Changes in non-communicable diseases, diet and exercise in a rural Bangladesh setting before and after the first wave of COVID-19.
PLOS Glob Public Health
; 2(9): e0001110, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2098679
ABSTRACT
Prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is high in rural Bangladesh. Given the complex multi-directional relationships between NCDs, COVID-19 infections and control measures, exploring pandemic impacts in this context is important. We conducted two cross-sectional surveys of adults ≥30-years in rural Faridpur district, Bangladesh, in February to March 2020 (survey 1, pre-COVID-19), and January to March 2021 (survey 2, post-lockdown). A new random sample of participants was taken at each survey. Anthropometric measures included blood pressure, weight, height, hip and waist circumference and fasting and 2-hour post-glucose load blood glucose. An interviewer-administered questionnaire included socio-demographics; lifestyle and behavioural risk factors; care seeking; self-rated health, depression and anxiety assessments. Differences in NCDs, diet and exercise were compared between surveys using chi2 tests, logistic and linear regression; sub-group analyses by gender, age and socio-economic tertiles were conducted. We recruited 950 (72.0%) participants in survey 1 and 1392 (87.9%) in survey 2. The percentage of the population with hypertension increased significantly from 34.5% (95% CI 30.7, 38.5) to 41.5% (95% CI 38.2, 45.0; p-value = 0.011); the increase was more pronounced in men. Across all measures of self-reported health and mental health, there was a significant improvement between survey 1 and 2. For self-rated health, we observed a 10-point increase (71.3 vs 81.2, p-value = 0.005). Depression reduced from 15.3% (95% CI 8.4, 26.1) to 6.0% (95% CI 2.7, 12.6; p-value = 0.044) and generalised anxiety from 17.9% (95% CI 11.3, 27.3) to 4.0% (95% CI 2.0, 7.6; p-value<0.001). No changes in fasting blood glucose, diabetes status, BMI or abdominal obesity were observed. Our findings suggest both positive and negative health outcomes following COVID-19 lockdown in a rural Bangladeshi setting, with a concerning increase in hypertension. These findings need to be further contextualised, with prospective assessments of indirect effects on physical and mental health and care-seeking.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Language:
English
Journal:
PLOS Glob Public Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Journal.pgph.0001110
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