Research- Lockdown and it's impact on Physical and Mental well being

INTRODUCTION
India’s public landscape has transformed dramatically over
the last couple of months, with the most prolonged
lockdown that the present generation can remember.
Declared on March 24, 2020, the lockdown ensured that
hundreds of millions of people were effectively confined to
home. While the lockdown was intended to curb the spread
of the virus, it had psychological and physical ramifications
on the citizens. The self-isolation and restrictions on
physical mobility due to the lockdown caused major
disruptions to routines in life and hindered the ability to
meet regular responsibilities—potentially affecting the
physical and mental health of individuals.

This could have increased the intensity of negative psychological
outcomes among Indians, leading to a poorer quality of life not just
during the lockdown but also after the crisis. Further, a prolonged
experience of negative mental health outcomes could have adverse
effects on physical health outcomes such as sleep disorders and
health-related quality of life. Additionally, in a patriarchal society such
as India, with a high prevalence of domestic abuse, the lockdown
potentially increased the risk of experiencing domestic abuse.

Prolonged exposure to the threat of domestic violence has worsen the mental and
physical well being of women during this crisis. After the Covid-19 outbreak, it was
observed that mental health concerns have escalated by an alarming 20%, with an
unprecedented rise in psycho-social concerns like: family issues, depression, anxiety
disorders, substance abuse, sexual abuse and domestic violence. Stress and panic
attacks have increased by over 35%. Those with depression or anxiety disorders in
remission were seen a relapse. People with OCDs like the compulsion to wash hands
were understandably in a state of panic. Due to lockdown, limiting outdoor activities and
regular physical activity and exercises affected the daily activities of most of the
individuals. Studies reported that staying at home for a prolonged period time might
lead to sedentary behaviours, such as spending more time on sitting activities.
Watching television, decreasing regular outdoor activity and exercises lead to an
increased risk of chronic health conditions. Meanwhile, the individuals were affected by
multiple infections, drowsiness, lethargic, obesity and other such problems due to
physical inactivity.

LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Indian Journal of Psychiatry ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7597717/ )
 The study conducted under the Indian Journal of Psychiatry concluded that the
psychological impact of quarantine were severe on people. it included depression, stress,
irritability, insomnia, anxiety, poor concentration, indecisiveness and post-traumatic stress
disorders. The distress in the pandemic probably stems from people’s limited social
interactions, tensions among families in lockdown together and fear of illness. The Studies
and surveys conducted online so far in the pandemic consistently showed that young
people, rather than older people, are most vulnerable to increased psychological distress,
perhaps because their need for social interactions are stronger. Man being a social animal,
such restrictions on free movements lead to anger, frustration, loneliness and depressive
symptoms. Unlike western countries, Indians are thought to be more social and have more
social networks, engage in several religious festivals, and get-togethers across the year. In
this regard, a complete lockdown has had a downgrading effect on the psyche of the
general public. the survey suggested that more than two-fifth of the people are
experiencing anxiety and depression, due to lockdown.

2. THE LANCET (https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30460-8/fulltext)
 This article states that the psychological scars of lockdown can be gruesome. An
unintended consequence of this is that anxiety and loneliness has been gnawing. A
recent review of research published in The Lancet found that lockdown is linked with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, confusion, and anger - the effects of
which can be long-lasting. While a negative psychological effect is unsurprising during
the period of lockdown, what is more troubling is that the psychological effect of
lockdown can still be detected months or years later, The Lancet review further stated.
Those with pre-existing depression and anxiety are at a greater risk of it becoming
worse during this time, whilst many new cases of depression and anxiety have also
occurred. Nervousness, fears of contamination, constant reassurance seeking
behaviors, panic attacks, sleep disturbance, excessive worry and feelings of
helplessness are some of the other possible ramifications. The lockdown induced social
isolation and loneliness is further fraught with zero clarity on how long the situation will
last or if it will indeed cease to exist in the near foreseeable future, which makes the
matter all the more disconcerting. Stress and anxiety can decrease immunity.

3. MEDICAL NEWS TODAY (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/pandemic-
measures-had-a-strong-impact-on-mental-and-physical-health )
 According to this article, the COVID-19 lockdown 2020 resulted in a dramatic increase in
unhealthy lifestyle changes. There was significant increase in sedentary leisure behaviors,
decline in physical activity, and increase in anxiety and weight gain. The abrupt closures of
fitness clubs, places of employment led to limited physical activity. The fear of developing
COVID-19, in addition to the lockdown, provoked added feelings of loneliness and isolation,
further exacerbating stress and anxiety. The lockdown resulted in anxiety and fear about
health, sleep disruption or altered sleeping patterns, changed eating habits, worsening of
chronic health problems, including mental health conditions. Stress associated with altered
sleeping patterns, more frequent snacking, and consuming sweet foods further resulted into
weight gain. A perceived increase in unhealthy eating accompanied trouble falling asleep,
decreased physical activity and increased sedentary habits. Overall, people with obesity
improved their diets the most. But they also experienced the sharpest declines in mental
health and the highest incidence of weight gain.

4. NEWS MEDICAL LIFE SCIENCES (https://www.news-medical.net/news/20201204/The-effect-
of-COVID-19-lockdowns-on-childrens-health-A-UK-case-study.aspx )
 This article talks about the impact on the physical health of children of UK during the lockdown
imposed last year. There was a study conducted by UK-based researchers – from the University
of Birmingham, the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol – have explored how
national lockdown has changed young children's everyday activities, eating and sleep habits.
They found that children's activity, screen time, eating, and sleep routines have been disrupted.
The study which was conducted specifically, tackled several aspects, including physical activity,
sedentary behavior, food intake, and sleep. To arrive at the study findings, the researchers
recruited a parent or care-taker. The team conducted interviews and analyzed them using
thematic analysis. A total of 16 mothers and four fathers participated in the study. The
researchers found that the children's activity, screen time, eating, and sleep routines had some
level of disruption during the lockdown period. The parents reported that children consumed
more snacks. They also spent more time preparing meals and eating as a family. Moreover, the
parents reported reduced physical activity of their children, and they spent more time using
gadgets and computers. The parents also said they had a problem getting their children to sleep
because they spend more time in front of a screen.

RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE
Rationale
Hypothesis
Objective

RATIONALE :
Due to the coming of the novel corona virus last year, society has gone
through many unexpected changes. One of the major changes is the
lockdown which has changed the way of our everyday life. The current
situation of COVID-19 and lockdown has affected the people’s mental
health and physical health. The lockdown had a major impact on physical
and mental health of people ranging from students to adults of different
Indian households irrespective of their economic standing; causing
tremendous amount of stress, anxiety, nervousness, depression to
physical problems like obesity, unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical
exercise, irregular sleeping pattern leading to long-term health effects on
people.

We want to understand these changing situations and its
impact on society in terms of sociological understanding.
Being sociology students, we can’t accept something as fact
simply because everyone knows it, we need to record every
piece of information and then analyze it in terms of the
relationship with other data. We rely on the facts which are
gathered scientifically describing, understanding, or
predicting any social phenomenon. We know lockdown
affected people at large be it physically or mentally. Its
impact was adverse. Therefore we chose this topic for
further research.

HYPOTHESIS :
How has the lockdown created a major impact on the physical and
mental health of different Indian households?
OBJECTIVE :
a. To examine the impact of lockdown with reference to mental
and physical health of people of different Indian households.
b. To examine how different gender and class has been affected
with the imposition of lockdown.
c. To evaluate the coping up strategies adopted by people to
overcome the impact of lockdown.

METHODOLOGY
DURATION OF FIELDWORK : 10 Days
SAMPLE SIZE : 100
MALE: 35
FEMALE: 65
TARGET GROUP : 15 years and above
RESEARCH METHOD : We used survey method for this
research. To collect data we have used questionnaire method
which includes both open ended and close ended types of
questions.

DATA ANALYSIS
Q1. What was your reaction when you heard about the lockdown?

Q2. Do you think due the lockdown your lifestyle has changed and how with reference to your
well being?
 Almost 95% of the respondents reported that their lifestyle had changed due to the
lockdown. One of the respondent stated that s/he loved travelling and often went to new
places was now stuck at home and it became very exhausting. For many others lockdown
made life monotonous, affected their social lives and staying at home for such a long time
generated a lot of stress. Life of some became slow and boring. They became lazy, lost
their routines, had disrupted sleep patterns, lifestyle became sedentary, their physical
activity had stopped and they became inactive. Many of them spent much more time sitting
in front of the screens and some of them reported of sleeping and eating unhealthy more
than before. While other respondents had a positive impact on their lifestyle like many were
able to focus on themselves, spent more quality time with their family. Many learned new
skills and acquired new hobbies through online. Also there were respondents who focused
on their health and wellbeing and became more fit during the lockdown. On the other hand
the remaining 5% of the respondents reported that there was no change in their lifestyle at
all.

Q3. What was your experience of the lockdown in terms mental and physical health?
 The experience of respondents of the lockdown in terms of mental and physical health have been
both positive and negative. It is seen that the percentage of respondents suffering from the negative
impacts were more. Many respondents claimed of becoming lazy, lethargic, anxious and scared due
to uncertainty. One of the respondent stated that it was a bad experience and she was disturbed
mentally because of no physical interaction with her family and friends. Many respondents also
reported that they were feeling depressed, their health deteriorated while sitting at home, unable to
do any physical activity or go for walk. Many suffered from headaches to eye pain. They also got
frustrated, did overthinking, suffered from mental imbalance. A lot of them suffered from weight gain
as one of their major health problems. One of the respondent stated of having relapsed several
times and felt suicidal at time. Some of them also experienced lack of productivity.
 The 7% of respondents had a positive impact like, one of them stated that lockdown help him to
heal and introspect about a lot of things. Many others were able to find peace and relax and were
able to check on their physical health. Many of them also reported spending more time with family
was therapeutic and boosted their mental health. Some of them in terms of physical health started
focusing on themselves and consciously started eating healthy good.
 The remaining 2% of the respondents claimed that their experience of the lockdown was neutral and
there was not much change in terms of their mental and physical health.

Q4. What was most impacted during the
lockdown?
Q5. With reference to the above question, how
was the impact of lockdown on you?

Q6. Do you feel that mental and physical
health issues increased during the
lockdown?
Q7. According to you what were the positive
effects of lockdown on people?

Q8. What are the negative impacts of
lockdown on your physical health?
Q9. How has the quality of sleep cycle been
affected due to the lockdown?

Q10. Did you overeat or experience poor
appetite in lockdown?
Q11. Being indoors for months at a stretch
can give rise to digestive problems. Which of
the following problems did you face?

Q12. During the lockdown, how has your intake of immunity-boosting foods (lemon, turmeric,
garlic, citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables) in the diet changed?

Q13. During the lockdown how has your participation in physical activity changed?
 81% of the people says that there has been a significant change in their participation in physical activity
during the lockdown. Among which 72% says that it has decreased significantly. Some of the main reasons
cited by the people for this decline includes restrictions in outdoor movement, shutting down of gyms,
sports and fitness clubs, schools and colleges, laziness due to staying at home all day and compact space
at home. One of the respondent said “It is reasonable to assume that lockdown measures have
fundamentally changed work and transport related physical activities for a large proportion of the working
population. With the closure of sports and fitness clubs as well as outdoor exercise”. Some of the
respondents also states sickness as the main reason for their decline in physical activity engagement.
However a significant number of respondents said that they have adopted daily meditation in place of
physical exercises. The other 28% of the people says that their engagement in physical activity has
increased due to various reasons like better health consciousness, availability of time due to lockdown,
increased household works to be performed by them, fear of gaining weight, for example, one of the
respondent said “I started exercise on a daily basis. My physical health improved and I lost a lot of weight
by doing exercise.” But it is to be noted that a lot of respondents have pointed out that this change in
engagement of physical activity has been different during the course of time. For example one of the
respondent said “Workout for few days and back to the lazy routine.”.
 The rest of the 19% of people somehow managed to keep their physical activity engagement level same by
adopting changes in their working out pattern. For example we can refer to one of the respondent’s
statement “Physical activities related to daily works has been replaced by yoga, workout and walking.”

Q14. What are the negative impacts of lockdown
on your mental health?
Q15. Were you worried too much about
your health and safety?

Q16. What kind of problems did you come across during the lockdown period with
reference to your physical and mental well being?
 Based on the data collected,
• Around 50% respondents said that they faced problems like overthinking, stress
and anxiety during the lockdown period.
• Around 30% respondents said that their mental and physical health was
impacted as there was a disturbance in the sleep cycle, loneliness and a
decrease in the physical activities.
•Around 20% respondents stated obesity, financial problems and procrastination
as their problems during lockdown.

Q17. According to you who had more adverse
impact of lockdown on their well being?
Q18. What are the reasons for declining of
women’s health during the pandemic?
30%
59%
11%
Male
Female
Others

Q19. According to you, which section of the
society had more adverse impact of lockdown
on their well being?
Q20. What are the impacts of lockdown on
youth?

Q21. What strategies did you adopt to cope up with your well being?
 Around 20% people said that they indulged in positive thinking and spending
time with family during the lockdown. Others said watching movies and
series, reading books, writing and exercise or yoga helped them to cope up
with their well being. Music was a form of solace for nearly everyone. One of
the respondent elaborated their coping strategy as well, " 1. taking care of my
body through meditation and regular exercise 2. eating healthy and well
balanced meals 3. increased intake of immunity boosting food items 4. tried
getting adequate sleep" another respondent said, " To cope up with the
negative impacts of lockdown I started maintaining a proper healthy diet,
working out again, doing things I like to do, followed my hobbies, reduced my
activity on social media and news platforms, spending good fun time with
family."

SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
The lockdown led to disruption in the normal functioning, which affected the society at
large and this led to a change in the functioning of the society and its structure,
leading to disruption in the social order of the society, change in human interactions
and relationships, that transformed cultural and social institutions. Thus, creating
conditions for the society to under go changes, and created a new normal for every
individuals across the globe.
These can be seen from the economic degradation, academic downfall, disturbance
in the normal functioning of government, law courts and healthcare.

Here we can refer to the concept of Social Facts, given by Emile Durkheim, the
imposition of lockdown is a legal code or a law which is a social fact as lockdown
is external and coercive to the individual. They are capable of exerting
constraints upon them. If someone attempts to violate these rules of lockdown
they act against the individual. The lockdown has effected our way of acting
thinking and feeling and they are more or less general to the society wherever it
is imposed or happening. They are independent of the individuals manifestation,
it will continue to exist even if the individual come go or die. They are real and
exist independent to the individuals will or desire. Here if an individual abandons
himself to the laws of lockdown, he may not be conscious of the pressure that it
is exerting upon him but that pressure makes its presence feel immediately if he
tries to struggle against them. Hence, we are the victims of an illusion which
leads us to believe we have ourselves produced what has been imposed upon
us externally.

We can also directly relate it to one of the major classical theories like
Interactionalism. This perspective focuses on small scale social phenomena
and considers people as an active agent who creates and recreates society.
And thus make a subjectivist assumption. In this research project we have
focused on how has lockdown affected the individual, the role of individuals on
the societal changes and the changes in the individual relations with each
others. In this study, we have accorded to the ideas and values in the
constructions of the meaning that the individuals make in their own right. We
have considered the way in which social actions occur as individual members
of the society imbued their meaning of the lockdown. The focus of the study
was to get to know how individuals were affected, what meaning they attached
to it, that is lockdown.

LIMITATION OF
RESEARCH
1. Due to the online mode of research, it made data collection very difficult as
compared to offline research.
2. Due to constraint of field work and unable to use multiple methods, the results
collected were not very precise and reliable.
3. Respondents may not feel encouraged, comfortable and honest to provide accurate
and genuine answers in the subjective type questions.
4. Due to constraint of time, it was difficult to do pilot studies and could focus on only a
small sample size and also had to limit ourselves to only one method for the
research.
5. It is impossible to set aside our personal biases and retain complete objectivity this
may lead to inaccuracy in our findings.
6. There may be possible cooperation problems. Online surveys could be deleted and
ignored. People hate feeling poked and if they get annoyed, they just have to click
delete.

LIMITATION OF SECONDARY DATA
The primary data we collected had focused on the positive
and negative impact of lockdown on our mental and physical
health. Whereas the secondary data focused on the negative
aspects of lockdown on well being of people more than the
positive aspects and it also focused on the mental health more
than the physical health of people. There were hardly any
studies done on the India, Asian or African context rather they
were more focusing from the European and American point of
view.

CONCLUSION
The purpose of this study was to collect data on how lockdown had impacted the
physical and mental health of the individuals. It has had both positive and negative
impact on people, ranging from students to adults of different Indian households. It was
concluded that females were impacted more than the others. Both the physical and the
mental health were equally impacted.
Some of the negative impact on mental health were: stress, anxiety, depression,
loneliness, nervousness, overthinking, etc. on individuals. It is also concluded that
developing of unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity, disruption in sleeping
pattern, people suffering from digestion problems and laziness, etc., are some of the
negative impacts of physical health.
On the other hand we have noticed some of the positive impacts too, like many people
have utilized this time to introspect themselves, developed new hobbies and skills,
focused on their health and fitness, and many were able to reduce their junk food
consumption. It is also concluded that due to the lockdown many people were able to
spend more time with their families as compared to before.

SOURCES
 https://www.physio-pedia.com/Physical_Activity_and_COVID-19
 http://ocm.auburn.edu/experts/2020/05/051452-effects-pandemic-
society.php
 https://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0019-
5545;year=2020;volume=62;issue=4;spage=354;epage=362;aulast=Grove
r
 https://www.epw.in/engage/article/covid-19-examining-impact-lockdown-
india-after-one
 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/impacts-lockdown-mental-
health-children-and-young-people
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7301781/

REFERENCE
QUESTIONNAIRE-
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BL6gC0zAHp-
KfLPUd_cWJZU7-2QxzPTf/view?usp=sharing
SPREADSHEET RESPONSES-
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BiY-
V6S7PJVgHO8aODOd2-fTQD4J2aLr3sTd-L-
XiwA/edit?usp=sharing

ACKNOWLEGMENT
We would like to thank our sociology teacher ,
Dr. Sharmishtha Mallick,
for giving us this opportunity to do this research project.
We were enlightened and came across many terms which we added
to our vocabulary and information which increased our knowledge
about sociology and other subjects as well.
We would like to mention our team mates, who co-operated and
contributed well to make this presentation.
And we would like to thank the respondents who took their time off
and filled the questionnaire.

Research- Lockdown and it's impact on Physical and Mental well being

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