Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare services, including chronic disease management, for vulnerable groups, such as older individuals with hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate hypertension management in South Korea’s elderly population during the pandemic using treatment consistency indices such as the continuity of care (COC), modified, modified continuity index (MMCI), and most frequent provider continuity (MFPC).
Methods
This study used the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID-19-National Health Insurance Service cohort (K-COV-N cohort) from the National Health Insurance Service between 2017 and 2021. The research included a total of 4,097,299 hypertensive patients aged 65 years or older. We defined 2018 and 2019 as the baseline period before the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 period and calculated the indices of medical continuity (number of visits, COC, MMCI, and MFPC) on a yearly basis.
Results
The number of visits decreased during the COVID-19 period compared to the baseline period (59.64±52.75 vs. 50.49±50.33, P<0.001). However, COC, MMCI, and MFPC were not decreased in the baseline period compared to the COVID-19 period (0.71±0.21 vs. 0.71±0.22, P<0.001; 0.97±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.05, P<0.001; 0.8±0.17 vs. 0.8±0.17, P<0.001, respectively).
Conclusion
COVID-19 had no significant impact on the continuity of care but affected the frequency of outpatient visits for older patients with hypertension. However, this study highlights the importance of addressing healthcare inequalities, especially in older patients with hypertension, during pandemics and advocates for policy changes to ensure continued care for vulnerable populations.

Citations

• Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55.     CrossRef
• The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on hypertension phenotypes (ESH ABPM COVID-19 study)
  Aleksandra Ostrowska, Wiktoria Wojciechowska, Marek Rajzer, Thomas Weber, Michael Bursztyn, Alexandre Persu, George Stergiou, Grzegorz Kiełbasa, Marzena Chrostowska, Michaelis Doumas, Gianfranco Parati, Grzegorz Bilo, Guido Grassi, Giuseppe Mancia, Andrze
  European Journal of Internal Medicine.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef

Background
Depression is a prevalent mental health disorder that presents substantial public health challenges. Emerging evidence underscores the role of dietary patterns in mitigating depressive symptoms. This study investigated the association between diet quality, assessed using the Recommended Food Score (RFS), and depressive symptoms, evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), in a sample of Korean adults.
Methods
This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 19,786 participants recruited from a general hospital in Korea, all of whom completed the RFS and PHQ-9 assessments. General characteristics and anthropometric indices were recorded. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and binary logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for depressive symptoms according to RFS scores, adjusting for potential confounders.
Results
Higher RFS scores were associated with reduced odds of depression in univariate (OR, 0.59; P<0.001) and multivariate (OR, 0.72; P<0.001) analyses. Sociodemographic factors, including older age, higher education, marital status, higher income, professional occupation, and regular exercise, were linked to decreased odds of depression. Conversely, female sex, current smoking, and alcohol consumption were associated with increased odds.
Conclusion
The findings reveal an inverse relationship between diet quality and depressive symptoms among Korean adults, emphasizing the potential of dietary improvements in mental health promotion. Sociodemographic factors significantly influence depression risk. Future studies should adopt longitudinal designs incorporating a wider range of variables to elucidate these complex interactions.