Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on Adults’ Health in North Africa

Abstract

The lockdown caused major upheavals in everyone's life and a considerable public health burden. These changes are bound to lead weight gain and increase the rate of obesity around the world. The aim of the present survey was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on global health in a population of adults from Constantine, Algeria. More precisely, the survey aimed at determining factors associated with obesity, as well as a comparison of the lifestyle changes and habits of this population before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The questionnaire was deployed via an Algerian electronic platform named "Word Form" and shared its link on social networks. A total of 1400 subjects completed the survey and after validation of the data, 1000 respondents have been included in the study. The age of our population was >19 years old. About 45% of the participants declared that their diet became imbalanced during the COVID-19 lockdown (P=0.016). In contrast, 63% admitted to snacking after dinner and 74% snaking between meals represented a high association which weight gain (P<0.01). The results suggests that poor sleeping patterns can lead to weight gain and an increase in body mass index (P <0.01). The COVID-19 pandemic had a serious impact on the eating habits and lifestyle changes during the pandemic after the lockdown period in an adult Algerian population.