AUTHOR=Luo Jia , Wang Pengchong , Li Zhanjiang , Cao Wenwen , Liu Huan , Meng Limin , Sun Jing 

TITLE=Health Anxiety and Its Correlates in the General Chinese Population During the COVID-19 Epidemic

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.743409

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.743409

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an adverse impact on the mental health of the general population. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of health anxiety (HA) in the general Chinese population to inform psychological interventions in COVID-19-affected areas.
Methods: We conducted an online survey of the general population in mainland China between 6 and 17 February 2020 (N=1450, 69.79% female; mean age=37.5±9.1 years). The Whiteley Index-7 (WI-7), COVID-19 knowledge quiz (CKQ), Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ-9), and socio-demographic information were surveyed using the Questionnaire-Star program.
Results: The prevalence of HA, depression and anxiety were 47.3%, 31.3% and 35.7%, respectively. The WI-7 score showed a significant association with age, education level, income, occupation, chronic disease and daily time focused on COVID-19. On multiple logistic regression analysis, depression (OR=1.05) and anxiety (OR=1.228) were significant risk factors for HA. In addition, individuals with masters or higher qualification degree [odds ratio (OR)=0.632 )], older age (OR=0.981), 2-4 hours daily time focused on COVID-19 (OR=0.684), healthcare workers (OR=0.749, p=0.046) and those with more COVID-19 related knowledge (OR=0.785) showed a significantly negative association with HA. Chronic disease (OR=1.962) is significantly associated with HA. 
Conclusions: HA was highly prevalent among the general population during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. More than two-fifths of the respondents had obvious HA. Depression and anxiety were risk factors for HA; mental health interventions offered during the pandemic should pay particular attention to these individuals.