Aurora Storey

Sean Waters
Writing Arguments
December 6, 2020
Pandemic Peril: Health and Its Decline
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make 2020 the longest year in existence, health

begins to deteriorate – and not just because people are falling ill with the virus. People have

begun to dismiss the severity of this disease, and colleges have been a large perpetrator of that.

College students have become less accepting of CDC guidelines to travel, party, and socialize

with their peers. This is detrimental to the ending of the pandemic because disease continues to

spread and keep individuals in lockdown for longer. By focusing on college students and the

influence they have, the pandemic may come to an end sooner and allow them to get back into

the normalcy of in-person classes, socialization, and work. Careless students are heavily

contributing to the problem and focusing on their impact may allow them to realize the impact of

the pandemic that they cannot see within themselves.

Financial health has taken a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost forty

million Americans lost their jobs, leading to a stress over lack of an income. Stress is linked to a

lowered immune system, making people more susceptible to disease contraction, especially for

those out looking for jobs in public. Lack of solid financial health can lead to overeating,

minimal exercise, and sleep deprivation – all of which contribute to physical and mental health.

On top of this, lack of financial security can shorten the lifespan and lead to the development of

depression (Walker). Finances may also lead to the delay of medical care, including testing and

medications, which are both extremely relevant to the pandemic and the lack of resources

available to the public (Walker). If the pandemic ends sooner, it can lead to an increase in jobs
for those who are unemployed, strengthened immune systems, and access to healthcare which

can lead to access to doctors, testing, and medications – all of which will directly relate to

students who are graduating and creating a career of their own. These can very well impact

college students directly, meaning that caring can help recover financial health and create job

opportunities.

In terms of financial health, I personally did not experience much of a change. I am

fortunate enough to still live with my parents, so I don’t have the stressor of having to pay for

rent or anything independently. I quit my job well before the pandemic hit due to management

issues, so I didn’t lose out on an income. That being said, it did make it harder to look for a job

because of my limited experience, less opportunities, and my fear of contracting COVID because

of my preexisting conditions. Those around me, though, have seen more struggles in finances.

My father lost a portion of his income once the oil and gas industry began to take a hit, making

budgeting more stressful and eliminating certain costs that my family deemed unessential.

According to Lauren McAlister, a marketing content specialist at Mindbody, exercise

utilizing online workouts increased. Within her survey, before COVID-19 restrictions were put

into place, only 7% of Mindbody users utilized livestream workouts, and this increased to over

80% during the pandemic (McAlister). On top of this, 33% of survey participants reported

exercising more, and 43% intend to go back to the gym and continue using livestreamed

workouts as well (McAlister). Another interesting aspect to look at is that Google search trends

for the term “gym” decreased while “exercise” and “outdoor” increased (Mayasari et al. 5). On

the contrary, the University of California San Francisco found that within the first ten days of the

pandemic, worldwide step count decrease by 5.5%, and reached a decrease of 27.3% within the

first thirty days (Maier). This, in tandem with an uptick in fitness equipment purchases, can show
the vast differences in individuals physical well-being and how it may impact the other aspects

of health. If college students begin to care more about the impact of the pandemic, it can lead to

an increase in exercise and physical well-being, the reopening of gyms, and overall better

physical fitness.

I personally also took part in online workouts. As someone who had lost all motivation to

be on my feet except to walk to the fridge, I began to utilize YouTube workouts such as Chloe

Ting, as well as following the trends on TikTok that were supposed to give you a flat stomach.

On top of this, I attempted to use Just Dance more frequently to get my heart rate up and stay

active. While the sentiment was nice, I did not follow through on using these methods for long,

and instead continued to watch TikToks on people who lost weight over quarantine while I

continued to eat Twix in bed. I also did not purchase any exercise equipment, both because it can

be very pricey and because I knew I would eventually stop using it due to lack of motivation.

With the extreme changes in day to day life, it is easy to lose the drive to stay active, and by the

pandemic restrictions being lifted with the care of college students, gyms can reopen, mental

health may get better, and physical health can improve as our sense of normalcy returns.

It has been found that individuals with poor mental and physical health are more likely to

have issues with both if they suffer from any kind of chronic health issues. Having mental health

issues can become a risk factor for chronic physical conditions, suffering from severe mental

health issues can put you at higher risk of having chronic physical conditions, and suffering from

chronic physical issues can give you a higher chance of developing mental health issues

(“Connection Between Mental and Physical Health). This can also be seen in the study by

Alonzi, La Torre, and Silverstein – the pandemic has continued to impact individuals’ mental

health. Within the age range of eighteen to thirty-five, women, nonbinary individuals, and people
with preexisting mental health issues were found to have higher levels of depression and anxiety

resulting from the pandemic (Alonzi et al. 2). Knowing that many college students struggle with

mental health in the first place, it is important to take a step back and see the impact of the

pandemic on the already vulnerable state of mind. By giving college students this information, it

may help them see that their mental health continues to deteriorate as the pandemic persists, so a

change in habits may allow for them to end the pandemic and create a support system through

the trauma.

Over the course of the last nine months, I have seen pretty severe fluctuations in my

mental and physical health. While I attempted to exercise, I lost motivation, which caused me to

gain weight and have a pretty negative self-esteem issue. I also began to have consistent

headaches and stomachaches, both of which were caused by stress and anxiety. I also found that

my mental and physical health took a pretty steep decline while attempting to be in online

school. I lost motivation, sleep, and a sense of support that I feel during in-person instruction. I

was also regularly surrounded by unhealthy food, negative emotions, and frustration, sometimes

contributing to the unhealthy eating habits and little to no motivation to be active. One benefit

over this course, though, was trips to the chiropractor for my headaches, stomachaches, and joint

pain. While it seemed to help in the beginning, the effectiveness seemed to dissipate, leaving me

feeling more unmotivated and hopeless. Knowing that these are all struggles college students

face despite a pandemic, the worsened situation can be detrimental to future health. College

students that follow CDC guidelines can help prevent these issues from getting worse, which is

why they should be aware of the impacts the pandemic has had on them.

There have been differing claims on the impact of social media on mental health, so it is

important to look at those studies when analyzing how health may have changed over this nine-
month period. In the study conducted by Gao et al., they focused on the population of China over

the age of eighteen that self-reported how often they interacted with COVID related news on

social media platforms within the previous week (Gao et al. 2). They found that their 4,872

participants had a positive association of high social media consumption and exposure to high

prevalence of mental health issues during the pandemic (8). On the contrary, a study performed

by Zhong, Huang, and Liu found that exposure to social media did not have an adverse effect on

college-aged students. They found that individuals felt more informed and supported by social

networks as opposed to poor mental health (Zhong et al. 2). While they did state that “the

overexposure to health information on social media could take a toll on mental health,” they

found that the support individuals felt helped decrease the chances of mental health issues arising

during the pandemic (8). If college students were aware of the impact that social media could

have on mental health, which individuals spent approximately three hours per day on in 2020, it

may help them understand the negative impact of a prolonged pandemic and their consumption

of social media (Wendy). This may change their behavior to have healthier habits and end the

pandemic sooner rather than later.

I have spent an embarrassingly large amount of time on social media over the last nine

months, mostly as a way to still feel connected to the outside world. While I feel that social

media can be a great way to stay in the loop with current events and to find support from friends

and family, I would have to say that I lean more towards the findings of the study conducted by

Gao et al. I have seen my mental health become extremely vulnerable and weak as I see how

others are living their lives. Body dysmorphia, diet culture, and the shame for gaining weight

over the pandemic took a severe toll on my self-image and mental health, because I was

consistently comparing myself to others. While I think that the online workout programs are a
great way to stay active in this time, watching others lose more weight than you and also be able

to maintain a “ideal” body has had negative impacts on how I interact with the world. This

continues to be an issue as the pandemic goes on longer and I find myself gaining more weight,

which automatically leads to poor mental health in my experience.

College students need to care more about the pandemic, because the longer we are under

lockdown, the more negative health impacts there are. As large perpetrators of breaking the CDC

guidelines, it is important for those individuals to understand the impact that their actions have

on others and even themselves. While it is something really important to understand, college

students may face some problems actually wanting to stay under lockdown. Some students might

feel that they haven’t been impacted, so it can’t be that important. This could be the fact that they

haven’t contracted COVID, their friends and family may not have gotten sick or died, or they

feel that their health has been maintained during this time period. Individuals may also just not

care. Socialization and the desire to return to normalcy may be the leading factor in their

behavior, disregarding guidelines and compassion for others. These constraints may cause

individuals to continue living their lives as if there isn’t a pandemic going on, but hopefully by

understanding that the pandemic continues to be detrimental to all aspects of health will help

them realize their errors and change their behavior. Perspective is everything – if students knew

what it was like to suffer during the pandemic or if COVID impacted their loved ones, their

mindset might change to be more understanding and willing to make a change.

While the pandemic continues to trudge on, there is hope after all – scientists estimate

that we will be back to a sense of normal by the year 2022. This is extremely hopeful, and while

it may create a sense of loss for the year 2021, there is much to look forward to. With this new

sense of normally, there will be a boost in school enrollment. If there is a significant increase in
college enrollment, this can negatively impact college students by overcrowding classes, losing

parking space, and increased tuition. This will create a long-term and frustrating change, much

like the pandemic, and by changing behavior now, it can avoid these complications in 2022.

Also, with more students enrolled in school, it means that there will need to be strict, long-term

policies put into place for both academic and public environments. According to Zaheer, these

measures will need to facilitate “(1) optimal mental and physical health of all faculty, staff and

students, (2) balancing the financial and managerial crises, and (3) development and

implementation of long-term policies to stand-up to the challenges of this situation” (Zaheed 1).

These policies will have to ensure safety, health, sanitation, and better medical attention given to

not only students, but also in common public areas.

While the world continues to work through this difficult time, college students

consistently socialize, extending the time we spend in lockdown. Many of these college students

may not be informed of the health issues that have arisen due to the pandemic that don’t have to

do with contracting COVID-19, but it would be extremely beneficial to inform them. By

informing these individuals of the severe impact the pandemic has had on most people, and

sometimes focusing on their own age range, can lead to a change being made and the pandemic

ending sooner. Colleges providing this information could deter students from breaking the CDC

guidelines, and in turn, saving lives and helping everyone become healthier while doing so.
 Works Cited

Alonzi, Sarah, Adelaide La Torre, and Madison W. Silverstein. "The psychological impact of
preexisting mental and physical health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy (2020).

“Connection Between Mental and Physical Health.” CMHA Ontario,

ontario.cmha.ca/documents/connection-between-mental-and-physical-health/. 

Gao, Junling, et al. “Mental Health Problems and Social Media Exposure during COVID-19 Outbreak.”
PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 4, Apr. 2020, pp. 1–10. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231924. 

Maier, Scott. “Physical Activity Dropped Worldwide During COVID-19, Raising Concerns for Health.”
University of California San Francisco, 1 Dec. 2020,
www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/07/417951/physical-activity-dropped-worldwide-during-covid-19-
raising-concerns-health. 

Mayasari, Noor Rohmah et al. “Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Security and Diet-Related
Lifestyle Behaviors: An Analytical Study of Google Trends-Based Query Volumes.” Nutrients
12.10 (2020): 3103. Crossref. Web.

McAlister, Lauren. Here's How COVID-19 Has Changed Fitness. 2020,

www.mindbodyonline.com/business/education/blog/heres-how-covid-19-has-changed-fitness. 

TEDx Talks. Financial Health Is Public Health | Kara Walker | TEDxWilmingtonSalon. 17 Oct. 2017,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CEGLw5pi6k&t=421s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks. Accessed 25
Oct. 2020. 

Wendy. 2020. “How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media (11 Insights): Blog.” August 31,
2020. https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/how-much-time-do-people-spend-on-social-media.

Zaheer, Asad. “Preparing for Post COVID-19 Stage.” Biomedica, vol. 36, July 2020, pp. 19–21.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,url,cpid&custid=s4640792&db=aph&AN=144452188&site=e
host-live. 

Zhong, Bu, Yakun Huang, and Qian Liu. "Mental health toll from the coronavirus: Social media usage
reveals Wuhan residents’ depression and secondary trauma in the COVID-19 outbreak."
Computers in human behavior 114 (2020): 106524.