Identifying the Outcomes of Healthy Lifestyles in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to identify the outcomes of healthy lifestyles during the post-COVID-19 era. Materials and Methods: A qualitative field study was conducted based on the interpretive paradigm and inductive reasoning using theoretical and non-probability sampling techniques. Our study adopted the grounded theory approach, and semi-structured interviews were employed as data collection tools. While theoretical saturation was reached by the end of the thirteenth interview, the interviews continued until the fifteenth for further certainty. Faculty members and experts with doctoral degrees at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences constituted the statistical population from whom 15 individuals were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The hidden content of interviews was summarized, coded, and analyzed using the MAXQDA software version 2020. Results: The researcher and supervising professors extracted 37 initial concepts, of which six remained after eliminating duplicates. The outcomes of healthy lifestyles during the post-COVID-19 era emerged from the intuitive opinions of experts, namely, the promotion of social capital, the promotion of psychological capital, and the movement toward development. Conclusion: Providing and maintaining health is not a simple act and is fraught with complexities, as numerous biological, individual, family, cultural, social, economic, political, and health factors are involved. Realization of appropriate health platforms, prevention of chronic diseases, and promotion of healthy lifestyles among citizens are not targets to be fulfilled merely by health-related organizations and bodies; rather, they require extensive coordination and empathy among all educational, health, cultural, service, and even political institutions and bodies