Effect of Lockdown on Diabetes Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Result of a Telephone-Based Survey Among Patients Attending a Diabetic Clinic in Northern India

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has aggravated the demand for diabetes care due to restrictive measures like the lockdown affecting access to healthcare services. The current study was conducted to assess the changes in medication compliance, dietary pattern, and glucose monitoring during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period among patients living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending a diabetes clinic in northern India. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2020. Information regarding the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of the patients like age, sex, income, qualification, family history of diabetes, history of smoking and alcohol, type of treatment, co-morbidities, drug adherence for T2DM, changes in the pattern of diet, physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, and drug usage during and before the lockdown was collected through telephonic interviews using a structured tool. Descriptive analysis was performed, and the chi-square and Wilcoxon sign ranks tests were used to see the association between variables. Results A total of 260 patients were enrolled in the study. A higher proportion of males reported a decrease in the consumption of cereals (13.9%), eggs (56.5%), and meat and fish (92.7%) and an increase in water intake (25.8%) while a higher proportion of females reported no change in physical activity levels (77.2%) during the lockdown against pre-COVID times. There was a significant improvement in medication adherence and glycemic control during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown times. Conclusion More time for self-care, adequate counseling about glycemic goals, and knowledge of self-monitoring of blood glucose levels helped the majority of patients in adopting a healthy lifestyle and achieve better glycemic control during the COVID-19 lockdown.