Dr Pradeep Kumar Sr. Consultant- Paediatrics Rainbow Children’s Hospital Hebbal, Bangalore, India
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a global effect on people’s lifestyles. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a major disruption in the lifestyle of people have been caused all across the world. These abrupt changes required accommodation which led to disturbed sleep schedules, mental health, and productivity levels of people.
Wearing mask
People have to continue to wear despite getting vaccinated. Though it’s uncomfortable, wearing a mask has its own advantages like protection against dust and other pollutants, TB and other lung allergies.
Work from home
Many people will continue to work from home which makes them physically inactive and develops irregular eating patterns, which will lead to unhealthier lifestyles and aggravation of lifestyle-related diseases. A healthier lifestyle that includes regular eating patterns with healthier food choices and increased physical activity will not only prevent lifestyle-related diseases but also reduce severe COVID infection and the need for the hospital admission.
Travelling
Travelling has become very unpredictable post-pandemic because of varying restrictions in different countries. Will we be welcomed? Will we be safe? And can we afford it? It will be a sad new world if travel becomes something only for the rich and gap-year travel becomes a rite of passage that ceases to exist.
Use of smartphones and gadgets
Since the pandemic started the use of smartphones and gadgets have increased and will continue to do so in near future. The striking disadvantages of this are reduced physical activity, increased screen exposure leading to vision problems and back pain etc. Public awareness should be created about problems associated with these gadgets and ways to reduce their use.
Increased family time
There are several favourable changes because of work from home, for example, in households with children,schoolclosure may have resulted in parents taking greater care in preparing their children’s meals and helping them with schoolwork. Staying at home definitely results in more close contact with children and spouses, which may have led to an increase in positive feelings that outweighed any negative effects of the quarantine. Despite the many negative effects of the
