COVID-19 lockdown and lifestyles: A narrative review

Abstract

Background: The primary objective worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been controlling disease transmission. However, lockdown measures used to mitigate transmission have affected human behavior and altered lifestyles, with a likely impact on chronic non-communicable diseases. More than a year into the pandemic, substantial peer-reviewed literature has emerged on altered lifestyles following the varying lockdown measures imposed globally to control the virus spread. We explored the impact of lockdown measures on six lifestyle factors, namely diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social connectedness, and the use of tobacco, alcohol, or other harmful substances. Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed and the World Health Organization’s global literature database on COVID-19 and retrieved 649 relevant articles for the narrative review. A critical interpretative synthesis of the articles was performed. Results: Most of the articles included in the review identified the negative effect of lockdown measures on each of the lifestyle factors in many parts of the world. Encouraging lifestyle trends were also highlighted in a few articles. Such trends can positively influence the outcome of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to better understand the negative impact of strict lockdown measures on lifestyles. At the same time, it helps us identify and initiate positive behavioral changes, which, if consolidated, could improve chronic disease outcomes. It is up to governments, communities, and healthcare/academic entities to derive benefit from lessons learned from the pandemic, with the ultimate objective of better educating and promoting healthy lifestyles among communities.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Weight and BMI among UK Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from the HEBECO Study

“…Further details of this analysis are provided in the Supplementary Materials. Bayes Factor analyses in the event of non-significant findings were pre-registered online for physical activity, BMI, snacking, alcohol consumption, age and gender (https: //osf.io/pr68k/), as current literature suggests that reduced physical activity, higher initial BMI, increased snacking, high alcohol consumption, younger age and female gender are associated with weight/BMI gain at the start of the pandemic [7,8,10,21]. Effect sizes were obtained from mean differences in weight change reported in the COVID-19 literature [42].…”

“…High-risk alcohol consumption has been associated with unfavourable dietary changes during the pandemic [53], possibly by influencing appetite and food choice, thus increasing energy intake both directly and indirectly [52,54]. Alcohol consumption may also have shifted from the closures of bars and pubs, with more purchases made for home consumption [8].…”

“…The lack of association between female gender and weight/BMI gain in this study may reflect the coping strategies of female participants, and the complex gender differences in changes in health behaviours during the pandemic. Some studies find women increasing exercise more than men [58], being less likely to alter their alcohol intake [55] and being more likely to increase fruit and vegetables intake, eat less or partake in healthy eating [8,21,58]. However, UK women have also been shown to eat both more and less during the pandemic [18].…”

“…Within the UK, the prevalence of overweight and obesity stands at over 60% and continues to rise [2]. Health behaviours including physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption can impact on bodyweight [3][4][5][6], and such health behaviours have been shown to be affected by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions [7][8][9][10]. Lockdown restrictions can also impact on other individual, social and environmental factors that influence energy intake and expenditure [7,8].…”

“…Health behaviours including physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption can impact on bodyweight [3][4][5][6], and such health behaviours have been shown to be affected by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions [7][8][9][10]. Lockdown restrictions can also impact on other individual, social and environmental factors that influence energy intake and expenditure [7,8]. Indeed, reports from the initial months of the pandemic suggest that average weight and body mass index (BMI) have increased significantly by 1.57 kg (95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.14) and 0.31 kg/m 2 (95%CI: 0.17-0.45), respectively, compared to before the pandemic [11].…”