Korean J Fam Pract.  2021 Aug;11(4):304-311. 10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.304.

Changes in Body Mass Index and Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome during COVID-19 Lockdown Period

• Kwon JY
• Song SW
• Kim HN
• Kang SG

• KMID: 2519285
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.304

Abstract

Background
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Since then, South Korea has responded to the crisis by enforcing a lockdown with the slogan of ‘Social distancing’. Various surveys have examined postCOVID-19 lockdown weight change, with a number of participants showing weight gain. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate changes in body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
This study was conducted from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020 among individuals who visited the health promotion center at a university hospital every year. The participants included 1,867 male and female aged 20 years or older. The t-test and chi-square test were used to investigate changes in BMI and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
There were no statistically significant changes in BMI or the prevalence of metabolic syndrome before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the outbreak of coronavirus infection, systolic blood pressure (P=0.048), diastolic blood pressure (P=0.005), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001) among the metabolic syndrome components increased, and fasting blood sugar decreased (P<0.001).
Conclusion
There was no significant difference in BMI and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keyword

COVID-19; Obesity; Metabolic Syndrome; Body Mass Index