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IntroductionThe current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has placed unprecedented restrictions on people’s lives and routines. To counteract the exponential spread of this virus, a lockdown was implemented in Germany in March 2020. Infected persons and their contacts were also quarantined. Compliance with quarantine measures is essential for containing the spread of the virus and avoiding incalculable consequences in terms of morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, prolonged homestays, particularly quarantining, may lead to fear, panic, anxiety and depression. Hence, determining the psychological response in people during quarantine and their coping strategies is relevant for the counselling and support of affected persons by healthcare workers.Methods and analysisThe CoCo-Fakt-Survey (Cologne-Corona-Beratung und Unterstützung Für Index- und KontAKt-Personen während der Quarantäne-ZeiT; Cologne-Corona counselling and support for index and contacts during the quarantine period—author’s translation) will examine a cohort of persons in Cologne quarantined since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak during March 2020. The questionnaire will include demographic data, transmission route, health status, knowledge of and adherence to quarantine measurements, psychological impact on individuals and their family members including children, mental health status, and lifestyle (physical activity/sedentary behaviour, relaxation techniques, nutrition, smoking). All Cologne residents who needed to be quarantined due to a coronavirus infection and the individuals with whom they had contact will be surveyed.Ethics and disseminationNo risks have been identified and no complications are expected. Ethics approval was obtained from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen Human Ethics Research Committee (351/20), and the research will be conducted in accordance with the approved protocol. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and social medicine conferences.

Introduction: Public health measures enacted to reduce COVID-19 transmission have affected individuals’ lifestyles, mental health and psychological well-being. To date, little is known how stay-at-home orders have influenced the eating behaviors, weight development, and alcohol consumption of quarantined persons. The CoCo-Fakt cohort study analyzed these parameters and their association with psychological distress and coping strategies. Methods: An online survey was conducted of all persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (infected persons = IP) between December 12, 2020, and January 6, 2021, as well as their close contacts (contact persons = CP) registered by the public health department of Cologne. 8,075 of 33,699 individuals were included in the analysis. In addition to demographic data, psychological distress, and coping strategies, information on changes in body weight, eating and drinking behaviors was collected. Results: IP lost 1.2 ± 4.4 kg during the quarantine period, and CP gained 1.6 ± 4.1 kg. The reasons given by IP for weight change were mainly loss of taste and feeling sick, whereas CP were more likely than IP to eat out of boredom. Higher psychological burden and lower coping strategies were associated with both weight gain and loss. Of the 30.8% of participants who changed their alcohol consumption during the quarantine period, CP in particular drank more alcohol (IP 15.2%; CP 47.7%). Significantly less alcohol was consumed by individuals with higher coping scores. Conclusion: In this short but psychologically stressful period of stay-at-home orders, changes in eating and drinking behavior as well as weight development are evident; mainly in high-risk contacts. To avoid possible long-term sequelae, health authorities should take these findings into account during the quarantine period; in particular, general practitioners should consider these findings during follow-up.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Up to now, there is limited clarity on factors that determine the effectiveness of childhood obesity interventions. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> This study intends to uncover individual- and program-level predictors of BMI-SDS and fitness to achieve significant, sustainable health improvements. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Data of 249 children with obesity or overweight who participated in an outpatient multidisciplinary program were analysed and compared to 54 waitlist controls. Linear regression models were used to examine associations between individual- and group-level variables and BMI-SDS and fitness. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Among intervention children, BMI-SDS decreased by 0.19 units and physical fitness increased by 11.5%, versus a BMI-SDS decrease of 0.07 and a 1.8% decrease in fitness in the control group. Participants who reported being physically active before the program start achieved greater improvements in BMI-SDS (β = –0.177, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05) and physical fitness (β = 0.174, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05) than inactive peers. BMI-SDS decreased significantly more for members of gender-heterogeneous groups (β = 0.194, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05) with a narrow age range (β = 0.152, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The program under review is effective in counteracting juvenile obesity. The results give reason to believe that forming mixed-gender groups with a small age range and providing increased support for reportedly inactive children may improve program effectiveness.

Since stroke has become a medical emergency because intravenous tissue plasminogen activator improves outcome after ischemic stroke within 3 h of symptom onset, the focus of acute stroke management lies on the prehospital phase. Having the worst median time of emergency department arrival after stroke onset according to nationwide statistics, we examined the factors influencing a late admission of 174 consecutive patients to our stroke unit and the effects of a public campaign over 5 months. The median time from symptom onset to arrival was 5.2 h; 36.4% of patients presented within 3 h at hospital. A high level of education, knowledge of the time window, direct contact with an emergency facility after stroke onset, high number of known symptoms, not living alone, and a stroke in the past were connected with an earlier presentation. The public campaign had a positive effect on median time of symptom onset to arrival from 12 h in July, 7.2 in August, 4.7 in October, 5.2 in November, and 3.2 in December 2002. This had a favorable effect on the number of thrombolysis.