Immediate impact of stay-at-home orders to control COVID-19 transmission on socioeconomic conditions, food insecurity, mental health, and intimate partner violence in Bangladeshi women and their families: an interrupted time series

Abstract

Summary Background Stay-at-home orders (lockdowns) have been deployed globally to control COVID-19 transmission, and might impair economic conditions and mental health, and exacerbate risk of food insecurity and intimate partner violence. The effect of lockdowns in low-income and middle-income countries must be understood to ensure safe deployment of these interventions in less affluent settings. We aimed to determine the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdown orders on women and their families in rural Bangladesh. Methods An interrupted time series was used to compare data collected from families in Rupganj upazila, rural Bangladesh (randomly selected from participants in a randomised controlled trial), on income, food security, and mental health a median of 1 year and 2 years before the COVID-19 pandemic to data collected during the lockdown. We also assessed women's experiences of intimate partner violence during the pandemic. Results Between May 19 and June 18, 2020, we randomly selected and invited the mothers of 3016 children to participate in the study, 2424 of whom provided consent. 2414 (99·9%, 95% CI 99·6–99·9) of 2417 mothers were aware of, and adhering to, the stay-at-home advice. 2321 (96·0%, 95·2–96·7) of 2417 mothers reported a reduction in paid work for the family. Median monthly family income fell from US$212 at baseline to $59 during lockdown, and the proportion of families earning less than $1·90 per day rose from five (0·2%, 0·0–0·5) of 2422 to 992 (47·3%, 45·2–49·5) of 2096 (p<0·0001 comparing baseline with lockdown period). Before the pandemic, 136 (5·6%, 4·7–6·6) of 2420 and 65 (2·7%, 2·1–3·4) of 2420 families experienced moderate and severe food insecurity, respectively. This increased to 881 (36·5%, 34·5–38·4) of 2417 and 371 (15·3%, 13·9–16·8) of 2417 during the lockdown; the number of families experiencing any level of food insecurity increased by 51·7% (48·1–55·4; p<0·0001). Mothers' depression and anxiety symptoms increased during the lockdown. Among women experiencing emotional or moderate physical violence, over half reported it had increased since the lockdown. Interpretation COVID-19 lockdowns present significant economic, psychosocial, and physical risks to the wellbeing of women and their families across economic strata in rural Bangladesh. Beyond supporting only the most socioeconomically deprived, support is needed for all affected families. Funding National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia.

A Mixed Approach on Resilience of Spanish Dwellings and Households during COVID-19 Lockdown

“…During this quarantine, many studies have used the online form to reach their potential participants [30] on home confinement. To a lesser extent, telephone surveys have been used, particularly in longitudinal studies, with a pre-established participant base [31].…”

Change in mental health, physical health, and social relationships during highly restrictive lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Australia

“…Additionally, the pandemic appears to be a largely negative experience for many people around the world (Benke et al, 2020;Ebrahimi et al, 2020;Fiorenzato et al, 2020;Gao et al, 2020;Hamadani et al, 2020;Holman et al, 2020;Huang & Zhao, 2020;Kalaitzaki, 2020;Lee, 2020;Marashi et al, 2020;Mazza et al, 2020;Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2020;Qiu et al, 2020;Roy et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020; Zacher & Rudolph, 2020), and we have reported a substantial proportion in our sample of Australians being negatively affected during lockdown. Numerous studies have indicated that shared experiences of pain, adversity, and/or hardship have the potential to act as social bonding experiences (some examples: Bastian, Jetten, & Ferris, 2014;Bastian, Jetten, Hornsey, et al, 2014;Bastian et al, 2018;Breslin, 2019;Shaw et al, 2020).…”

“…Quarantine (lockdown) actions during prior pandemics such as SARS and MERS have been found to negatively affect psychological well-being (Brooks et al, 2020). Emerging research on people's experience during COVID-19 lockdowns around the world are producing similar findings of increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression (Benke et al, 2020;Ebrahimi et al, 2020;Fiorenzato et al, 2020;Gao et al, 2020;Hamadani et al, 2020;Holman et al, 2020;Huang & Zhao, 2020;Kalaitzaki, 2020;Lee, 2020;Marashi et al, 2020;Mazza et al, 2020;Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2020;Qiu et al, 2020;Roy et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020;Zacher & Rudolph, 2020). Some of these researchers have considered how preoccupation with COVID-19 and increased social media exposure contribute to COVID-19 stress (Gao et al, 2020;Holman et al, 2020;Hsiang et al, 2020;Lee, 2020;Roy et al, 2020).…”

Assessing Food Poverty, Vulnerability and Food Consumption Inequality in the Context of COVID-19: A Case of Bangladesh

“…In addition, the research revealed a significant drop in the percentage of households who could not afford a 3 meals per day diet- about 24% households of urban slum areas and 14% rural households could not afford a 3 meals per day diet. In order to explore the impact of general holidays of the Government of Bangladesh to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus on household’s socio-economic conditions, food insecurity, mental health and intimate partner violence, Hamadani et al ( 2020 ) surveyed mothers from 2417 households of Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj District of Bangladesh where they found that during the general holiday, the number of households experiencing food insecurity increased by 51.7%. They found that the proportion of moderately food insecure households increased from 5.6% (pre-lockdown condition) to 36.5% and for the severely food insecure households, the change was from 2.6 to 15.3%.…”