Healthy behavior and herbal drink consumption among educated youth during COVID-19 pandemic

Priyono Tri Febrianto (Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Education, Universitas Trunojoyo)
Arum Budiastuti (Faculty of Art and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney)
Lutfi Apreliana Megasari (Social Service, Regional Government of Blitar Regency)
Merlia Indah Prastiwi (Sociology Program, Faculty of Social and Humanities Science, Universitas Trunojoyo)

Jurnal Sosiologi Dialektika
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2023): Jurnal Sosiologi Dialektika

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected social and economic sectors and has created new behavior and lifestyles. This article employs a quantitative methodological approach. Through interviews with 274 university students in East Java, Indonesia, the findings suggest that young people’s awareness of health behavior shifted after the spread of COVID-19. Before the pandemic, parents are struggling to have their children consume herbs. Youngsters consider herbs as a traditional lifestyle for the elderly. However, after COVID-19, the results suggest that young people are more supportive of herbal medicine in order to protect themselves from COVID-19. Therefore, it can be argued that COVID-19 pandemic generates a growing awareness for young people to consume herbal medicine, which becomes a new lifestyle and preserves the nation’s centuries-worth wisdom of the local culture.