The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Perceived Mental and Physical Health of People Living with Non-Communicable Diseases: An International Cross-Sectional Survey
Reviewed by Kathleen Friel
Citation: Azzouzi S, Stratton C, Muñoz-Velasco LP, Wang K, Fourtassi M, Hong B-Y, Cooper R, Balikuddembe JK, Palomba A, Peterson M, Pandiyan U, Krassioukov A, Tripathi DR, Tuakli-Wosornu YA, Hajjioui A. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Perceived Mental and Physical Health of People Living with Non-Communicable Diseases: An International Cross-Sectional Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 30;19(13):8023. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138023. PMID: 35805680; PMCID: PMC9265593.
Study type/Population: Global online Qualtrics survey that 3079 people completed. Responses came from 65 countries. Nearly 50% of individuals had a non-communicable disease (NCD). More than 2/3 of responders were from the WHO Region of the Americas, 1.9% were from Europe, 7% were from the Eastern Mediterranean, 0.8% were from Africa, 1.9% were from South-East Asia, and 6.9% were from the Western Pacific. Survey data were collected between August and December 2020.
Key findings: The COVID-19 pandemic caused profound changes to everyday life worldwide. People with NCDs were disproportionally affected by the pandemic, as these individuals reported a reduction in physical activities, weight gain, and decreased self-perceived physical and mental health. On a positive note, people with NCDs reported decreased sedentariness and reduced tobacco use during the pandemic, as compared to people without NCDs.
Translation to practice: People with NCDs, which includes people with cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental conditions, were disproportionally affected by the pandemic. Care providers can assist people with NCDs by querying about physical and mental health, then providing treatment or referrals that will aid people with NCDs in achieving their optimal physical and mental health.