A Cross Sectional Study on Socio-Behavioural Impact of Covid-19 Among Young Adults

Introduction: COVID-19 is expected to have a signicant impact on the socio-behavioural aspect of citizen's lives. The effects are expected to manifest differently in different populations. It is important to understand the changes in lifestyle-related behaviour adjusting to the COVID-19 preventive measures. To assess the socio-behavioural impact of COVID-19 among young professional st Objective: Methodology: udents. After obtaining IEC clearance and informed consent from the study subjects, a cross-sectional study was conducted from August 15 to September 15, 2020. Data was collected from 178 young adults (97 Medical and 81 Paramedical students), at Government General Hospital, Kurnool, selected by simple random sampling, using a validated questionnaire from the study done by Kamal bandhu et al., Data was collected and analysed by SPSS. Results: A total of 178 participants were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 20.92 ± 0.88 years. The distribution of participants was 79 males and 99 females. Most had a considerable fear of getting Covid-19 infection (62%). Fear is more common among age group of 19-21 years (p<0.05). A signicant association between lower age and female gender was found regarding different sources of information, creating a state of confusion about the pandemic. Experience of home connement (p<0.01), restriction of social gatherings (p<0.01), and going out (p <0.05) has a signicant association with the young age group. Female gender is associated with feelings of social isolation. Decreased intake of junk foods was signicantly associated with age, gender, and course of study (p<0.05). There is a positive impact Conclusion: on lifestyle modications and preventive practices due to COVID-19.