The effect of quarantine on body mass index and its influencing factors during COVID-۱۹ pandemic

Objective: With the announcement of the Covid-۱۹ pandemic by the World Health Organization, quarantine rules were set in almost all countries in order to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce its transmission among the population. The purpose of this study was to assess the living conditions of individuals during the quarantine period.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a ۳-month period in Hormozgan province. individuals over ۱۵-years old, participated in an online survey. The normality of the dependent variable (BMI) was confirmed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (P> ۰.۰۵).Results: ۳۵۲ individuals participated in the survey with the mean age of ۳۴.۷۴ ± ۸-۹۹ years, ۷۲.۷% of them were female. The increase in mean BMI from time point ۱ to time point ۲ was statistically significant for people ۳۰ years and older compared to younger people (p-value = ۰.۰۰۱). A significant increase of about ۰.۴۵ in BMI was also reported for people whose physical activity had changed since COVID-۱۹ pandemic (P = ۰.۰۰۵).Conclusion: Decreasing the physical activities during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic along with overeating and subsequent increase in BMI would probably be regarded as warning signs for increasing the prevalence of obesity in the future.

Keywords:

Quarantine , COVID-۱۹ , Body Mass Index , Iran , Physical Activity