Factors associated with weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic

Goitia, Jesse; Chen, Aiyu; Patel, Samir P.; Herald, John; Lee, Ming‐Sum

doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2022.03.002

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Previous research in this area has been limited to small voluntary surveys, 10 or routine health data from nonrepresentative populations. [11][12][13][14] By using a large-scale, nationally representative and contemporaneous EHR dataset, we have been able to robustly reproduce prior observations that women, 11,12 young adults, 11,12 those living in deprivation 13 and those with LTCs 13,14 may be the most affected by unhealthy patterns of pandemic weight gain and demonstrate this at population scale. Our findings suggest the increased risk of weight gain seen amongst young adults prepandemic 15 was exacerbated during the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…A systematic review of observational studies reported a modest increase in adult weight during the pandemic, but analyses were limited by small sample size and non-representative samples. 10 Studies using routinely collected healthcare records have been limited to populations without universal access to healthcare, [11][12][13] or individuals with long-term conditions (LTCs). 14 In these settings, women, 11,12 young adults, 11,12 those living in deprivation, 13 and those with LTCs, 13,14 including depression, 13 were at greatest risk of weight gain during the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Studies using routinely collected healthcare records have been limited to populations without universal access to healthcare, [11][12][13] or individuals with long-term conditions (LTCs). 14 In these settings, women, 11,12 young adults, 11,12 those living in deprivation, 13 and those with LTCs, 13,14 including depression, 13 were at greatest risk of weight gain during the pandemic. 7 However, these findings have not been replicated in a population-representative cohort.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

Samuel

Park

Eastwood

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background We investigated which clinical and sociodemographic characteristics were associated with unhealthy patterns of weight gain amongst adults living in England during the pandemic. Methods With the approval of NHS England we conducted an observational cohort study of Body Mass Index (BMI) changes between March 2015 and March 2022 using the OpenSAFELY–TPP platform. We estimated individual rates of weight gain before and during the pandemic, and identified individuals with rapid weight gain (>0.5kg/m2/year) in each period. We also estimated the change in rate of weight gain between the prepandemic and pandemic period and defined extreme-accelerators as the ten percent of individuals with the greatest increase (>1.84kg/m2/year). We estimated associations with these outcomes using multivariate logistic regression. Findings We extracted data on 17,742,365 adults (50.1% female, 76.1% White British). Median BMI increased from 27.8kg/m2[IQR:24.3 to 32.1] in 2019 (March 2019 to February 2020) to 28.0kg/m2[24.4 to 32.6] in 2021. Rapid pandemic weight gain (n=3,214,155) was associated with female sex (male vs female: aOR 0.76 [95%CI:0.76 to 0.76]); younger age (50 to 59 years vs 18 to 29 years: aOR 0.60 [0.60 to 0.61]); White British ethnicity (Black Caribbean vs White British: aOR 0.91 [0.89 to 0.94]); deprivation (least–deprived–IMD–quintile vs most–deprived:aOR 0.77 [0.77 to 0.78]); and long-term conditions, of which mental health conditions had the greatest effect (e.g. depression (aOR 1.18[1.17 to 1.18])). Similar characteristics increased risk of extreme acceleration (n=2,768,695). Interpretation We found female sex, younger age, deprivation and mental health conditions increased risk of unhealthy patterns of pandemic weight gain. This highlights the need to incorporate sociodemographic, physical, and mental health characteristics when formulating post-pandemic research, policies, and interventions targeting BMI. Funding NIHR

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

Samuel

Park

Eastwood

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participants with a diagnosis of psychiatric illness or obesity prior to the pandemic were more likely to report declines in weight gain protective behaviours [ 50 ]. Having a diagnosis of depression pre-pandemic was reported to be associated with weight gain during the pandemic (OR 1.54) [ 51 ]. Further study reported that anxiety and/or depression were the strongest predictors of weight gain in the general population [ 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Too much is too much: Influence of former stress levels on food craving and weight gain during the COVID-19 period

Granger

Kubis

2023

PLoS ONE

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The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social restrictions had an extensive effect on peoples’ lives. Increased rates of weight gain were widely reported, as were declines in the general populations’ mental health, including increases in perceived stress. This study investigated whether higher perceived levels of stress during the pandemic were associated with greater levels of weight gain, and whether poor prior levels of mental health were a factor in higher levels of both stress and weight gain during the pandemic. Underlying changes in eating behaviours and dietary consumption were also investigated. During January-February 2021, UK adults (n = 179) completed a self-report online questionnaire to measure perceived levels of stress and changes (current versus pre-COVID-19 restrictions) in weight, eating behaviours, dietary consumption, and physical activity. Participants also reported on how COVID-19 had impacted their lives and their level of mental health prior to the pandemic. Participants with higher levels of stress were significantly more likely to report weight gain and twice as likely to report increased food cravings and comfort food consumption (OR = 2.3 and 1.9–2.5, respectively). Participants reporting an increase in food cravings were 6–11 times more likely to snack and to have increased consumption of high sugar or processed foods (OR = 6.3, 11.2 and 6.3, respectively). Females reported a far greater number of COVID-19 enforced lifestyle changes and both being female and having poor mental health prior to the pandemic were significant predictors of higher stress and weight gain during the pandemic. Although COVID-19 and the pandemic restrictions were unprecedented, this study suggests that understanding and addressing the disparity of higher perceived stress in females and individuals’ previous levels of mental health, as well as the key role of food cravings, is key for successfully addressing the continuing societal issue of weight gain and obesity.

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“…2,3 Lockdown restrictions coincided with an observed reduction in physical activity, weight gain, and increased rates of depression and anxiety. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Pandemic-related changes in cardiovascular risk factors and the 10-year predicted risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) were evaluated in adults within an integrated healthcare system in the U.S.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of Atherosclerotic Risk Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.

Lee

Chen

Zhou

et al. 2023

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

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Factors associated with weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 16 publications

References 8 publications

Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

Trends in weight gain recorded in English primary care before and during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

Too much is too much: Influence of former stress levels on food craving and weight gain during the COVID-19 period

Control of Atherosclerotic Risk Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U.S.

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