Effects Of COVID-19 Lockdown Research Articles

Correlating the Effect of Covid-19 Lockdown with Mobility Impacts: A Time Series Study Using Noise Sensors Data

The Covid-19 crisis forced governments around the world to rapidly enact several restrictions to face the associated health emergency. The Portuguese government was no exception and, following the example of other countries, established various limitations to flat the contagions curve. This led to inevitable repercussions on mobility and environmental indicators including noise. This research aims to assess the impact of the lockdown due to Covid-19 disease on the noise levels recorded in the city of Porto, Portugal. Data from four noise sensors located in strategic spots of the city were used to calibrate and validate Time Series Models, allowing to impute the missing values in the datasets and rebuild them. The trend and the cyclic information were extracted from the reconstructed datasets using decomposition techniques. Finally, a Spearman correlation analysis between noise levels values and traffic volumes (extracted from five inductive loop detectors, located nearby the noise sensors) was performed. Results show that the noise levels series present a daily seasonal pattern and the trends values decreased from 6.7 to 7.5 dBA during the first lockdown period (March-May 2020). Moreover, the noise levels tend to gradually rise after the removal of restrictions. Finally, there is a monotonic relationship between noise levels and traffic volumes values, as confirmed by the positive moderate-to-high correlation coefficients found, and the sharp drop of the former during March-May 2020 can be attributed to the strong reduction of road traffic flows in the city.

The Shock, the Coping, the Resilience: How Smartphone Application Use Reveals Covid-19 Lockdown Effects on Human Behaviour

The Shock, the Coping, the Resilience: How Smartphone Application Use Reveals Covid-19 Lockdown Effects on Human Behaviour

Assessment of Psychological Stress Associated with COVID-19 Lockdown in the Urban Adult Population of India

Background: COVID-19, the unprecedented deadly pandemic has turned the world topsy-turvy. It has affected all the people like poor and rich, young and old, educated and uneducated, male and female with detrimental consequences. People who are in quarantine and/or lockdown are likely to develop a wide range of symptoms like psychological stress, irritability, anxiety, depression etc. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the psychological effects of COVID-19 lockdown among adult population residing in Chennai, India. This study is a cross sectional descriptive study carried out in Chennai, India. A structured questionnaire was developed containing 25 questions related to the emotional disturbance, depression, self-concept, physical problems, cognitive changes and role performance and 7 questions related to the demographics. An online survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire using a non-probability snowball sampling technique. A total of 579 responses were received. The findings of the present study revealed that, among 579 respondents, more than half of the respondents 320(56.3%)were under severe psychological stress, 192(33.2%) respondents that is one third of the people had moderate psychological stress and remaining were having mild psychological stress. The study also revealed that there was a statistically significant association of psychological problems associated with demographic variables. Our Study revealed that people living in Chennai had severe psychological problem due to theCOVID-19 lockdown. This highlights the importance and immediate need for the development special intervention programmes for the people with psychological problems due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the demand for health care of children and adolescents with burns in three specialized outpatient centers in Chile

COVID-19 pandemic has meant adapting to a different reality, with long-term lockdowns that might cause an increase of burns in children at home. To compare the epidemiological situation of patients admitted to the Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado (COANIQUEM) due to out patient burn injuries management at the beginning of COVID-19 lockdown with the same period the year before. Analytical and cross-sectional study. A population of 2,027 patients under the age of 20, who were admitted to COANIQUEM for the first time with burn inju ries, between April and July of 2019 and 2020 was analyzed. The number of patients admitted each month was registered as well as their demographic, social, and clinical characteristics. The monthly percentage variation was calculated by comparing patient data in both years. During 2020, there was a 48.7% decrease in overall outpatient admissions. There was a relative increase of 10.5% in burns in patients under 5 years old, 18.3% in scalds, 33.1% in the number of burns in 3 or more body locations, and 16.8% in burns occurring at home. These parameters were not influenced by geographic location, sex, or socioeconomic level. In the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic, with strict lockdown strategies, there was a decrease in the demand for burn care, affecting both outpatients with acute burns and those who were admitted for sequelae rehabilitation, as a result of the effective decrease in the burns incidence and the reduced access to health care.

IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN RESTRICTION OF COVID-19 ON SELECTIVE DISSOLVED HEAVY METALS IN COASTAL WEST BENGAL

In this study, the effect of COVID-19 lockdown (2020) on dissolved heavy metal load (Zn, Cu, and Pb) in the coastal West Bengal were analyzed concerning the pre-COVID 19 phases (2016-2019). Two stations namely Shankarpur (Stn.1) and Haldia (Stn. 2) were selected for the study as both have two contrasting operational features. Haldia is an important port-cum-industrial complex whereas Shankarpur is an important fish landing station-cum-tourism site. The results showed that in both the stations there was a drastic fall in the metal concentrations due to lockdown implementation, but in Haldia, the aquatic health exhibits much improvement as in lockdown there was complete shut-down of the industries. ANOVA results also highlight significant variations between the two stations as well as between the pre COVID-19 (2016-2019) and COVID-19 lockdown phases.

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on lifestyle behaviors in children with obesity: Longitudinal study update.

ObjectiveA previous report from our group identified directionally unfavorable dietary and lifestyle behavior trends in longitudinally monitored children and adolescents with obesity early in the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown. The current study aimed at extending these previous observations in youths with obesity on the dietary and lifestyle behavioral consequences of the extended COVID‐19 lockdown in Verona, Italy.MethodsThe sample included 32 children and adolescents with obesity participating in the longitudinal OBELIX study. Diet and lifestyle information were collected pre‐pandemic, 3 weeks into the national lockdown, and 9 months later when home confinement continued to be mandatory. Changes in outcomes over the study time points were evaluated for significance using repeated‐measures ANOVA and post‐hoc pairwise t‐tests with Bonferroni corrections.ResultsAs previously reported, meals/day, fried potato intake, and red meat ingestion increased significantly (p < 0.001) during the initial lockdown. Sleep time and screen time increased and sports participation decreased significantly (p < 0.001) during the initial lockdown. These changes in health behaviors remained significantly different from baseline at the second lockdown assessment, with the exception sleep time returned to baseline levels.ConclusionsUnfavorable diet and lifestyle behavioral changes in response to the initial COVID‐19 lockdown in children and adolescents with obesity have largely been sustained over the course of the pandemic. There is an urgent need to intervene on these behaviors to prevent further deleterious effects on long‐term child health; access to weight management care is critically important for these children. In addition to intervening on these behaviors, our findings should help to inform ongoing lockdown policies.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on the Mental Health of Medical Students in Gujarat, India

Background: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was announced in India in March 2020; wherein medical institutes throughout the country were closed. Various factors like physical inactivity, lack of social interaction, media news, uncertainty regarding examinations and course completion were expected to affect the mental health of medical students. This study was undertaken to understand the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health of medical students in Gujarat, India.Settings and Design: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted over 26 medical colleges in Gujarat.Method: An online survey was carried out over a period of ten days through Google Forms which included demographic details and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). MedCalc software was used as a statistical software for data analysis.Results: 2021 students (1107 males and 914 females) across 26 medical colleges participated in the survey. More than two-thirds (68.1%) of total students reported being physically less active during the lockdown. Around half of the participants reported some severity of depression (50.27%), anxiety (51.46%) and stress (41.61%). Significant difference was found in terms of gender, physical exercise, meditation for the severity of depression, anxiety and stress. Females reported more severe depression and stress. Physical exercise and meditation were found to be having a positive impact on the mental health of the students.Conclusion:The lockdown has negatively affected the mental health of medical students in terms of increased depression, anxiety, stress among them.

Evidence of Covid-19 lockdown effects on riverine dissolved organic matter dynamics provides a proof-of-concept for needed regulations of anthropogenic emissions

The fast spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus in Italy resulted in a 3-months lockdown of the entire country. During this period, the effect of the relieved anthropogenic activities on the environment was plainly clear all over the country. Herein, we provide the first evidence of the lockdown effects on riverine dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics. The strong reduction in anthropogenic activities resulted in a marked decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in the Arno River (−44%) and the coastal area affected by its input (−15%), compared to previous conditions. The DOM optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) showed a change in its quality, with a shift toward smaller and less aromatic molecules during the lockdown. The reduced human activity and the consequent change in DOM dynamics affected the abundance and annual dynamics of heterotrophic prokaryotes. The results of this study highlight the extent to which DOM dynamics in small rivers is affected by secondary and tertiary human activities as well as the quite short time scales to return to the impacted conditions. Our work also supports the importance of long-term research to disentangle the effects of casual events from the natural variability.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Eating, Body Image, and Social Media Habits Among Women With and Without Symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa.

The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting people’s mental health worldwide. The current study examined the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on adult women’s eating, body image, and social media habits. Furthermore, we compared individuals with and without signs of orthorexia nervosa, a proposed eating disorder. Participants were 143 women, aged 17–73 years (M = 25.85, SD = 8.12), recruited during a COVID-19 lockdown in Canada from May-June 2020. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on their eating, body image, and social media habits during the pandemic. The Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) assessed symptoms of orthorexia nervosa. Compared to the period prior to lockdown, women with higher total orthorexia nervosa scores reported eating a lot more than usual, feeling greater pressure to diet and lose weight, thinking about food more often than usual, experiencing greater weight gain, and perceiving more pressure from social media specifically to lose weight and to exercise, compared to their healthy counterparts. We examined associations between individual EHQ subscales and perceived changes to eating and weight. Women who scored high on EHQ-Problems reported seeing more weight loss content on their social media than those who reported fewer orthorexia nervosa symptoms. Conversely, those who scored low on EHQ-Feelings reported feeling a lot less pressure to lose weight, somewhat less or a lot less pressure to lose weight or to exercise from social media specifically, and trended toward less laxative use during lockdown, compared to those who scored higher on orthorexia nervosa. And those who scored low on EHQ-Knowledge reported feeling somewhat less or a lot less pressure to lose weight than those who reported more orthorexia nervosa symptoms. Together, the findings suggest that women with symptoms of orthorexia nervosa are experiencing an exacerbation of disordered eating thoughts and behaviors during COVID-19, and that social media may be a contributing factor.

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on PM10 composition and sources in the Rome Area (Italy) by elements' chemical fractionation-based source apportionment

During the national lockdown imposed by the Government of Italy (from March 9th to May 18th 2020) to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, 24-h PM10 samples were collected at three sites in the Rome area (Central Italy), two urban (Sapienza and Via Saredo, highly impacted by vehicular traffic) and one peri-urban (Montelibretti, more impacted by biomass domestic heating). Further, at Sapienza and Montelibretti PM10 daily sampling had been carried out in the period immediately before lockdown, and at Via Saredo samples were additionally collected also after the end of lockdown. PM10 was chemically speciated for main components (major elements, inorganic ions, EC, OC, levoglucosan), and trace elements. The latter were chemically fractionated and considered for their water-soluble and insoluble fractions, which proved to be more source-selective than total element. Three datasets were thus built and analyzed by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF), with the aim of identifying and apportioning mass contributions of sources acting in the periods before, during and after lockdown, in the Rome area. Identified emission sources were mostly from long-range advection (two different contributions of mineral dust, fresh sea spray, heavy oil combustion), while local sources (vehicular traffic and biomass burning) were strongly abated during lockdown, with respect to previous sampling period, and inorganic secondary aerosol showed a progressive increment of sulfates, driven by seasonal evolution from winter to spring. Since the lockdown interrupted all non-essential productive and work activities, thus reducing the chemical fingerprinting of local sources, this occurrence allowed to clearly describe both profiles and source contribution estimates of long-range transported PM10 components. Moreover, it allowed assessing the reduction of the impact of anthropogenic sources (such as vehicular traffic) and the efficiency of mitigation measures generally taken to control PM10 mass concentration. Acidic sulfates (bisulfate and letovicite) resulted associated to mineral dust transport events, and the role of chemically fractionated elements as source-specific tracers was further confirmed.

A scope review on the global impact of COVID-19 lockdown on adolescents' health.

The implementation of COVID-19 lockdown measures across the globe could affect adolescents' health. This review was conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the health of the adolescents. We conducted this study using the scope reviews methodological framework. We searched for articles on the effects of COVID-19 lockdown among adolescents on four databases; MedLine, PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals and Google Scholar. Screening of articles was done for relevance to the study objective. The positive effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on adolescents included increased physical activity for adolescents 17 years and below, increased resource mobilization for healthy lifestyle, and psychosocial support programs for schools. The negative effects of the lockdown period were decreased physical activity with resulting disruptive sleep patterns; increased screen time, behavioral addictive disorder from excessive use of the internet, increased levels of domestic abuse, and worsening of existing mental health disorders. Overall, the COVID-19 lockdown period has had considerable adverse effects on adolescents' health. To curb the negative effects of the COVID-19 lockdown, we recommend parental supervision of adolescents' screen time. Adolescent health should be prioritized by policymakers to ensure that future lockdown does not adversely affect them.

P.0518 Effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on well-being in subgroups of the population

P.0518 Effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on well-being in subgroups of the population

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown and unlock on health of Bhutan-India-Bangladesh trans-boundary rivers

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly destructs the rhythm of global modern human civilization but worldwide lockdown radically recovers the health of the total environment. The Himalayan trans-boundary rivers provide huge provisional, regulatory and cultural ecosystem services to millions of people throughout the year but in the recent years the water quality is being deteriorated due to multiple reasons. In the last decade, India-Bangladesh political relationship has been slightly broken down due to water sharing and environmental flow of rivers.The COVID-19 lockdown offered a great scope to execute the comparative study among pre, lockdown and unlock phase. The research attempts to investigate the spatiotemporal water quality of trans-boundary rivers through WAWQI and irrigation water quality indices such as Sodium absorption ratio, Soluble sodium percentage, Potential salinity, Magnesium hazard and Kelly's index considering eighteen water quality parameters (pH, EC, TDS, TSS, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na²⁺, K⁺, Fˉ, Clˉ, NO3−, SO₄²ˉ, PO43ˉ, DO, T, TUR, COD and BOD). The result shows the strong positive correlation between EC and TDS during three phases. Significant reduction of BOD, COD and TUR has been noticed almost 70% stations during lockdown compared with prelockdown while augmentation of DO has been recorded around 40% stations. WQI of most of the stations shows around 80% improvement of water quality during lockdown period. Moreover, worst kind of WQI was found in the Mathabhanga-Churni river followed by Mahananda. During lockdown, the striking results show that SAR and MH were significantly amplified in most of the stations due to agricultural run-off.

Capture of decline in spring phytoplankton biomass derived from COVID-19 lockdown effect in the Yellow Sea offshore waters

The Yellow Sea, characterized as a high-productivity ecosystem, is considered to be significantly attributable to high nutrient supply via atmospheric deposition. We observed a significant decline in phytoplankton biomass (~30%) over the Yellow Sea during February–May 2020 (period of COVID-19 lockdown effect) compared to the same period in 2015–2019 (period of no effect of COVID-19 lockdown). Several possible factors, such as variations in irradiance, vertical mixing, and river discharges, were not major contributors. Through the analysis of transportation and the constituents of atmospheric pollutants from Northern China (main source regions) to the Yellow Sea, we suggest that the decline in phytoplankton biomass over the Yellow Sea is mainly attributed to decreased atmospheric nutrient deposition due to the COVID-19 lockdown effect, because of decreased anthropogenic emissions in Northern China. Thus, attention should be focused on the Yellow Sea ecosystem response to increasing anthropogenic activities by lifting the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

COVID-19 Lockdown Effects on Academic Functioning, Mood, and Health Correlates: Data from Dutch Pharmacy Students, PhD Candidates and Postdocs

Mixed results have been published on the impact of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates such as alcohol consumption. Whereas a number of students report an impaired academic performance and increased alcohol intake during lockdown periods, other students report no change or an improvement in academic functioning and a reduced alcohol consumption. This data descriptor article describes the dataset of a study investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic functioning. To investigate this, an online survey was conducted among Dutch pharmacy students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood and health correlates such as alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning and sleep quality. Retrospective assessments were made for four periods, including (1) the year 2019 (the period before COVID-19), (2) the first lockdown period (15 March–11 May 2020), (3) summer 2020 (no lockdown) and (4) the second lockdown (November 2020–April 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and corresponding dataset. The survey had a response rate of 24.3% and was completed by 345 participants.

Counting the Cost: The Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Households in South East Nigeria

The present study measured household hunger in South-East Nigeria amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 1209 households (urban and rural locations) were sampled. Household hunger was determined using the Radimer–Cornel hunger scale. Results show that before the COVID-19 lockdown, hunger prevalence in the urban areas was 85.5%, whereas prevalence in the rural areas was significantly lower, at a prevalence of 79.9% (7.3% level of association—X2 = 6.499, p = 0.012). During the COVID-19 lockdown, the prevalence of hunger in the urban areas rose to 98.0% and 99.2% in the rural areas (4.9% level of association was X2 = 2.888, p = 0.089). It was also observed that the COVID-19 lockdown significantly affected food prices. The major coping strategy employed by households was relying on less expensive foods (81.14%). High household hunger was identified as a short-term cost of the COVID-19 lockdown in South-East Nigeria. Only a few households (16.3%) benefited from the food aid programs and 16.9% from the government palliative cash transfer. It is recommended that the government setup a formidable unit that will develop physical and digital plans for effective implementation during a COVID-19 lockdown situation or other emergencies.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown and a Subsequent Retraining Period on Elite Athletes' Workload, Performance, and Autonomic Responses: A Case Series.

To describe the effects of COVID-19 lockdown and a subsequent retraining on the training workloads, autonomic responses, and performance of a group of elite athletes. The training workloads and heart rate variability (assessed through the log-transformed root mean square of successive R-R intervals) of 7 elite badminton players were registered daily during 4weeks of normal training (baseline), 7 to 10weeks of lockdown, and 6 to 8weeks of retraining. Physical performance was assessed at baseline and after each phase by means of a countermovement jump and the estimated squat 1-repetition maximum. A reduction in training workloads was observed in all participants during the lockdown (-63.7%), which was accompanied by a reduced heart rate variability in all but one participant (-2.0%). A significant reduction was also observed for countermovement jump (-6.5%) and 1-repetition maximum performance (-11.5%), which decreased in all but one participant after the lockdown. However, after the retraining phase, all measures returned to similar values to those found at baseline. At the individual level, there were divergent responses, as exemplified by one athlete who attenuated the reduction in training workloads and increased her performance during the lockdown and another one who markedly reduced his workload and performance, and got injured during the retraining phase. Although there seems to be a large interindividual variability, COVID-19 lockdown is likely to impose negative consequences on elite athletes, but these detrimental effects might be avoided by attenuating reductions in training workloads and seem to be overall recovered after 6 to 8weeks of retraining.

Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the dietary habits and lifestyle in a population in southern Spain: a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Background/ObjectiveFew studies have assessed the effect of lockdown on physical activity and eating behaviours in a population from the Autonomous Community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The aim of our study was to describe the effect of COVID-19 pandemic home lockdown on eating habits and lifestyle in the Andalusian population.Subjects/MethodsA cross-sectional observational study was carried out on a population from southern Spain, Andalusian population. An online questionnaire was shared through social networks and snowball sampling. A total of 1140 people filled in the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 34 items classified into three sections: sociodemographic data, work and leisure activities and questions on food consumption. Each item offered pre- and post-lockdown information.ResultsThe participants were classified into three age groups: 18–35, 36–65 and over 65. Statistically significant differences were found between the three groups, with the younger age group undergoing greater changes, increasing their physical activity and consumption of fresh food, and decreasing both their consumption of fast food at home and alcohol intake.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that, in the current social and health crisis, the citizens of southern Spain have become aware of the importance of maintaining an appropriate lifestyle to remain healthy, particularly the younger population with less well-consolidated habits.

Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the livelihood of street vendors in Maharashtra, India

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, the lockdown was implemented as the main preventive measure to contain the spread of the virus across the world. India also went under one of the most stringent nationwide lockdowns which affected the workers of the informal sector the most. This study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 and lockdown on the livelihood of street vendors in the Maharashtra state, one of the severely affected states, of India.Methods: Telephonic in-depth interviews were conducted from 16th May to 1st June 2020 with 20 street vendors who sold perishable goods for their livelihood. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used in analysing the data.Results: There were a total of twelve food vendors and eight fruits and vegetable vendors in the study sample. The mean age of food vendors recorded was 36.91 years, the average years of working recorded were 12.25, the mean education level was 7.83, and the average household size recorded was 5.25 (Table 1). Out of the total food vendors, 10 were male and two were females. The majority of the food vendors belong to the Vidarbha region, followed by Khandesh and Western Maharashtra.Conclusions: Findings of the study show that lockdown affected street vendors multidimensionally. Street vendors had to stop working and many had to change their profession to selling fruits and vegetables within a limited time zone with greater livelihood challenges and financial hardships.

Life in a time of COVID: a mixed method study of the changes in lifestyle, mental and psychosocial health during and after lockdown in Western Australians

BackgroundSince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Australian government imposed multiple restrictions that impacted daily life activities and the social life. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the community’s physical, mental and psychosocial health.MethodsApproximately 2 months after a three-month lockdown, a cross-sectional study was opened to Western Australian adults for an 8-week period (25th August – 21 October 2020). Participants competed a 25-min questionnaire adapted from the Western Australia Health and Wellbeing Surveillance system. Participants provided information on their socio-demographic status, lifestyle behaviours, mental health, and psychosocial health during and post-lockdown. Open-ended questions explored key issues in greater detail. Changes between the lockdown and post-lockdown period were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Normal tests as appropriate. Sex differences were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test. A content analysis approach examined responses to the open-ended questions with frequencies and variations in responses determined using Chi-Square tests.ResultsA total of 547 complete responses were obtained. Compared to post-lockdown period, lockdown was associated with a significantly lower levels of physical activity, poorer mental well-being and sense of control over one’s life, and a higher level of loneliness. Similarly, during lockdown, there was a significantly higher consumption of junk food, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks but no change in fruit and vegetable intake. Participants recalled health campaigns on hand washing and social distancing and there was a retrospective view that more timely and informative campaigns on physical activity, nutrition and mental well-being should have been available during lockdown.ConclusionsWhile advice on infection control measures were appropriately provided, there is a need for concurrent health promotional information to help combat the changes in physical, mental and psychosocial well-being observed during quarantine to prevent negative health consequences in the community even if there are minimal effects of the pandemic itself.