IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON OVERALL HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS A STUDY ON FAMILIES RESIDING IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2021
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Dr.RPCAU, Pusa
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a heavy challenge on the overall health and nutrition of the population all over the world. With the pandemic and its subsequent imposed lockdown, access and availability of fresh food had been restricted with limited physical activity. This in turn affected the dietary pattern and intake, food choices and the health status of the population. The present study was undertaken to assess the lockdown impact on the health and nutritional status of the population residing in Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 60 respondents were selected for the survey and a questionnaire was developed which included all the parameters to complete the objectives of the study. The survey was conducted in an online mode by sending out the questionnaires as google forms and offline mode through personal home visits. The impact of lockdown was assessed in terms of changes in the food consumption pattern, nutrient intake, health status, hygiene practices and adoption of certain immune boosting food sources during the pandemic. The food consumption pattern and the dietary intake of the respondents were assessed with the help of a 24-hour dietary recall method and food frequency questionnaire.
The results revealed significant changes in the dietary intake with the pre lockdown nutrient intake seen to be higher than the post lockdown intake due to lesser availability of certain food groups post implementation of the lockdown. A significant impact could be seen in the higher pre lockdown intake of protein and fat among the male respondents and fat intake among the female respondents. Among the food groups, differences in the consumption of only dhal, meat products and seasonal fruits were found since everyone had a kitchen garden and access to other dietary requirements. However, the dietary intakes of the respondents were lower than the recommended value (RDA) except protein, fat and carbohydrate intake. The post lockdown BMI of the male (24.01±3.76) and female (23.45±4.22) respondents was found to be higher than the pre lockdown BMI (23.12±3.46 & 22.25±3.14). Regarding the health status of the respondents, the percentage of anaemic respondents was seen to be higher among the female respondents than the male respondents. The prevalence of mild and moderate anaemia was found to be 6.6 percent and 3.3 percent among male respondents. While among females, 23.3 percent were in mild anaemic category, 13.3 percent in moderate anaemic category and 3.3 percent were in severe anaemic category. The adoption of immune boosting food sources to cope with the pandemic situation could be seen in about 80 percent of the respondents. A positive change was found in the hygiene practices of the respondents with 81.6 percent of the respondents reporting of more hygiene consciousness since the implementation of the lockdown. Educational status showed a significantly positive relation with the nutritional knowledge (r=0.39, p<0.01) and the hygiene practices (r=0.42, p<0.01) of the respondents. Hence, the impact of lockdown was observed on the nutritional status and dietary behaviours of the respondents. The study suggests that good nutrition should be given utmost priority since healthy diet supports the immune system and the overall wellbeing and health of an individual.