Stay Home Research Articles

How Does “Stay Home” Transform a House The Route Map of a Research

COVID-19 pandemic caused transformation by influencing the physical and psycho-social status of houses, and by introducing different functions and needs which led to or will lead to changes in individuals’ expectations from their houses. Drawing on this idea, this study allows for the detection of such changes through examination and for the consideration of future house arrangements, housing designs and their production by identifying the usage possibilities of existing houses. The research design is structured in three main steps. First step is the literature part that draws the conceptual framework of the study. Second step includes survey technique with use of panel design as a quantitative research method. In the research, third step has built with semi-structured interview to be deepen analyzing of the results of the quantitative part. The findings reached through this study have the potential to lead future house arrangements as well as housing production and design which are also significant in terms of innovative and creative housing designs studied within disciplines such as interior architecture and architecture. Sample of the research is the city of Istanbul which is first of the most affected cities from COVID-19 pandemic. Selecting a big and multi-component metropolis like Istanbul as research area for residential spaces brought different difficulties in the application processes of research methods while allowing the multidimensional examination of the subject. The research design proposed by this study possess the quality of a guiding sample for future scientific studies.

Parenting Pre-teens During COVID-19 in a Rural Midwestern Community: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00507-9.

The King Stayed Home: David with Bathsheba and Uriah

The King Stayed Home: David with Bathsheba and Uriah

Assessing Californians’ awareness of their daily electricity use patterns

The timing of electricity consumption is increasingly important for grid operations. In response, households are being encouraged to alter their daily usage patterns through demand response and time-varying pricing, although it is unknown if they are aware of these patterns. Here we introduce an energy literacy concept, 'load shape awareness', and apply it to a sample of California residents (n = 186) who provided their household’s hourly electricity data and completed an energy use questionnaire. Choosing from four prominent load shape designations, half of respondents (51%) correctly identified their dominant load shape before COVID-19 shelter-in-place (SIP) orders while only one-third (31%) did so during SIP orders. Those aware of their load shape were more likely to have chosen evening peak, the most frequent dominant shape in the electricity data. Our work provides proof of principle for the load shape awareness concept, which could prove useful in designing energy conservation interventions and helping consumers adapt to an evolving energy system.

Monthly Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality among Youth Aged 15-34 Years in the United States, 2018-2021: Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Adolescents and young adults in the United States (US) have experienced a significant increase in drug overdose mortality rates in the last two decades. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, they experienced a lack of access to substance use disorder treatment, stay-home orders, school closure, social isolation, increased psychological distress, and financial strain. Few studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on monthly trends in drug-overdose mortality among youth by race/ethnicity. This study estimates differential changes in monthly drug overdose mortality among youth in the US by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Monthly deaths from the final 2018-2020 national mortality data and the 2021 provisional mortality data were used, and monthly population estimates were obtained from the Census Bureau. We calculated age-specific monthly drug overdose deaths per one million population and used log-linear regression models to estimate monthly percent increases in mortality rates from January 2018 through October 2021. Drug-overdose deaths among individuals aged 15-34 increased by 36.5% from 2019 (21,152 deaths) to 2020 (28,879 deaths). From February 2020 to May 2020, the drug-overdose mortality rate increased by 62% for males, 53% for females, 79% for Blacks, 62% for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIANs), 57% for Hispanics, 56% for non-Hispanic Whites, and 47% for Asians. From January 2018 to October 2021, the average monthly drug-overdose mortality rate increased by 2.69% per month for Blacks, 2.54% for AIANs, 2.27% for Hispanics, 1.37% for Asians, and 0.81% for non-Hispanic Whites. Increases in drug-overdose mortality were more rapid among males than females and among youth aged 15-24 than youth aged 25-34. During the peak months in 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact by race/ethnicity on trends in drug overdose mortality among the youth. Drug overdose mortality rates increased faster among Blacks, Hispanics, AIANs, and Asians compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

"I feel terrible and need to exercise to find any sort of joy": What COVID stay-at-home orders tell us about exercise as vitality politics and entertainment in the United States.

During COVID-19 stay-at-home orders (SaHOs), people faced drastic shifts in their work and home lives. These shifts, in combination with the temporary closure of gyms and fitness centers, led to exercise-routine disruption. We conducted a survey to assess how people were affected by SaHOs in terms of exercise-routine change, feelings about exercise, perceived physical and mental health, as well as exercise-routine plans once SaHOs were lifted. In this article, we examine why affluent white American women exercised before and during COVID-19 SaHOs. The article focuses on the role of pleasure and entertainment as key components of exercise practices for these women. We found that changes in motivation reveal that exercise regimens are part of contemporary vitality politics, or current cultural and subjective desires and abilities to manipulate and optimize biological human processes, that include both health and entertainment. Therefore, we argue that exercise is a meaningful cultural, entertainment, and biopolitical activity.

Stay home, stay safe?

There have been worldwide concerns that the COVID-19 restrictions have led to an increase in domestic violence. In this study the authors examine the domestic violence advices that have been registered by all 26 Veilig Thuis (Safe Home) regions in the Netherlands. To study potential differences in prevalence, suspected nature and the type of person that seeks advice on domestic violence prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors compare data from 2019 with 2020 and 2021. The findings show a general increase in advices in 2020 and 2021, that cannot be unambiguously attributed to the COVID-19 restrictions.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Maintaining Physical Activity and Its Associated Factors among Medical Students.

Stay-home orders and the shutdown of university campuses and fitness centers have greatly influenced health behaviors, resulting in a widespread reduction in physical activity. This study aimed to identify factors associated with maintaining physical activity among Jazan University medical students during the COVID-19 shutdown. An official Arabic short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity before and during the COVID-19 home quarantine. Differences between groups were examined using chi-square analyses and the Mann-Whitney U test. Multinomial logistic regression was used to test whether certain demographic and exercise-related variables were significant predictors of maintaining physical activity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the participants (53%) reported no change or increased physical activity level. Several factors were significantly related to physical activity heterogeneity including income (p = 0.04), fitness center membership (p < 0.01), usage of fitness tracker devices (p < 0.01), and the purchase of physical activity equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.01). The odds of maintaining physical activity were higher among those who tracked their physical activity (AOR = 6.160; 95% CI = 3.782-10.032, p < 0.001). Similarly, the odds of maintaining physical activity were higher among those who purchased home-exercise equipment during the pandemic (AOR = 2.243; 95% CI = 1.386-3.632, p = 0.001). Understanding the factors affecting physical activity behaviors is an essential step toward addressing the reduction in physical activity. This could help maintain physical activity levels during a potential future pandemic-related shutdown.

Stay Home, Stay Safe? The Impact of the COVID-19 Restrictions on the Prevalence, Nature, and Type of Reporter of Domestic Violence in the Netherlands

PurposeInsecurities and social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 restrictions, may have elevated tensions at home, consequently increasing the risk of domestic violence. The present study aims to examine changes in the prevalence, nature, and type of reporter of domestic violence following the various restrictions implemented to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Netherlands.MethodsAll official domestic violence reports recorded by the 26 Dutch domestic violence agencies in 2019 and 2020 were collected and analyzed. Time-series forecasting analyses, using a SARIMAX model, were conducted to predict the trend of domestic violence reports during the first lockdown and to compare the predicted trend with the observed trend.ResultsThe observed trend of the registered prevalence of domestic violence did not substantially differ from the predicted trend based on pre-pandemic data. Similarly, findings regarding the nature of domestic violence suggest no clear divergence of pre-pandemic trends during the lockdown period. Nonetheless, a shift was found from professional reporters (e.g., the police) to non-professional reporters (e.g., neighbors).ConclusionsThe prevalence of domestic violence reports in the Netherlands did not increase. However, the COVID-19 restrictions may have led citizens, especially neighbors, to detect domestic violence more often.

Abstract 11180: Assessing the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic Shelter in Place on Glycemic Control and Blood Pressure in Diabetic Patients

Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic state and county orders for home isolation and social distancing on glycemic control in diabetics is yet to be understood. We aimed to evaluate the impact of California’s 2019 shelter-in-place (SiP) order (mandated from March to June 2020) on glycemic control, blood pressure, and body mass index in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) diabetic population. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of Kaiser Permanente Northern California members, age ≥ 18 years old with a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes prior to 2019. We evaluated the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), use of oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA), and use of insulin for diabetics, stratified by pre-SiP HbA1c level (&lt;7, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, and &gt;10%) prior to and following the SiP order. Results: A total of 168,621 diabetics were included. Prior to the SiP, the mean HbA1c was 7.45 (1.48)%, with a mean BMI of 31.81 (7.29), SBP 133.04 (13.84), DBP 70.79 (9.97), 72.06% OHA users and 28.64% insulin users. Following SiP, the mean HbA1c was 7.49 (1.57)%, BMI 31.51 (7.39), SBP 134.12 (15.68) and DBP 71.30 (10.52), and 72.41% OHA users and 29.25% insulin users. A marginal decrease in BMI, was seen across all groups. Increases in HbA1c, SBP, DBP were highest in the HbA1c&lt;7% and 7-8% groups (p&lt;0.0001, Table 1). Conclusions: Marginal increases in HbA1c, SBP and DBP were seen in this diabetic cohort following the California 2020 SiP order. Increased use of OHA and insulin were seen following SiP, with insulin initiation in the highest HbA1c groups. The study helps to identify diabetics in our Northern California cohort that require more intensive management in the post-pandemic era. Further studies will help characterize long-term impacts on risk factors and incident cardiovascular disease.

Predictors of risky driving among teen drivers with ADHD during U.S. COVID-19 shelter in place orders

Factors associated with continued driving during shelter in place orders have been examined in a community sample of typically developing teen drivers, but not in teens diagnosed with Attention/Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our objective was to examine psychosocial factors that predicted risky drivingduring shelter in place orders in teens with ADHD, which is important since teens with ADHD are at particular risk for poor driving outcomes. The present study is also novel in that it uses naturalistic data of risky driving rather than self-report of continued driving. Naturalistic in-car data from 56 ADHD participants (M age = 16.875 years,SD = 0.955; 55.400 % were male) enrolled in an on-going study were used in the present study. Teens had an average of 26.915 months (SD = 14.343) of driving experience. Risky driving was defined as experiencing an event exceeding 0.600 g-force during the first month of COVID-19 pandemic shelter in place ordinances in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, USA. A hierarchical logistic regression with a post-COVID driving event as the dependent variable was conducted. Baseline ratings of ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) severity were entered in the first step of the model, while anxiety severity and parent behaviors regarding teen driving safety (monitoring and limit setting) were entered in the second step of the model. The first step of the model reached statistical significance (χ2(2, 54) = 7.577, p =.023), with only greater symptoms of ODD/CD significantly predicting a post-COVID driving event (B = 0.144, p =.020). With each point increase in ODD/CD symptoms, there was a 15.5 % increase in the probability of experiencing a high g-force event during COVID-19 restrictions. The model was no longer significant at step 2 when anxiety severity and parent behaviors were added to the model (χ2(3, 55) = 10.97p =.052).We conclude that ODD/CD symptom severity was the strongest predictor of risky driving during COVID-19 restrictions within a sample of teen drivers with ADHD. Study implications may be beneficial for clinicians who work with families of teenswith ADHD; suggestions for strategies mitigating this risk are discussed. These findings also have implications for which teens with ADHD may be less positively impacted by other government mitigation strategies such as Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) regulations.

Effects of social isolation on quality of life in elderly adults.

Prolonged periods of social isolation are known to have significant negative health consequences and reduce quality of life, an effect that is particularly pronounced in older populations. Despite the known deleterious effects of social isolation, a key component of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the issuance of stay at home and/or shelter in place orders. Relatively little is known about the potential effects these periods of social isolation could have on older adults, and less still is known about potential risk factors or protective factors that modulate these effects. Here, we describe results from a longitudinal study in which we measured quality of life both prior to and immediately following a one-month period of social isolation associated with the issuance and revocation of a shelter in place order (April 6, 2020 through May 4, 2020) in the state of South Carolina. Healthy adult participants (N = 62) between the ages of 60 and 80 who had already completed quality of life questionnaires prior to isolation again completed the questionnaires following a one-month order to shelter in place. Quality of life significantly decreased during the social isolation period, with older participants showing the greatest declines. Participants with higher levels of physical activity and better physical/mental health going into the isolation period tended to show greater decreases in quality of life over time. These results highlight the negative consequences of even short bouts of social isolation for the elderly and suggest that reductions in social contact related to COVID-19 may have significant effects on mental health and emotional well-being, at least among older individuals.

Mitigating Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Replicable Food Delivery Service Using Public-Private Partnerships.

Stay Home, Stay Healthy (SHSH), a replicable food-delivery service, increased access to healthful food for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It used community partnerships to identify families facing food insecurity and public-private partnerships to source and deliver food. We report on SHSH, its impact to-date, and lessons learned.

‘Stay home and stay safe … but maybe you can have somebody over’: public perceptions of official COVID-19 messages during the 2020 holiday season in Canada

ABSTRACT Background The COVID-19 pandemic triggered extreme preventive measures, including economic and social lockdowns. Many experts and commentators, however, have argued in favor of a harm reduction approach, giving individuals the liberty to assess their risk and potentially engage in risky behavior more safely. Drawing on concepts from harm reduction literature we examine how Canadians interpreted messages intended to mitigate harm during the 2020 end-of-year holiday season. Methods We conducted 12 focus groups in four Canadian cities to discuss public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19, how these messages influenced their holiday celebration plans, and how they interpreted harm mitigation messages. Results Focus group participants (n = 82) described COVID-19 public health guidance as confusing and difficult to follow. Participants considered that messages intended to mitigate harm from official sources would contribute to deepening confusion and uncertainty, allow for personal interpretation of guidelines, and discourage those who follow guidelines diligently. Conclusion Official public health messaging intended to mitigate harm in rapidly evolving crisis situations can be ineffective in reducing risky behaviors because it may instead encourage people to not abide the recommended guidelines. In these situations, harm reduction messaging should be limited to specific groups who cannot otherwise avoid risk exposure.

How do the stay-at-home (SAH) orders affect air quality? Evidence from the northeastern USA.

This paper examines whether the SAH orders, implemented in the USA from mid-March to late May 2020, improved air quality in the northeastern states. The estimates are based on panel data from the Environmental Protection Agency and an identification strategy that exploits the exogenous variation in the timing of the SAH orders. We find that the SAH orders reduced the concentrations of the air pollutants nitrogen dioxide ({textrm{NO}}_2) and carbon monoxide (CO), whose dominant source is motor vehicle emissions, by approximately 24% and 13%, respectively. The effects were larger for areas of high population density and areas near major roads. We also find that the reductions got smaller, and air pollution gradually approached normal levels, after the orders were lifted. This suggests that the air quality improvements were temporary.

Stay-at-home and face mask policy intentions inconsistent with incidence and fatality during the US COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states imposed stay-at-home (SAH) and mandatory face mask (MFM) orders to supplement the United States CDC recommendations. The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between SAH and MFM approaches with the incidence and fatality of COVID-19 during the pandemic period until 23 August 2020 (about 171 days), the period with no vaccines or specific drugs that had passed the phase III clinical trials yet. States with SAH orders showed a potential 50–60% decrease in infection and fatality during the SAH period (about 45 days). After normalization to population density, there was a 44% significant increase in the fatality rate in no-SAH + no-MFM states when compared to SAH + MFM. However, many results in this study were inconsistent with the intent of public health strategies of SAH and MFM. There were similar incidence rates (1.41, 1.81, and 1.36%) and significant differences in fatality rates (3.40, 2.12, and 1.25%; p < 0.05) and mortality rates (51.43, 34.50, and 17.42 per 100,000 residents; p < 0.05) among SAH + MFM, SAH + no-MFM, and no-SAH + no-MFM states, respectively. There were no significant differences in total positive cases, average daily new cases, and average daily fatality when normalized with population density among the three groups. This study suggested potential decreases in infection and fatality with short-term SAH order. However, SAH and MFM orders from some states' policies probably had limited effects in lowering transmission and fatality among the general population. At the policy-making level, if contagious patients would not likely be placed in strict isolation and massive contact tracing would not be effective to implement, we presume that following the CDC's recommendations with close monitoring of healthcare capacity could be appropriate in helping mitigate the COVID-19 disaster while limiting collateral socioeconomic damages.

"How do you shelter in place on the road?": Building Information Resilience through Communal Support for Van Dwellers in the Onset of Covid-19.

During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, new health information was being disseminated at unprecedented rates which included ever-changing mandates and regulations, resulting in information overload for many. Shelter in place orders are the pandemic-related information that will be discussed. As these dynamic orders were announced and enforced, mobile populations-people who live in their vans or "van dwellers"-abandoned life on the road and rushed to loved ones to abide by social distancing directives. Others had nowhere to turn. This pilot study of van dweller's information practices focuses on the early weeks of the pandemic and how this population adapted to an overwhelming information environment. Using the information resilience conceptual framework, I describe how van dwellers adapted when a myriad of information and misinformation was circulating. The van dweller community, and their supporters, banded together to provide resources and safe spaces in a time of crisis.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating symptoms in women: A 49-day, daily study before and during the outbreak in the United States.

Longitudinal data are needed to examine effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating. We capitalized on an ongoing, longitudinal study collecting daily data to examine changes in disordered eating symptoms in women across 49 days that spanned the time before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Women from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (N = 402) completed daily questionnaires assessing a range of symptoms (e.g., binge eating, weight/shape concerns, liking/wanting of palatable food (PF) and whole foods, hunger). Dates of the first US COVID-19 case, first case in each participant's state, and onset of the initial stay-at-home orders (SHOs) were used to categorize women into those who completed all daily assessments prior to, during, or after these dates. We used mixed linear models and specification-curve analysis to examine between-person (i.e., differences between women assessed before vs during/after COVID-19) and within-person (i.e., changes in symptoms from days before to days after the dates) effects of the pandemic. Results showed significantly higher levels of binge-related pathology (e.g., odds of binge eating, liking/wanting of PF) in women who completed assessments during/after COVID-19 events, and significantly increased liking/wanting of PF in the days following the pandemic onset. By contrast, minimal between- or within-person differences were observed for other variables, including weight/shape concerns, compensatory behaviors, hunger, or liking/wanting whole foods. Overall, results suggest a specific effect of the pandemic on binge-related phenotypes in women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Water Consumption in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we define “home”, which is recast as the new coffee shop, restaurant, entertainment center, and office during the pandemic. The shift toward working from home led to substantial changes in how consumers behave, affecting the consumption of resources in some cases for years to come. Using data from six water utilities in various states in the U.S., we investigated how water consumption has changed attributable to the implementation of stay-at-home (SAH) orders. The results indicated an overall increase of between 3.08% and 13.65% in daily water consumption during the SAH orders compared to the same period in 2018 and 2019, with the gaps closing as lockdown restrictions eased. The findings also revealed that the changes in water consumption across sectors and user groups were heterogeneous. Specifically, the results showed that total daily residential water demand during SAH orders in 2020 increased significantly, between 11.80% and 13.65%, relative to the same period in 2018 and 2019, but the changes in water consumption for non-residential properties headed in opposite directions with reductions between −22.53% and −45.08%. In addition, we found that the low-income groups did not change their water consumption even with the lockdown.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health Among University Going Students in Aligarh City

Abstract: The stresses and restrictions associated with the pandemic COVID-19 have increased the risk of university students developing mental health issues, which may have a significant impact on their academic success, social interactions, and future career and personal opportunities. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of university going students aged 18 to 24 in Aligarh City. The data was collected from 100 domestic Aligarh University student’s (18-24) years of age through self - prepared questionnaire created by using Google Form and shared on social media sites, the data was analysed statistically. The results indicate that students faced anxiety (60.8%), (54.1%) feel loneliness, and depression (59.8%). About (20%) of them reported worries for the health of loved ones most impacted their mental health status. Almost (46.7%) of students engage themselves in physical activities to take care of their mental health. While (36.5%) did not have strained familial relationships, (60.9%) found it harder to complete the semester at home and (70%) spent time during the pandemic watching television. Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-athome orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education.