Is excess weight a risk factor for the development of COVID 19 infection? A preliminary report from India

Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Revi

Saraswat

et al. 2021

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Background and aims Health care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of getting infected with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and suboptimal preventive practices have been identified as an important risk factor in this regard. This study was done to evaluate the preventive practices being followed by health care workers and identify reasons for suboptimal compliance. Methods A cross-sectional survey was done in HCWs belonging to various occupational roles and socio-cultural backgrounds across India through online platforms and telephonic interviews from July 30, 2020 to August 30, 2020. A scientifically designed and pre-validated questionnaire with good validity (CVR = 0.87, S-CVI/Av = 0.978) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.85) was used. Results The responses of 956 participants were analysed. Various suboptimal practices like touching outer surface of masks, lack of social distancing in cafeteria and duty rooms, inability to wash hands for adequate duration and properly follow steps of hand hygiene, inability to don and doff PPE properly, carrying PPE to duty rooms before completely doffing, use of personal mobile phones during duty and improper sleep were identified. Lack of knowledge, long duty hours, shortage of PPE, high patient workload, and casual attitude regarding own safety were identified as important barriers. Resident doctors and paramedical staff in the age group 18–30 years reported lower adherence. Conclusions Suboptimal compliance in preventive practices like handling PPE, distancing in cafeteria/duty rooms and hand hygiene is not uncommon in HCWs. Certain barriers are identified which should be addressed to ensure adequate safety of HCWs against COVID-19.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are health care workers following preventive practices in the COVID-19 pandemic properly? - A cross-sectional survey from India

Agarwal

Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Revi

Saraswat

et al. 2021

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“…Past pandemics have shown that their impact on lifestyle and mental health can last longer and have greater impact than the pandemic itself (15) . Moreover, it is also seen that weight gain due to positive calorie balance can be a risk factor for development of COVID-19 infections and should be assessed using different tools available in literature (16,17) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle-related behaviours: eating habits, activity and sleep behaviour

Chopra

Malhotra

et al. 2020

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: This study was conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle-related behavior related to eating, activity and sleep pattern. Design: Indexed study used a mixed method design. Phase I employed qualitative methods for development of questionnaire including literature review, focus group discussion, expert evaluation and pre-testing. Phase II used quantitative methods for establishing construct validity of the questionnaire via parallel factor analysis. Participants: Phase 1 involved participation of experts from different fields (Departments of Medicine, Nutrition and Clinical Psychology) and general adult population. For phase II, data was collected from 124 adult respondents (female=57.26%); mean age (36±14.8) years residing in an urban setting. Results: The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: (A) socio-demographic and anthropometric parameters, (B) 24 items each for investigating the change in eating, activity and sleep behavior before versus during COVID-19, (C) 6 items assessing COVID-19 specific reasons for lifestyle change. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the questionnaire is 0.72 suggesting its good internal consistency. Conclusions: This appears to be a valid tool to assess the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle related behaviors with potential utility for public health researchers to identify these changes at community level and develop strategies to reinforce corrective behaviors.

“…Previous pandemics (SARS, Ebola, H1N1) have revealed that the change in sleep and dietary routine has impacted the lifestyle of individuals was long standing and significant [ 3 , 4 ]. Preventive health measures forced by the government (household confinement, social distancing, and decreased recreational and social activities impacted the lifestyle related behaviours) resulted in adverse metabolic complication such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess socio-behavioural impact of COVID-19 on the general population

Kalanidhi

Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Revi

Sarkar³

et al. 2021

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Background and aim The aim of the study is to develop a valid and reliable tool to assess socio-behavioural changes. Methods This mixed method study has two phases. Phase I for questionnaire development (literature review, focus group discussion, expert evaluation and pilot testing). Phase II for establishing construct validity via factor analysis and internal consistency via Cronbach's ɑ by administering the questionnaire on 179 participants. Results A questionnaire comprising 33 questions and five domains was developed having Cronbach's α of 0·82. Discussion The developed questionnaire is a concise, easy to administer and valid tool to assess socio-behavioural changes.