• Elizabeth M Bickenbach, Caroline L Keegan, Makenzie C Brockel, Olivia G Mast, Adithya Ghantae, Andrew Y Hwang, and Christina H Sherrill.
• From the High Point University, Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, High Point, NC (EMB, CLK, MCB, OGM, AG, CHS), MCPHS University, School of Pharmacy, Boston, MA (AYH); University of North Carolina Eshelman S... more chool of Pharmacy, Asheville, NC (Present affiliation: CHS). less
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2024 Mar 11; 37 (1): 129133129-133.

BackgroundDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, a "state of emergency" was declared in North Carolina on March 10, 2020. Subsequent "stay-at-home" (SAH) orders restricted activities including use of fitness facilities, and teleworking was encouraged. This study investigates metabolic effects of these changes in activity level.MethodsThis retrospective prepost study included adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), weight, and blood pressure (BP) measurements for 3 time periods: 3/10/2019-9/9/2019 ("pre-SAH"), 3/10/2020-9/9/2020 ("during SAH"), and 3/10/2021-9/9/2021 ("post-SAH"). The primary outcome was change in HbA1c pre-SAH to during SAH and during SAH to post-SAH. Secondary outcomes were changes in weight, systolic BP (SBP), and diastolic BP (DBP) over the same periods. Exploratory outcomes included health care utilization. Paired t test compared outcomes between time periods using Bonferroni-adjusted α of 0.025 for significance.ResultsAnalysis included 301 participants with an average age of 69.8 years. HbA1c, SBP, and DBP trended up from pre-SAH to during SAH and then decreased post-SAH with a significant change only for DBP from during SAH to post-SAH (74.2 mmHg to 73.6 mmHg, P < .001). Weight trended down across the 3 study periods. In-office visits significantly decreased from pre-SAH to during SAH, and telehealth visits significantly decreased from during SAH to post-SAH (both P < .001).ConclusionsWith the exception of DBP, findings reveal consistency in HbA1c, weight, and BP across time periods before, during, and after COVID-19 SAH orders in North Carolina.© Copyright by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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