Changing sleep patterns and anxiety due to Covid-19 home confinement among working population: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic took the entire world unawares and people were forced to stay indoors overnight. Due to this a drastic change ensued in lifestyle with many succumbing to various kinds of stresses and psychological problems. This study aims to study the changing sleep patterns and level of anxiety among the working population due to the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown. Methodology: An online survey was conducted using a cloud-based website. The sleep patterns both prior to and during the lockdown period of the pandemic were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The level of anxiety during both these periods (before and during lockdown) amongst the working population was also assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scores (GADS). Results: A total of 224 individuals participated in the study of which 52.7% were males and 47.3% were females. On analysis, the lifestyle and sleep deprivation scores showed that before the lockdown only 2.7% reported a low score out of total participants. However, this number was raised to 13.4% during the lockdown. The percentage of people reporting deteriorated sleep quality gradually increased with females reporting moderate to severe category of Generalized Anxiety Disorder scores as compared to Males. Conclusion: The study suggests that there has been a significant change in the sleep quality of the study participants due to Covid enforced lockdown which if unnoticed might lead to significant health problems. The effective use of programs like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises, if followed timely could reduce psychological distress to some extent.

Evolution of tobacco control in India: a narrative review of the legislative and regulatory approach.

Tobacco is the only consumer product that kills half its users yearly. The challenges posed by tobacco control are limitless especially in a country like India where in addition to smoked forms, other smokeless forms of tobacco are also highly prevalent. Apart from being a health hazard tobacco is also a great environmental hazard. Policies for controlling tobacco use also include policy to prevent people from second hand smoke, which is aimed at improvement of air quality. According to the National Non-Communicable Disease Monitoring Survey, 2017-18, daily tobacco use was 32.8% in adults (18-69 years) and 3.1% in adolescents (15-17 years). Overall reduction in tobacco users by 8.1 Million was seen from GATS-1 to GATS-2, and prevalence amongst youth decreased from 18.4 to 12.4%. GYTS-4 (2019) revealed that 8.5% of students, 9.6% of boys and 7.4% of girls-currently used any tobacco products. This makes tobacco control a priority in India. Tobacco control consists of different approaches such as educational, healthcare, legislative, regulatory and fiscal. In the present article we traverse nearly five decades and decode the evolution of legislative, regulatory and fiscal approaches to Tobacco Control in India. A critical evaluation of all these approaches is described in the format of the MPOWER strategy for Tobacco Control which stands for Monitoring Tobacco use, Preventing people from Second Hand Smoke, Offering help to quit, Waring regarding ill effects of tobacco, Enforcing bans and Raising taxes on tobacco products.

Poor Dietary Habits: A Function of Online Food Delivery Fad among Medical and Dental College Students in India.

BACKGROUND: Globalization has impacted our food choice and the booming online food industry has made it available at the click of a button. Students staying away from home often fail to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, impacting their health. METHODS: A survey was conducted amongst interns of medical and dental colleges in Delhi. Simple Random Sampling was done to select every alternate intern as per the list provided by the colleges. The survey included questions on dietary, fitness and food hygiene habits and dental history. Demographic details such as height weight and living arrangements were collected. Dietary habits score and Fitness & Food hygiene score was calculated based on pre-set criteria. Association of poor dietary habits and hygiene with BMI, living conditions and dental history was determined. RESULTS: One-fourth of the population was either overweight or obese. Poor, fair and good dietary habits was seen in 8.9%, 69.8% and 21.4% respectively. Poor, fair and good fitness and food hygiene was seen in 56.3%, 39.6% and 4.2% respectively. Obesity was significantly associated with poor fitness scores and with tendency to order junk food. Consumption of sugary food was associated with positive dental history, and those living with parents displayed good dietary habit score. CONCLUSION: Students with high stress levels and living away from home are susceptible to poor dietary routine which impacts both their health and academic performance. Identifying these problems and triggers which induce such unhealthy lifestyle behaviour can go a long way in controlling the resultant health problems.

Determinants of socio-demographic and environmental barriers in prevention of COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim and Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients with ESIC, who are insured patients with the public health sector about COVID-19. Materials and Method: This was a cross-sectional observational study that used a questionnaire developed for the purpose of the survey. The questionnaire was divided into five parts including the demographic variables and environmental variables that are enablers for positive preventive practices of COVID-19, knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices followed with respect to COVID-19. Results: The mean age of the study population was 36.96 ± 13.05 (18-73) years with almost an equal proportion of males and females. The knowledge about measures to be taken for prevention of corona infection such as Balanced diet, Lockdown, Social distance, frequently wash hands often, using face mask and regularly cleaning with disinfectant surfaces was significantly better among females. Majority of the subjects displaying good attitude toward the corona disease prevention. Preventive practices were found to be satisfactory among the study population. Use of soap and handwashing was more than the use of sanitizer. Hand washing, use of mouth mask, and taking bath after returning home from outside was significantly better among males. Conclusion: There are increased worries and apprehensions among the public regarding acquiring the COVID-19 infection. People have higher perceived needs to deal with their anxiety towards acquiring the infection.