Acute psychological and behavioral effect of COVID-19 confinement measures in Spanish population

ABSTRACT

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is now a major global health issue and quarantine is being applicated worldwide as a suppression measure. The aim of this study was to analyse the psychological and behavioural modifications associated with the first phase of the confinement period in Spanish population. Material and method: Variables of anxiety, sleep quality, motivation, food intake and physical activity habits and body weight were analysed in ninety-one participants (35.7±10.4 years old) at the beginning of the quarantine, after three days, one week, two weeks and three weeks of the confinement decreed in Spain. Results: A significant (P<0.05) increase of 20% prevalence was found in the number of participants that started to exercise. Despite this, anxiety levels increased throughout the confinement, being significant after 2 weeks of isolation compared to the initial moment. None of the other variables significantly presented modifications. Correlation analysis showed that anxiety levels were positively related to the number of daily food intakes and negatively to sleep quality. On the other hand, the time dedicated to aerobic exercise was negatively related to body weight and the number of intakes, and positively to the time dedicated to anaerobic exercise (p <0.05 for all correlations). Conclusion: We found how first phase of confinement period in the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain produced a significant increase in anxiety levels, and subjects that started to exercise, do not significantly affecting body weight, food intakes, sleep quality and motivation of subjects. Higher food ingestions per day positively correlated with anxiety and negatively with sleep quality. © 2021 Archivos de Medicina del Deporte. All rights reserved.