Assessment of Lifestyle changes among Information Technology Professionals during COVID-19 using a Multidimensional Scale: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Lifestyle refers to day to day behaviours and functions of individuals in their activities and diet. According to WHO, 60% of factors related to health are associated with the lifestyle an individual leads.¹ A healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. A large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided through a healthy lifestyle. When a healthy lifestyle is adopted, a more positive role model is provided to other people in the family, particularly children.²

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented public health crisis. As the number of cases continues to rise, the global population is experiencing life-altering challenges due to confinement to the home and psychological distress. This may lead to harmful health behaviours, such as overeating, sedentary behaviour with reduced physical activity, elevated alcohol and tobacco use and increased screen time causing impaired sleep.³

The dramatic workplace transformation created by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of employees in the IT sector to work from home. It has an enormous impact on work and family culture. Work from home, physical distancing, online education and virtual meetings becomes the “New Normal” of life. For many multinational companies work from home is not new and they are promoting the same to increase productivity and save cost. Leading to increased work hours and loss of structured work time.⁴

Lifestyle guidelines during this pandemic have further emphasized the need for maintaining a healthy nutritional status and engaging in physical exercise at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.⁵ Studies have also suggested that the focus should be on addressing the mental health aspect when implementing public disease control and prevention interventions. However, studies on the behaviour patterns such as dietary intake, physical exercise, and screen time among the general population after the outbreak of COVID-19 are lacking, also data about perceived lifestyle changes among the general population after the outbreak of COVID-19 are also lacking.⁶ it is unclear whether people’s lifestyles will change as a result.

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore perceived lifestyle changes after the outbreak of COVID-19 and their association with subjective well-being (SWB). This study was conducted to assess the lifestyle habits among IT professionals during COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the factors associated with lifestyle changes among I T professionals during COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on IT professionals residing in Bengaluru between September to October, 2020. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic details and a validated schedule called SMILE¹ (Short Multi dimensional Inventory Lifestyle Evaluation) was used to assess lifestyle habits under the following domains: Diet and Nutrition, Substance use, Physical activity, Stress management, Sleep, Social support, Environment exposure (screen time/outdoor time).

Based on the pilot study conducted, mean SMILE score was 124.07 ± 13.21. With expected difference mean of 3, the sample size was calculated to be 75. Snowball sampling technique was used to recruit study participants and the questionnaire was applied using an online survey.

Data collected was analysed using SPSS Version 20.0. Independent t-test was used to check association.

Results

The Mean age of participants was 30.29 ± 6.0 Years (Range 22 to 53).70.7% of the participants were male, 61.3% were unmarried and 38.7% were married.85.3% were Hindus, 12% were Christian and 2.7% were Muslim.22 participants (29.3%) were reported be selfisolated, while 5 were diagnosed with COVID-19.10.7% lost somebody due to COVID-19.2 participants lost job during pandemic.

The mean SMILE score among the participants was 127.2 ± 16.8. The mean total score in males was 129.6 ± 15.0 and in female it was 121.4 ± 19.5. There was significant association seen between gender, physical activity and stress management, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Association between Gender and Lifestyle habits

Table 2 shows the association between marital status and lifestyle habits. A significant association was seen between marital status, social support and diet.

Self-isolation seemed to be associated with physical activity and substance abuse as shown in Table 3.

According to our study a significant association was also seen between COVID-19 infection and substance abuse as shown in Table 4.

Discussion

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a massive impact on human health, causing sudden lifestyle changes, through social distancing and isolation at home, with social and economic consequences. The COVID 19 had an evident impact on India’s Information Technology sector the new normal working being‘Work from Home’. The study revealed that Around 80 – 85 % IT professional companies are resorting to work from Home and hence lifestyle is changing due to new working environment from home which is unusual than the routine pre COVID times.

A total of 75 IT professionals participated in this online survey with a mean SMILE score of 127.2 ± 16.The current study showed a significant association of lifestyle SMILE scores with gender, physical activity and stress management.

Males had better physical activity score (11.53 ± 2.3) compared to females (9.59 ± 2.3). Also, stress management scores were found to be higher in males (24.91 ± 4.4) compared to females (22.23 ± 5.1). Females are more likely to experience a specific stress termed “caregiver burden,” which affects their social, emotional, spiritual, financial, and physical wellbeing. The Covid-19 pandemic is already exacerbating women’s caregiver responsibilities with schools and childcare centers preventatively closed nationwide which disproportionately increase the burden on women who may already be working formal jobs, maintaining their households, and fulfilling their original care giving responsibilities. Consequently, it is likely that women are experiencing more caregiver burden during the pandemic while being isolated from the social supports needed to reduce this burden.⁷

Married individuals had a better social support and diet and nutrition score (133.4 ± 13.2) compared to unmarried participants (123.3 ± 17.7). Studies have shown that spouses are a critical source of social support, and their absence is positively associated with loneliness.⁸

The participants who had the habit of physical exercise had a significantly higher lifestyle SMILE score in physical activity domain. The findings of the study add to the existing evidences based on studies that physical exercise is associated with mental wellbeing.⁹ physical activity, sport participation and associations with well-being, anxiety and depressive symptoms were examined in a large representative sample of European adolescents. A school-based survey was completed by 11,110 adolescents from ten European countries who took part in the SEYLE (Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe Also, active physical exercise is also known to associate with reduced anxiety and depression. During SARS epidemic, a reduced incidence of PTSD in general population of Hong Kong was associated with increased exercise time.¹⁰

The lifestyle SMILE score of participants who were tested positive for COVID 19 were assessed based on substance abuse and was found those without substance abuse had a better score.

Conclusion

To conclude, the participants reported changes in lifestyle habits in different domains which are significantly associated with gender, marital status, positive for COVID-19 infection and self isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that there is a need to expand physical, mental and social wellbeing services among professionals who are isolated at home. It can also be helpful to device lifestyle guidelines among IT professionals during any public health emergency in the future.

Conflict of Interest

None.