Impacts of Working From Home During COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical and Mental Well-Being of Office Workstation Users

Objective: To understand impacts of social, behavioral and physical factors on well-being of office workstation users during COVID-19 work from home (WFH). Methods: A questionnaire was deployed from April 24 to June 11, 2020 and 988 responses were valid. Linear regression, multinomial logistic regression and chi-square tests were used to understand factors associated with overall physical and mental health statuses and number of new physical and mental health issues. Results: Decreased overall physical and mental well-being after WFH were associated with physical exercise, food intake, communication with coworkers, children at home, distractions while working, adjusted work hours, workstation set-up and satisfaction with workspace indoor environmental factors. Conclusion: This study highlights factors that impact workers' physical and mental health well-being while WFH and provides a foundation for considering how to best support a positive WFH experience.

Automated summary

The study found that working from home during COVID-19 has a negative impact on the overall physical and mental health statuses, which are mainly associated with factors such as physical exercise, food intake, communication with coworkers, children at home, distractions while working, work hours, workstation set-up, and workspace indoor environmental factors.