The impact of living through COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health, food insecurity, loneliness and health behaviours in people with obesity

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted people living with obesity. The aim was to examine the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of people living with obesity and associations with food insecurity, loneliness and health-related behaviours. Methods: The study recruited 1187 UK adults living with obesity who completed an online survey, which examined mental health and associations with food insecurity, loneliness and health-related behaviours from July 2020 (end of the first lockdown in the United Kingdom) to the point they completed the survey in 2021. Regression analyses were used to examine relationships between outcome variables and demographic factors, and hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess levels of loneliness, depression and well-being. Results: Participants reported worse loneliness, depression, well-being and food insecurity compared to pre-COVID. However, participants reported attempting to lose weight, healthier food shopping, diet and increased physical activity. Quality and quantity of sleep deteriorated compared to prior to COVID-19. Conclusions: Adults living with obesity in the United Kingdom report a continued negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon their mental health together with increased loneliness and food insecurity. However, our findings suggest that UK adults living with obesity have increased their engagement in positive health behaviours and were attempting to lose weight.

Changes in Diet and Physical Activity among 18–65-Year-Olds after the First National COVID-19 Lockdown in Denmark

“…However, we also found favorable changes in PA after the lockdown among adults living with obesity that were more likely to have had a large increase in MVPA compared to those who were underweight, had normal weight, and obese. These findings support research from the UK, where adults living with obesity increased their PA and were attempting to lose weight after the first COVID-19 lockdown [ 62 ]. Adults who were overweight were both more likely to have gained and lost weight during the lockdown period than those in other categories: underweight, normal weight, and obesity.…”

The impact of the cost of living crisis and food insecurity on food purchasing behaviours and food preparation practices in people living with obesity

“…The finding that those who were negatively impacted by the cost of living crisis experienced food insecurity is in line with previous literature that has highlighted the detrimental effects of economic hardship on food security (Brown et al, 2023;Douglas, 2023). Additionally, these findings align with recent Office of National Statistics data showing that households with the lowest incomes experience higher than average inflation rates, which is due to low-income households being more affected by high food and energy prices arising from the cost of living crisis (Office for National Statistics, 2023).…”

“…In the sample, 63.1% were female and 36.90% were male with a mean age of 40.3 years, and a mean BMI of 37.92 kg/m 2 . Food insecurity scores indicated that 37.4% of the sample were experiencing food insecurity, which is higher than the UK average of 6-10% (Brown et al, 2023). Participants had a mean diet quality score of 0.23, which was indicative of a healthy diet (Robinson et al, 2017).…”

“…By 2035 it is predicted that approximately 24% of the global population will be living with obesity, which is almost double the prevalence recorded in 2020 (World Obesity Federation, 2023). In high-income countries, obesity is disproportionately represented in low-income groups, a trend that has become more pronounced over the past 60 years (Bann et al, 2018), and more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic (Brown et al, 2023;Robinson et al, 2021;Storz, 2020). One possible reason for this may be experiences of food insecurity.…”

Parental Lifestyle Changes and Correlations with Children’s Dietary Changes during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Greece: The COV-EAT Study

“…Two recent population studies have also shown similar results in relation to weight loss attempts during lockdown. Brown et al [ 34 ] showed that 79.6% of the study sample tried to lose weight, which was depicted as a “healthy or positive change”. Another UK study with a large sample of 4978 participants showed that nearly half of them (48.5%) tried to lose weight during lockdown [ 35 ].…”