Physical Activity Reduction and the Worsening of Gastrointestinal Health Status during the Second COVID-19 Home Confinement in Southern Italy.

Antonella Bianco,Isabella Franco,Francesco Russo,Laura Prospero,Caterina Bonfiglio,Paolo Sorino,Gianluigi Giannelli,Alberto Rubén Osella,Giuseppe Riezzo

doi:10.3390/ijerph18189554

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in December 2020, the Italian government established a second home confinement during the Christmas holidays. These restrictions offered the opportunity to utilize a well-defined model for observing the consequences of lifestyle changes of healthy individuals. This study aimed at estimating in healthy subjects from Southern Italy the physical activity (PA), the presence and the severity of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and the association between the possible worsening of GI health status and the PA levels. An adapted version of the International PA Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) were proposed through Google’s online survey platform in three different periods via WhatsAppTM to 499 healthy subjects (62% females) from Apulia (25%), Calabria (37%), and Campania (38%). Our results showed statistically significant changes during the home confinement: reduced energy expenditure (EE) among overweight subjects (−239.82, 95%CI −405.74; −73.89) or those who had high GSRS total score (−1079.54, 95%CI −2027.43; −131.66). An increase in GSRS total score was observed in overweight subjects, reaching statistical significance in those from Campania. Our study supports the importance of PA to reduce health risks, including those related to the possible onset of GI tract diseases.

Highlights

The pandemic due to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), caused by Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led international and Italian authorities to adopt containment measures with drastic changes in social life and restriction in the movement of individuals [1].These imposed constraints represented a unique and hopefully unrepeatable condition, offering the opportunity to utilize a well-defined model to observe and evaluate the consequences of the restrictions and changes in the lifestyle of healthy subjects.In our previous study [2], performed during the first 2-month home confinement (March to May 2020), physical activity (PA) levels and energy expenditure (EE) (METminutes/week) were estimated in a cohort of subjects from the Southern Italian population before and during the home confinement
There was no effect of District and Time on EE, and there was no modification effect between time and Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) total score
Expected probabilities of GSRS total scores by level of EE and Time are graphically displayed in Figure 2 and the test of equality of coefficients

Summary

Introduction

The pandemic due to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), caused by Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led international and Italian authorities to adopt containment measures with drastic changes in social life and restriction in the movement of individuals [1].These imposed constraints represented a unique and hopefully unrepeatable condition, offering the opportunity to utilize a well-defined model to observe and evaluate the consequences of the restrictions and changes in the lifestyle of healthy subjects.In our previous study [2], performed during the first 2-month home confinement (March to May 2020), physical activity (PA) levels and energy expenditure (EE) (METminutes/week) were estimated in a cohort of subjects from the Southern Italian population before and during the home confinement. Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led international and Italian authorities to adopt containment measures with drastic changes in social life and restriction in the movement of individuals [1]. These imposed constraints represented a unique and hopefully unrepeatable condition, offering the opportunity to utilize a well-defined model to observe and evaluate the consequences of the restrictions and changes in the lifestyle of healthy subjects. In our previous study [2], performed during the first 2-month home confinement (March to May 2020), physical activity (PA) levels and energy expenditure (EE) (METminutes/week) were estimated in a cohort of subjects from the Southern Italian population before and during the home confinement.

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Discussion

Conclusion