Improvise, Adapt, Overcome: Changes in Self-Care Routines of People with Chronic Health Conditions During the COVID-19 Lockdown in The Netherlands

Background: Over half of the population of the Netherlands has a chronic health condition. A large proportion of the care of people with chronic conditions is done by themselves and requires continuous adaptation to the context of that moment. The “Intelligent lockdown” in the Netherlands has changed this context throughout its various phases. Objectives: There is little knowledge on what self-care looks like in the lives of people with chronic health conditions and how a crisis situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic influences self-care routines. The objective was to examine how the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the self-care behaviour and routines of people living with a chronic condition. Methods: Qualitative researched methods were used to gather the stories and experiences of participants with chronic health conditions. A seven-day, daily activity logbook was used to list the self-care behaviours of the day. This was then used to contrast and compare self-care activities to...Show moreBackground: Over half of the population of the Netherlands has a chronic health condition. A large proportion of the care of people with chronic conditions is done by themselves and requires continuous adaptation to the context of that moment. The “Intelligent lockdown” in the Netherlands has changed this context throughout its various phases. Objectives: There is little knowledge on what self-care looks like in the lives of people with chronic health conditions and how a crisis situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic influences self-care routines. The objective was to examine how the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the self-care behaviour and routines of people living with a chronic condition. Methods: Qualitative researched methods were used to gather the stories and experiences of participants with chronic health conditions. A seven-day, daily activity logbook was used to list the self-care behaviours of the day. This was then used to contrast and compare self-care activities to before the COVID-19 lockdown and during the various phases of the lockdown. The results of the logbooks were then used to conduct interviews with the participants, with the aim of verifying and clarifying the logbook entries. Results: The sample was made up of 10 participants with an age range of 20-67, seven of whom identified as female and three as male. People with physical as well as mental chronic health conditions were included. The limiting of space due to the lockdown caused clashes and overlaps of spaces with different functions. This led to the disruption of self-care routines concerning movement, socialisation, and food. The theme of responsibility towards and dependency on family and friends also emerged. The COVID-19 measures took away many of the healthy coping mechanisms those with mental health conditions relied on. Opportunities for exercise were limited by the closing of sporting facilities and the weather, with home-workout being complicated by lack of structure and social motivation. The participants indicated that they believed their experience with continuous adaptation had helped them adapt to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: This study showed that self-care behaviours and routines are interconnected. Most self-care behaviours were aimed at maintaining mental health, though those with mental health conditions experienced an extra challenge because their usual coping mechanisms were disrupted. Pandemic response policies must be examined for differential impacts on multiple groups, and ways to mitigate potential negative impacts.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome: Changes in Self-Care Routines of People with Chronic Health Conditions During the COVID-19 Lockdown in The Netherlands