Status of Weight Change, Lifestyle Behaviors, Depression, Anxiety, and Diabetes Mellitus in a Cohort with Obesity during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Turk-Com Study Group

Expert Opinion on the Utility of Telemedicine in Obesity Care: Recommendations on a Hybrid Multidisciplinary Integrated Care Follow-Up Algorithm

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The proposed expert opinion was prepared by a panel of obesity and law specialists from Turkey to review the utility of telemedicine in obesity care and to provide a guidance document with recommendations on a hybrid multidisciplinary integrated care follow-up algorithm and the legislation governing telemedicine practice to assist obesity specialists in practicing the telemedicine.

RECENT FINDINGS

The efficacy and feasibility of telemedicine interventions in supporting obesity management programs even during pandemics confirm that obesity is a particularly well-suited field for telemedicine, emphasizing the strong likelihood of continued utilization of telemedicine in obesity management, beyond the pandemic period. Telemedicine has great potential to address several barriers to ongoing weight-management care, such as challenges of access to specialized care, cost, and time limitations as well as patient adherence to treatment. However, telemedicine practice should complement rather than replace the in-person visits which are unique in building rapport and offering social support. Accordingly, the participating experts recommend the use of a hybrid integrated care model in the management of obesity, with the use of telemedicine, as an adjunct to in-person visits, to enable the provision of suggested intensive obesity management via frequent visits by a multidisciplinary team of obesity specialists. Further research addressing the utility of telemedicine in terms of optimal modality and duration for successful long-term obesity management outcomes is necessary to develop specific guidelines on telemedicine practice. In addition, the legislation governing the norms and protocols on confidentiality, privacy, access, and liability needs to be improved.

The role of lifestyle and mental health in the weight change of higher vocational college students in Fuzhou, China during COVID-19

Objectives

This study is aimed to explore the influence of higher vocational college students' lifestyle and mental health on weight change in Fuzhou during COVID-19.

Methods

This study adopted the cross-sectional study method and a total of 1426 students (1111 women and 315 men) were recruited from higher vocational college in Fuzhou. The questionnaire mainly included six dimensions: demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary habits, physical activity, sleep quality and psychological status.

Results

According to the weight changes, the group was divided into weight loss group, constant weight group and weight gain group. More people in the weight gain group had increased their intake of various foods compared to the other groups (P < 0.001), in addition, the number of physical activity decreased and basically unchanged was more, and the number of sedentary time increased and basically unchanged was more in the three groups(P < 0.001). The incidence of poor sleep quality (60.3 %, 46.9 %, 57.5 %, P < 0.001), depressive symptoms (58.9 %, 47.5 %, 62.0 %, P < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (42.5 %, 35.8 %, 45.3 %, P = 0.005) in the weight loss group and the weight gain group were significantly higher than those in the constant weight group. After adjusting for the potential confounders (including age, sex, grade, smoking, drinking, diet, etc.), decreased physical activity, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were independent risk factors for weight gain compared with the constant weight group(OR = 1.643, P = 0.046; OR = 1.695, P < 0.001; OR = 1.389, P = 0.020).

Conclusions

The increased food intake, decreased physical activity, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were positively correlated with weight gain.

The COVID-19 pandemic and temporal change in metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease: A natural experiment within the HELIUS study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including the restrictive measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus, negatively affected people's health behavior. We explored whether the pandemic also had an effect on metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women and men. We conducted a natural experiment, using data from 6962 participants without CVD at baseline (2011-2015) of six ethnic groups of the HELIUS study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We studied whether participants whose follow-up measurements were taken within the 11 months before the pandemic (control group) differed from those whose measurements were taken taken within 6 months after the first lockdown (exposed group). Using sex-stratified linear regressions with inverse probability weighting, we compared changes in baseline- and follow-up data between the control and exposed group in six metabolic risk factors: systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), total cholesterol (TC), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Next, we explored the mediating effect of changes in body-mass index (BMI), alcohol, smoking, depressive symptoms and negative life events at follow-up. We observed less favorable changes in SBP (+1.12mmHg for women, +1.38mmHg for men), DBP (+0.85mmHg, +0.80mmHg) and FPG (only in women, +0.12 mmol/L) over time in the exposed group relative to the control group. Conversely, changes in HbA1c (-0.65 mmol/mol, -0.84 mmol/mol) and eGFR (+1.06 mL/min, +1.04 mL/min) were more favorable in the exposed compared to the control group, respectively. Changes in SBP, DBP, and FPG were partially mediated by changes in behavioral factors, in particular BMI and alcohol consumption. Concluding, the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular behavioral changes associated with restrictive lockdown measures, may have negatively affected several CVD risk factors, in both women and men.

Nutritional Behavior in European Countries during COVID-19 Pandemic-A Review

COVID-19 is highly linked with hyperinflammation and dysfunction of the immune cells. Studies have shown that adequate nutrition, a modifiable factor affecting immunity and limiting systemic inflammation, may play an adjunct role in combating the negative consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Due to the global lockdown conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed, among others, to restrictions on fresh food availability and changes in lifestyle and eating behaviors. The aim of this paper was to review the data regarding eating habits in European countries within the general population of adults and some specific subpopulations, including obese, diabetic, and psychiatric patients, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PubMed database and the official websites of medical organizations and associations were searched for the phrases "COVID" and "eating habits". Papers regarding the pediatric population, non-European countries, presenting aggregated data from different countries worldwide, and reviews were excluded. During the COVID-19 pandemic, unhealthy lifestyles and eating behaviors were commonly reported. These included increased snacking, intake of caloric foods, such as sweets, pastries, and beverages, and a decline in physical activity. Data suggest that poor eating habits that create a positive energy balance have persisted over time as an additional post-COVID negative consequence.

Estimates and Forecasts on the Burden of Prediabetes and Diabetes in Adult and Elderly Population in Turkiye

AIMS

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that limits the quality and duration of life. We aimed to estimate the impact of demographic change on the burden of prediabetes and diabetes between 2010 and 2021, and the projections to 2030 and 2045 in Turkiye.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prediabetes and diabetes estimates were calculated by direct standardization method using age- and sex-specific prevalence data from the previous 'Turkish Epidemiology Survey of Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity and Endocrine Disease' (TURDEP-II) as reference. The 2010-2021 population demographics were obtained from TurkStat. Comparative age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was estimated using the standard population models of world and Europe.

RESULTS

Estimates depicted that the population (20-84 years) of any degree of glucose intolerance in Turkiye increased by over 5.7 million (diabetes: 2.4 million and prediabetes: 3.3 million) from 2010 to 2021. While the increase in prediabetes and diabetes prevalence was 24.3% and 35.2% in overall population, corresponding increase were 46.5% and 51.3% in the elderly. Estimated prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in 2021 was significantly higher in women than in men (prediabetes: 32.6% vs. 25.2%; diabetes: 17.1% vs. 14.2%). The comparative age-adjusted diabetes prevalence to the European population model was higher than that of the world population model (19.4% vs. 15.0%). According to the projections the prevalence of diabetes will reach 17.5% in 2030 and 19.2% in 2045.

CONCLUSION

Assuming age- and sex-specific diabetes prevalence of TURDEP-II survey remained constant, this study revealed that the number of people with diabetes in the general population (particularly in the elderly) in the last 11 years in Turkiye has increased in parallel with the population growth and aging; it will continue to grow over the coming decades. This means the burden of diabetes on the social, economic and health services will remain to increase. The fact suggests that there is an urgent need for re-organization of care as well as to develop and implement a country-specific prevention program to reduce this burden.

Prevalence of Depression and Related Factors among Patients with Chronic Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The management of chronic diseases in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is especially challenging, and reducing potential psychological harm is essential. This review aims to determine the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with chronic disease, and to characterize the impacts of related factors. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The meta-analysis was performed using StatsDirect software. The review identified 33 articles with a total of 50,905 patients with chronic diseases. Four meta-analyses were performed to estimate the prevalence of depression. In diabetic patients, the prevalence ranged from 17% (95% CI = 7-31) (PHQ-9) to 33% (95% CI = 16-51) (PHQ-8); in obese patients, the prevalence was 48% (95% CI = 26-71); and in hypertensive patients, the prevalence was 18% (95% CI = 13-24). The factors significantly associated with depression were female sex, being single, deterioration in the clinical parameters of diabetes, a decrease in self-care behavior, reduced physical activity and sleep time and fear of contagion. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased levels of depression among persons with chronic disease. Pandemics and other emergency events have a major impact on mental health, so early psychological interventions and health management policies are needed to reinforce chronic patients' physical and mental health.