A Year in the Life of U.S. Frontline Health Care Workers: Impact of COVID-19 on Weight Change, Physical Activity, Lifestyle Habits, and Psychological Factors.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced significantly higher burdens and life demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to assess the longitudinal effects among HCWs throughout the pandemic. Qualtrics surveys collected self-reported data on weight changes, eating patterns, physical activity (PA), and psychological factors with data organized by timepoints prior to the pandemic (PP0-prior to March 2020), baseline (M0-January 2021), month 6 (M6-July 2021), and month 12 (M12-January 2022). Eating patterns were negatively impacted at the M0, with reported increases in snacking/grazing (69.7%), fast food/take-out consumption (57.8%), and alcohol (48.8%). However, by M6 and M12 there were no statistically significant differences in eating patterns, suggesting that eating patterns normalized over time. Mean weight increased from PP0 to M0 by 2.99 pounds (p < 0.001, n = 226) and from PP0 to M6 by 2.12 pounds (p < 0.027, n = 146), though the difference in mean weight from PP0 to M12 was not statistically significant (n = 122). PA counts decreased from 8.00 sessions per week PP0 to 6.80 by M0 (p = 0.005) before jumping to 12.00 at M6 (p < 0.001) and 10.67 at M12 (p < 0.001). Psychological factors comparing M0 to M12 found statistically significant differences for depression (p-value = 0.018) and anxiety (p-value = 0.001), meaning depression and anxiety were initially increased but improved by M12. Additionally, higher scores on depression and insomnia scales were associated with lower PA levels. These overall results imply that the COVID-19 pandemic had immediate effects on the eating patterns, weight changes, PA, and psychological factors of HCWs; however, routines and lifestyle habits appeared to have normalized one year later.

A Study of United States Registered Dietitian Nutritionists during COVID-19: From Impact to Adaptation.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced an unprecedented health crisis, requiring many Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) to expand their duties and services, while other RDNs faced unemployment, reduced hours, and changes to their work environment. This study evaluated whether the pandemic impacted RDNs' weight, eating behaviors, and psychological factors, and whether professional training as an RDN was perceived as a protective factor in maintaining healthy habits. A 57-item, cross-sectional, online questionnaire including open-ended questions was distributed to RDNs residing in the United States. Over two months (January 2021 to February 2021), 477 RDNs completed the questionnaire. Among RDNs, 68.5% reported no weight change, 21.4% reported weight gain greater than 5 pounds, and 10.3% reported weight loss greater than 5 pounds. Approximately 75% (n = 360) reported their RDN professional training equipped them with the skills needed to maintain healthy eating behaviors. Reduced physical activity and mental health were the top qualitative themes that emerged regarding reasons for weight change. These findings suggest that RDN professional practice skills may have conferred some personal health benefits, as evidenced by smaller weight gains, the maintenance of healthy habits, and fewer reporting psychological effects relative to the general population and other health professionals, thereby limiting the impact of pandemic-induced work and life disruptions.