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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread adoption of virus control measures have inevitably disrupted efforts to address lifestyle risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD). This study aimed to explore the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on all lifestyle medicine pillars, namely diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social support and use of risky substances.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study on a convenient sample of adults who resided in Cyprus during the Spring 2020 lockdown. Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire comprised of six validated tools regarding the following lifestyle behaviours before and during lockdown: adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity, stress and social support levels, sleep pattern and use of risky substances such as smoking and alcohol. Paired before and during lockdown comparisons for each lifestyle pillar were undertaken using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test and Bowker symmetry Test where response was numerical (non-parametric data) and categorical respectively. Furthermore, stratified analyses for sociodemographic characteristics were performed.ResultsOut of 745 participants, 74% were female and median age was 39 years. Overall participants reported significantly higher perceived stress score (22 v 25,p p p p p trend = 0.03 and ConclusionVarious lifestyle factors were adversely affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in Cyprus. Evidence from this study supports development of holistic lifestyle interventions during and following the pandemic to reduce short and long-term NCD risks by building on lifestyle behaviour strengths and addressing longstanding and emerging gaps and needs.

Background Despite widespread adoption of lockdown by governments in the COVID-19 response, research on how it affects the individual pillars of Lifestyle Medicine is limited. We aimed to explore the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, stress, social support and use of risky substances. Methods This was a cross-sectional study on a convenient sample of adults who resided in Cyprus during the lockdown. An anonymous questionnaire was completed online in Greek or English comprised of five validated tools in relation to their behaviours before and during the lockdown. We compared median values for each variable/tool before and during lockdown, using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, and performed stratified analyses for sociodemographic characteristics. Results Out of 745 respondents, 74% were female and median age was 39. Overall scores showed significantly increased sleep quality difficulty (4 v 5, p Conclusions Many aspects of lifestyle were adversely affected by lockdown in Cyprus. As people return to their pre-lockdown routines, the outcomes described provide data to inform the design of lifestyle interventions that support changing or maintaining lifestyle habits. Such interventions can then help decrease people's risk for future poor health outcomes, including the risk for COVID-19 infection. Key messages This study describes aspects of lifestyle affected by the Cyprus COVID-19 lockdown, significant when considering future lockdowns and pre-, during or post-lockdown healthful lifestyle interventions. The outcomes provide data to inform the design of lifestyle interventions to support changing or maintaining healthy lifestyle habits.

During the first quarter of 2020 the world is experiencing a pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome‑Coronavirus‑2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), a novel beta coronavirus that is responsible for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). The COVID‐19 pandemic revealed that healthcare systems around the world were not prepared to deal with either the direct effects of the pandemic or with the indirect effects that are imposed on the health of patients with chronic disorders such as cancer patients. Some challenges and dilemmas currently faced during the pandemic include the management of cancer patients during the treatment and follow‐up phases, the assessment of the safety of treatments currently used for the management of SARS‑CoV‑2 for use in cancer patients, the development of psychoeducation and emotional support for cancer patients and the safe conduct of clinical trials involving participation of cancer patients. Evidence from the literature supports the need for the urgent development of a holistic contingency plan which will include clear guidelines for the protection and comprehensive care of cancer patients. The implementation of such a plan is expected to have many beneficial effects by mainly minimizing the increased morbidity and mortality of cancer patients that could result as an adverse consequence of the COVID‐19 or future pandemics., The COVID‐19 pandemic has revealed that health care systems around the world were not prepared to deal with either the direct effects of the pandemic or with the indirect effects that are imposed on the health of cancer patients. The evidence from the literature supports that the development of a contingency plan is as urgent as ever to minimise the increased morbidity and mortality of cancer patients that could result as a consequence of the current COVID‐19 pandemic or any other future pandemics.