The 2019 coronavirus infection outbreak (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. By March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 infection a pandemic. across the globe. The novel etiologic agent of COVID-19, severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an infectious and highly pathogenic pathogen. It is mainly transmitted in the form of aerosols and droplets from an infected person.
The SARS-CoV-2 has captured more than 125.6 million people and killed more than 2.7 million worldwide. To prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in the absence of targeted and safe therapeutic drugs, non-pharmacological interventions have been undertaken worldwide. These included locks throughout states and countries, the use of personal protective measures such as masks, frequent hand washing and maintenance of hygiene, physical speed and travel-related measures, such as quarantine, and so on.
Even as the pandemic progresses, a ‘new norm’ has been implemented in many parts of the world, including personal protective behavior, partial travel, physical distance, and ventilation in offices and commercial facilities. While these measures helped limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the indirect results of these lifestyle changes have been observed in many countries.
When 45 out of 50 U.S. state governments issued sheltered orders (SIP) from March 19, 2020, to April 6, 2020, to reduce the progression of the disease, a study was conducted to identify the impact pandemic- SIP associated with human body weight.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, studied long-term group body weight changes during the initial SIP (shelter in place) prescriptions to better understand the potential downstream health effects. have a long SIP. They found a significant increase in body weight over the period after SIP at a rate of about one and a half pounds per month after SIP.
Figure data normalized as overweight or underweight per participant in kilograms. Shade areas indicate the 95% CI for the average weight of study participants after shelter in their place.
The researchers emphasized the importance of recognizing the potential health effects of SIP on a population level. Their study, recently published as a Research Letter, is available in the Open JAMA Network iris.
For this longitudinal analysis, the researchers obtained data from February 1 to June 1, 2020. The study group included 269 participants in the eHeart Health Survey; they volunteered to account for weight measurement from their smart scale connected to Bluetooth (Fitbit [Fitbit Inc] no iHealth [iHealth Labs Inc]).
While the idiosyncratic characteristics of those possessing a Bluetooth-connected scale may limit the generality of the study, by following individuals over time to quantify their weight changes to reasonable during SIP reduces threats to internal legitimacy. “
The eHeart Health Check is an internet-based long-running cardiovascular e-cohort launched on March 8, 2013, and is still ongoing. In this study, participants placed at least one weight measurement before, and one measurement after, their specific place-shelter order was placed.
The researchers obtained all participants’ information – such as demographic characteristics and health conditions, race and ethnicity – through online surveys.
The researchers studied the weight change before and after SIP through a linear mixed effects model with a spline point when SIP orders were issued for each state.
Regardless of geographic location or comorbidities, the researchers reported that participants weighed a constant weight of 0.27 kg every ten days; translates to about 1.5 lbs of weight per month.
The researchers warned that while this stress may not seem clinically significant, the long-term effects could lead to significant weight gain. The effect of COVID-19 on physical inactivity is a direct result of health: observed reductions in daily step counts, changes in daily life patterns, and a consistent self-reported increase in food intake and overeating.
The destructive health outcomes suggested by these data highlight the need to identify consensual strategies to mitigate weight gain, such as encouraging a healthy diet and exploring ways to strengthen physical activity, such as local governments will consider new restrictions in response to SARS-CoV-2 and its possible future. pandemics, the researchers write.