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Table 1 Potential health impacts of lockdown policies

From: A health impact assessment of gender inequities associated with psychological distress during COVID19 in Australia’s most locked down state—Victoria

Determinants

POSITIVE

NEGATIVE

Reduced transmission and deaths from SARS-CoV-2 [18,19,20]. (ST; LT; D)

Economic [21,22,23,24]: Loss of job, income, business [25, 26]; occupation [27]; increase in poverty [15, 28]. (ST; LT; D)

Reduced infections with infectious diseases in high-risk groups such as the elderly; those with premorbid conditions/immunocompromised; healthcare workers [18,19,20]. (ST; LT; D)

Mental health: increase in affective disorders (all age groups) [21, 22, 29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36]; eating disorders (children/adolescents) [34, 37, 38]; increase in behavioural disorders (children) [39,40,41]; cognitive decline (elderly) [42]. (ST; LT; I)

Reduced incidence and deaths from seasonal influenza [43,44,45]; reduced incidence of other infectious diseases [46]. (ST; I)

Psychological wellbeing: increased stress [21, 24, 47,48,49]; identity loss (income/job loss) [50]; loneliness [29]; social isolation [1, 23, 24]; reduced civil liberties [51]; increase in lifestyle changes [52], loss of routine; increase in overweight/obesity [47, 53, 54]; increase in alcohol [55,56,57] and tobacco consumption [58]

Injury: reduced fractures (not elderly) [59, 60]; reduced emergency department attendance due to injuries [60, 61]; reduced severity of fractures due to less sport, motor vehicle accidents [60,61,62,63]. (ST; I)

Relationship stress: reduced social interaction [32]; social bonding [32, 64]; intimacy and sexual intimacy [64,65,66]; increased domestic violence [22, 67,68,69,70,71,72,73]; divorce [65, 66, 74]; increase in gender inequality in family and work [75,76,77]; family life disruptions [24, 78, 79].(ST; LT; D; I)

Health system: reduced health system burden due to outbreak [80,81,82,83]. (ST; I)

Reduced access to healthcare [84,85,86]: preventative screening resulting in short and long-term increases in non-communicable diseases; ceased elective surgery; ceased dental care/increased dental caries (ST; D; I)

Reduced lower back pain/joint pain [61] (ST; I)

Physical: increase in fractures in the elderly [61]; increased sleep disturbances [87]; increased screen time (children) [88]; increase in cardiovascular and metabolic disease [89,90,91]; increase in overweight/obesity [47, 53, 54]; increased food insecurity [22]; increase in alcohol [55,56,57] and tobacco consumption [58] (ST; LT; D; I)

Reduced premature births [92, 93] (ST; LT; I)

Reproductive/sexual health: reduction in HIV postexposure prophylaxis treatment [94]; increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) [95]; increase in maternal and child deaths (disrupted health systems and access to food) [96] (ST; LT; I)

Increased physical activity [21] (ST; I)

Decreased physical activity [97] (ST; LT; D; I)

Reduced air pollution/greenhouse gas emissions due to less travel (Motor vehicles, boats, planes) [98,99,100]. (ST; I)

Increased pollution from increase in single-use items eg. takeaway food and drink packaging, increased PPE [101] (ST:I)

  1. Health impacts may be direct (D) or indirect (I), short-term (ST) or long-term (LT)