Analysis on the physiological changes of residents before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

People's lifestyles have changed dramatically during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, yet data on physical examinations in the Chinese population before and during the pandemic are rarely reported. The study was based on the data from the physical examination center of Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. We collected the data of physical examinations information between January 2017 and March 2022. The data of participants before December 31, 2019 were classified as “before COVID‐19 pandemic group,” while data after December 31, 2019 were classified as “during COVID‐19 pandemic group.” We used t‐test and χ2 test to compare the differences before and during COVID‐19 pandemic. A total of 72 257 individuals participated in the physical examinations, and finally retained 65 629 individuals for analysis. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, body mass index (BMI), high‐density lipoprotein, total cholesterol levels, as well as pulmonary nodule and thyroid nodule proportion of participants were higher than those before the pandemic, and the levels of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of participants were lower than those before the pandemic. Ongoing assessment and surveillance are necessary to assess whether lifestyle changes caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic are likely to increase chronic disease risk in the future.