a study by the Toulouse University Hospital points to the harmful effects of confinement
A study by the Toulouse University Hospital points to the harmful effects of confinement. For a year, a team from Toulouse led, on 534 people aged 50 to 89, very detailed analyzes of their behavior and their psychological state during the first containment, in the spring of 2020. The results of this unprecedented survey on the long-term effects of this confinement just published in the scientific journal “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health”.
Reduced physical activity
According to this study, 65% of people in this group – representative of the population of Haute-Garonne – reduced their physical activity, about 27% reported weight gain of more than 2kg; and 61% said they had lower quality foodincreased consumption of sugary foods, alcohol, fats or carbohydrates, not compensated by an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and dairy products). With regard to drug use, 12% of attendees reported a increase in drug therapy.
Depression symptoms
In addition, the symptoms of depression and anxiety have increased, as explained by Professor Jean Ferrières, who is the professor behind this study. “One year later, unfortunately, the damage is still there, with 35% depressed and 35% anxious. Those who are in contact with the public, such as cashiers, nurses and doctors, are three times more likely to be still anxious one after confinement,” explains Professor Ferrières to France Bleu Occitanie. And he adds: “We do not understand why a confinement that lasted two and a half months can have so many effects a year later.”
The researchers also observed an increase in smoking in 9% of the participants, and 8 of them reported an acute cardiovascular event: ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis in the arteries of the lower limbs, etc.
Carried out by telephone, the Toulouse analysis was carried out at the 1st, 6th and 12th month after confinement by the cardiovascular epidemiology teams of the cardiology federation, the epidemiology department and the USMR (the of Methodological Support for Research) of the University Hospital of Toulouse and Inserm.