ARU and Ulster University are conducting research to determine the public health implications of COVID-19, specifically how self-isolation is affecting the health and behaviour of UK residents.
Anyone aged 18 or over and who is self-isolating during the COVID-19 outbreak is able to support the research by completing a short survey. The research is focusing on how individuals are adapting their behaviour, such as changes to their diet, levels of exercise, and smoking and drinking habits.
Dr Lee Smith, Reader in Public Health at ARU, said: “During this global pandemic, it is important to investigate the impact of self-isolation on health, behaviour and wellbeing.
“This will help us to understand the health implications of this current outbreak, separate to the effects of COVID-19 itself, and ensure that governments and health bodies are better informed if a similar event was to happen in the future.
“Anyone in the UK aged 18 or over and is self-isolating is able to take part. This includes individuals who are self-isolating after displaying symptoms of coronavirus infection, people who are self-isolating due to their age or underlying medical conditions, as well as anyone in the wider community who is no longer travelling to work due to recent social distancing restrictions.”
The research, which involves a simple online questionnaire, takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire can be accessed here and lead researcher Dr Lee Smith can be contacted at lee.smith@anglia.ac.uk