Assessment of COVID-19 Effect on the Health of Families in South-West, Nigeria

Abstract Aim This study was to assess the effect of the coronavirus disease and its associated lockdown on the physical, spiritual, emotional, and socio-economic health of families living in South-West, Nigeria. Background The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic create a universal health crisis that has a major effect on our day–to-day activities and these global concerns have shifted from the diseases to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and socioeconomic effects of the situation on the people. Method This is a descriptive study with five hundred and thirty-six (536) respondents; a convenient sampling technique was used to select samples through online Google form. Result The majority of the respondent’s ages ranged between 20 and 30years (53.0%). COVID 19 pandemic affected 17.2% of the respondents’ physical health. The lockdown improved bonding among family members (74.6%), also the lockdown favourable affected 56.0% of the respondents’ emotional health. The spirituality of the respondents was negatively affected (79.9%) by the lockdown, family expenses were increased (82.6%), there was an increased in the prices of goods (92.9%), and in general COVID 19 pandemic unfavorably affected (77.2%) the respondents’ socio-economic health. Conclusion This study reveals that COVID-19 and the lockdown produced an adverse effect on the physical, emotional, spiritual, and socio-economic wellbeing of the families in southwest Nigeria. Implications for nursing and health policy nurses working in COVID-19 unit need to give total care to the affected patient; therefore, they have obligation to include physical, emotional, spiritual and mental intervention in their care. The government needs to plan and strategize properly in the method for distribution of the palliative’s, and if possible identify the vulnerable and less privileged in each state for easy distribution.