities than those residing in precautionary zones; residents living in lockdown zones had worse sleep quality and more sedentary time than those living in precautionary zones. These findings are essential to enrich and improve research beyond public health measures during the pandemic.