Impact Of COVID-19 Confinement Research Articles

Impact of COVID-19 confinement on food consumption pattern, physical activity and perceived body size of Nigerian undergraduates

Background and objectives: Unhealthy dietary practices and physical inactivity are major contributors to overweight and obesity which is fast becoming a public health concern among adolescents and young adults globally. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food consumption pattern, physical activity and perceived body size changes of Nigerian undergraduates.
 Methods: This cross-sectional study used a snowball sampling technique to select 310 respondents. An online questionnaire link was forwarded to eligible respondents to elicit information on their dietary pattern, physical activity levels and perceived body size. Data collection for these indicators followed standard procedures and were compared with standard references.
 Results: The pattern of fruit, vegetable, legume, and meat/fish consumption significantly increased during the lockdown. Snack, soft-drink and dairy products experienced a decline in consumption (p < 0.05). The physical activity MET (metabolic equivalent) score of respondents reduced from 3378.85 to 3097.02 MET minutes/week. Information on the perceived body size using body silhouette classification reported that lockdown accounted for an elevation in the perceived prevalence of overweight/obese (11.0% to 23.9%). 
 Conclusion: COVID-19 confinement improved some dietary practices of the undergraduates, but significantly contributed to a decline physical activity levels and an elevation in perceived body size. Designing effective approaches such as home-made physical activity routines, and local food production may help avert such outcomes of restricted access to the external environment.

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Reading Behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic was detrimental to lifestyle and behavior. In this investigation, changes in reading habits during the pandemic were examined. The study is cross-sectional and survey-based. 1844 individuals completed an online survey about sociodemographic and reading habits during COVID-19. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the study variables. Most of the participants were active readers (71.5%-83.2%). Fewer (13.8-18.0%) reported a decrease in reading, while about half reported a no change, and 1/3rd reported an increase. Changes in reading habits were related to age, education, job type, and income. About half of the participants during the pandemic reported a change in reading habits. Interventions to further enhance reading among people during the pandemic might help ameliorate the negative impacts of the pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Quality of Life of Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Two-Wave Panel Study.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. Intravitreal injections of antiangiogenic agents (anti-VEGF) can stop vision loss in the neovascular form of the disease (nAMD). The aim of this study was to assess the general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a cohort of patients with nAMD treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections and to detesrmine to what extent their HRQoL was affected by COVID-19. This was an observational, analytical, and longitudinal study performed with a two-wave panel survey. Clinical outcomes, HRQoL, and tangible support were evaluated. In the final survey, changes in living conditions and medical visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic were also examined. Of the 102 patients initially interviewed in the before-COVID survey, 24 were lost after 30 months of follow-up. In the initial assessment, the mean health index was 0.73 ± 0.2. The EQ VAS score worsened at the final survey (p = 0.048). Patients needing treatment in both eyes (p = 0.007) and with lower levels of bilateral visual acuity (p = 0.018) reported an increase in social support at the final survey. In conclusion, patients perceived a worsening in HRQoL after confinement. However, patients enjoyed good social support that improved in the after-COVID survey.

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Substance Use and Mental Health in Portuguese Higher Education Students

The mental health of higher education students is a constant concern, and the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19 has intensified this concern. The social measures imposed to control and minimize the disease have led, among other things, to the reconfiguration of higher education students' academic life habits, which has naturally altered their emotional balance, mental health, and substance abuse. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study assesses the influence of higher education students' personal characteristics on their (self-reported) use of addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs) before and during their first compulsory confinement in Portugal, as well as its relationship with mental health. An online questionnaire was applied between 15 April and 20 May 2020, to students from various study cycles of higher education institutions in one region of Portugal (northern area of Alentejo), which included the Mental Health Inventory in its reduced version (MHI-5) and questions (constructed by the authors) on personal characterization and on the use of addictive substances before and during confinement. The convenience sample included 329 mostly female health care students between the ages of 18 and 24. In our results, we found a statistically significant decrease in tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; however, there was an increase in tobacco use among older students and an increase in anxiolytic use among students with higher academic achievement and among students who exhibited more active social behavior in the period prior to confinement. Students who took anxiolytics during confinement had higher MHI-5 scores and students who used the most addictive substances during confinement had lower MHI-5 scores than the other students.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Mental Health in Youth and Vulnerable Populations: An Extensive Narrative Review

The objective of this narrative review is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of particularly vulnerable groups. This information will allow a better understanding of the determining factors that influence the appearance and/or maintenance of mood disorders. To achieve the main objective of this study, a critical review was carried out in which primary sources such as scientific articles, secondary sources such as databases, and other appropriate reference indexes were considered. The results indicated that there was an increase in the diagnosis of mood disorders and the use of medication associated with these disorders, mainly during the period of reclusion that was declared worldwide in March 2020. In addition, risk factors such as loneliness, a lack of resilience, and a lack of adequate coping strategies negatively impacted these groups. The future consequences of this may be reflected over many years thereafter, and it is important that all data obtained from this point forward be considered by mental health professionals and the general population. This review can be a starting point for looking directly at the most vulnerable populations and considering both the resources available to them and the possible aftermath of a traumatic period in everyone’s lives.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on the Health-Related Habits of People at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

The general lockdown decreed in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the ALAS health promotion intervention aimed at the population at high risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes. We conducted a descriptive study in 2020 through a telephone survey and a comparison with baseline data to determine the impact of confinement on the lifestyles of the participants. We collected sociodemographic variables and conducted assessments before/after confinement on general health status and lifestyle (sleep, physical activity and diet). Additionally, weight, BMI and adherence to a Mediterranean diet were assessed. Descriptive statistical analyses, comparisons of pre-post confinement data and logistic regression were carried out. A total of 387 individuals responded. Among them, 31.8% reported a worse perception of health after confinement, and 63,1% reported no change. Regarding exercise, 61.1% reduced their weekly physical activity time. Regarding diet, 34,4% perceived worse quality, and 53.4% reported no change, despite the fact that 89.4% declared changes in their eating practices. Weight and BMI decreased by 3,1%, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet improved from baseline. Confinement had a negative impact on the general health, diet, sleep and physical activity of this population (at risk of diabetes); however, weight and BMI decreased, and adherence to a Mediterranean diet improved.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on the Lifestyle and Metabolic Control of Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

In 2020 in our country, a new pandemic with high social impact is added to the growing incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2): COVID-19. In this context, it is necessary to obtain evidence as to whether the isolation measures to stop the spread of the virus brought about changes in the lifestyle and in the clinical-metabolic parameters of patients with DM2 treated at the Italian Hospital of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Changes in lifestyle were evaluated using a questionnaire designed ad hoc. The clinical-metabolic parameters were obtained from the clinical history of each patient. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis using IBM SPSS software. The sample consisted of 83 patients, with an average age of 64 ± 8 years and a prevalence of the male gender (69%). 52% perceived that the months of confinement did not affect their diet, indicating that they had continued with the same consumption of fruits, vegetables and snacks, fried or processed (53%, 54% and 45%, respectively). The majority (74%) mentioned doing less physical activity and 65% had presented at least one negative emotion. Body Mass Index (BMI), body weight, and HbA1c were significantly (p<0.05) higher after isolation. In the population studied, ASPO was associated with reduced physical activity, negative emotions, and increased BMI, body weight, and HbA1c.

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Tinnitus and Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Data From the LOST in Lombardia Study.

BackgroundAlthough a direct relationship between tinnitus or hearing difficulties and COVID-19 has been suggested, current literature provides inconsistent results, and no research has been undertaken in older adults.MethodsIn November 2020, we conducted the LOST in Lombardia survey, a telephone-based cross-sectional study on a sample of 4,400 individuals representative of the general population aged ≥65 years from Lombardy region, Northern Italy. Individuals with diagnosed tinnitus and/or hearing loss were asked whether their conditions had improved or deteriorated in 2020 compared to 2019.ResultsOverall, 8.1% of older adults reported a diagnosis of tinnitus and 10.5% of hearing loss. In 2020 compared to 2019, among individuals with tinnitus, those with increasing severity (5.0%) were similar to those decreasing it (5.3%). Among individuals with hearing loss, more people reported an increase (13.6%) than a decrease (3.2%) in their disease severity. No individual with a diagnosis in 2020 of tinnitus (n = 6) or hearing loss (n = 13) had COVID-19. The incidence of tinnitus was lower in 2020 (rate: 14.8 per 10,000 person-years) than in previous years (rate in 1990–2019: 36.0 per 10,000 person-years; p = 0.026). There was no change in the incidence of hearing loss (p = 0.134).ConclusionsIn this large representative sample of older adults, on average neither COVID-19 confinement nor SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared to increase the severity or incidence of tinnitus. The increased severity of hearing difficulties may totally or partially be explained by physiologic deterioration of the condition, or by a misperception due to the use of face-masks.

The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study.

BackgroundCOVID-19 forced the implementation of restrictive measures in Spain, such as lockdown, home confinement, social distancing, and isolation. It is necessary to study whether limited access to basic services and decreased family and social support could have deleterious effects on cognition, quality of life, and mental health in vulnerable older people.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as the main outcome and the quality of life, perceived health status, and depression as secondary outcomes and to analyze the association of living alone and a change in living arrangements with those outcomes and other variables related with the use of technology and health services. Likewise, this study aims to analyze the association of high and low technophilia with those variables, to explore the access and use of health care and social support services, and, finally, to explore the informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses of information and communications technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThis cohort study was conducted in Málaga (Spain). In total, 151 participants with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, from the SMART4MD (n=75, 49.7%) and TV-AssistDem (n=76, 50.3%) randomized clinical trials, were interviewed by telephone between May 11 and June 26, 2020. All participants had undergone 1-3 assessments (in 6-month intervals) on cognition, quality of life, and mood prior to the COVID-19 breakout.ResultsThe outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, and mood of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Perceived stress was reported as moderate during the outbreak. After correction for multiple comparisons, living alone, a change in living arrangements, and technophilia were not associated with negative mental health outcomes. However, being alone was nominally associated with self-perceived fear and depression, and higher technophilia with better quality of life, less boredom, perceived stress and depression, and also less calmness. Overall, health care and social support service access and utilization were high. The most used ICTs during the COVID-19 outbreak were the television for informative, cognitive, and entertainment-related uses and the smartphone for socialization.ConclusionsOur findings show that the first months of the outbreak did not significantly impact the cognition, quality of life, perceived health status, and depression of our study population when making comparisons with baseline assessments prior to the outbreak. Living alone and low technophilia require further research to establish whether they are risk factors of mental health problems during lockdowns in vulnerable populations. Moreover, although ICTs have proven to be useful for informative-, cognitive-, entertainment-, and socialization-related uses during the pandemic, more evidence is needed to support these interventions.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04385797; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04385797International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.2196/26431

Impact of COVID-19 confinement on eating behaviours across 16 European countries: The COVIDiet cross-national study

We aimed to evaluate the changes in eating behaviours of the adult population across 16 European countries due to the COVID-19 confinement and to evaluate whether these changes were somehow related to the severity of the containment measures applied in each country. An anonymous online self-reported questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, validated 14-items Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) Adherence Screener (MEDAS) as a reference of a healthy diet, eating and lifestyle behaviours prior to and during the COVID-19 confinement was used to collect data. The study included an adult population residing in 16 European countries at the time of the survey. Aggregated Stringency Index (SI) score, based on data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, was calculated for each country at the time the questionnaire was distributed (range: 0–100). A total of 36,185 participants completed the questionnaire (77.6% female, 75.2% with high educational level and 42.7% aged between 21 and 35 years). In comparison to pre-confinement, a significantly higher adherence to the MedDiet during the confinement was observed across all countries (overall MEDAS score prior to- and during confinement: 5.23 ± 2.06 vs. 6.15 ± 2.06; p < 0.001), with the largest increase seen in Greece and North Macedonia. The highest adherence to MedDiet during confinement was found in Spain and Portugal (7.18 ± 1.84 and 7.34 ± 1.95, respectively). Stricter contingency restrictions seemed to lead to a significantly higher increase in the adherence to the MedDiet. The findings from this cross-sectional study could be used to inform current diet-related public health guidelines to ensure optimal nutrition is followed among the population, which in turn would help to alleviate the current public health crisis.

The impact of COVID-19 confinement on the eating habits and lifestyle changes: A cross sectional study.

Novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) emerged in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China causing severe respiratory infections and resulting in millions admissions to hospital and over a million deaths worldwide. Authorities imposed protective measures including confinement to flatten curves of casualties resulted in sudden lifestyle and eating habit changes. The objectives of this study were to observe the impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on eating behavior and lifestyle of the Kurdish population in Iraqi Kurdistan. A structured cross‐sectional study was conducted from 1st to 14th of June when the lockdown finished with three different sections. Section one (6 questions) included socio‐demographic information section two (11 questions) composed of dietary behavior information including a) Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence using 14‐scaled items with a MD screener tool ranging from 0 to 14 b) and sections three (12 questions) composed of lifestyle habit changes such as physical activity, sleeping behavior, and smoking habit. The total number of included respondents was 2,137. The results showed that 12.0% (256) of participants stated that their lifestyle was improved, whereas 50.9% (1,087) declared their lifestyle deteriorated. In particular, the frequency of physical activity was decreased (McNemar value = 60.53, p <.001) and sleeping hours were significantly increased during lockdown (McNemar value = 447.93, p <.001). Regarding eating habits, it was noticed that 29.3% and 14.3% felt that appetite increased and decreased, respectively. The appetite change during lockdown was significantly associated with age (p =.0001), gender (p =.001), city (p =.007), and BMI (p =.001). Similarly, 32.4% reported weight gain. In conclusion, this study is among the earliest studies showing the effect of COVID‐19 on eating behavior and lifestyle changes. COVID‐19 confinement had a significant effect on lifestyle particularly reducing physical activity and changing eating habits.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Spanish University Students: Role of Gender.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, entire populations were instructed to live in home-confinement to prevent the expansion of the disease. Spain was one of the countries with the strictest conditions, as outdoor physical activity was banned for nearly two months. This study aimed to analyse the changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours in Spanish university students before and during the confinement by COVID-19 with special focus on gender. We also analysed enjoyment, the tools used and motivation and impediments for doing physical activity. An online questionnaire, which included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and certain “ad hoc” questions, was designed. Students were recruited by distributing an invitation through the administrative channels of 16 universities and a total of 13,754 valid surveys were collected. Overall, university students reduced moderate (−29.5%) and vigorous (−18.3%) physical activity during the confinement and increased sedentary time (+52.7%). However, they spent more time on high intensity interval training (HIIT) (+18.2%) and mind-body activities (e.g., yoga) (+80.0%). Adaptation to the confinement, in terms of physical activity, was handled better by women than by men. These results will help design strategies for each gender to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour during confinement periods.

P.247 Psychological impact of COVID-19 confinement among people with history of mental disorders (bipolar, anxiety, depression) and general population in Spain

Background: Previous studies have shown that epidemic outbreaks have significant effects on mental health and psychological wellbeing, increasing psychiatric morbidity among population [1] During the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, more than half of the general population reported a strong psychological impact and approximately a third moderate to severe anxiety [2] Furthermore, there is evidence that the psychological effects of infection outbreaks can affect months or years later [3] A better understanding of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is crucial to design coping programs that may mitigate these responses during such outbreaks Aim: The objective of this study is to determine the early impact of the COVID-19 on mental health among people with history of mental disorders (anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder) and the General Population and people in Spain Methods: In this study 252 people were included Sixty three people with a history of bipolar disorder (hBD) were matched by sex and gender with 63 people with a history of anxiety disorders (hAD), 63 people with a history of depression (hDD) and 63 healthy controls (HC) The assessment was made by an online survey during the first days of the national lockdown due to COVID-19 (from 19 March to 26 March 2020) in Spain Assessment: ad hoc sociodemographic, physical and clinical data questionnaire and the Spanish versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) Results: Mean age was 45 (range 19-69, SD 14 8) years;69 8% were females for the total example and the four groups Regarding clinical symptoms, 61 9%hBD, 54 0% hAD, 54 0% hDD and 28 6% HC reported depressive symptoms (χ² =15 922, p <0 001);19 0% hBD, 12 7% hAD, 20 6% hDD and 1 6% HC reported anxiety symptoms (χ² =12 104, p = 0 007);38 1%hBD, 34 9% hAD, 41 3% hDD and 19 0% HC reported stress symptoms (χ² =8 286, p = 0 040) Regarding psychological impact, 27 0%hBD, 17 5% hAD, 25 4% hDD and 14 3% HC reported intrusion style (χ² =4 277, p =0 273);38 1% hBD, 47 6% hAD, 57 1% hDD and 30 2% HC reported avoidance style (χ² =10 525, p =0 015) There were differences between groups in the three DASS-21 subscales scores: Depression (F=4 599, p= 0 004), Anxiety (F = 5 443, p <0 001) and Stress (F=3 537, p = 0 015) and in the IES total score (F=6 018, p<0 001) and each IES subscale: Intrusion (F=3 030, p = 0 030) and Avoidance (F=6 041, p <0 001) Conclusions: The emergency confinement by COVID-19 has an impact on mental health, but especially among people with history of mental disorders (anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder) Depressive symptoms were the most frequent symptoms in all groups, followed by stress symptoms People with history of Bipolar Disorder was the group with the highest percentage of depressive symptoms The most frequent style was avoidance in all groups People with history of Bipolar Disorder was the group with the highest percentage of people with an intrusion style People with history of Depression Disorder was the group with the highest percentage of people with an avoidance style No conflict of interest