The COVID-19 lockdown as an opportunity to change lifestyle and body weight in people with overweight/obesity and diabetes: Results from the national French COVIDIAB cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To analyze lifestyle habits and weight evolution during the COVID-19 pandemic-associated lockdown, in diabetes and overweight/obesity patients (body mass index (BMI) [25-29.9] and ≥30 kg/m2, respectively). METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected information on participants' characteristics and behavior regarding lifestyle before and during the lockdown, through the CoviDIAB web application, which is available freely for people with diabetes in France. We stratified the cohort according to BMI (≥25 kg/m2vs < 25 kg/m2) and examined the determinants of weight loss (WL), WL > 1 kg vs no-WL) in participants with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2, in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Of the 5280 participants (mean age, 52.5 years; men, 49%; diabetes, 100% by design), 69.5% were overweight or obese (mean BMI, 28.6 kg/m2 (6.1)). During the lockdown, patients often quit or decreased smoking; overweight/obese participants increased alcohol consumption less frequently as compared with normal BMI patients. In addition, overweight/obese patients were more likely to improve other healthy behaviors on a larger scale than patients with normal BMI: increased intake of fruits and vegetables, reduction of snacks intake, and reduction of total dietary intake. WL was observed in 18.9% of people with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2, whereas 28.6% of them gained weight. Lifestyle favorable changes characterized patients with WL. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of overweight/obese patients with diabetes seized the opportunity of lockdown to improve their lifestyle and to lose weight. Identifying those people may help clinicians to personalize practical advice in the case of a recurrent lockdown.

Stay-at-Home Orders During the COVID-19 Pandemic, an Opportunity to Improve Glucose Control Through Behavioral Changes in Type 1 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown on glycemic control and associated factors in people living with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: An observational evaluation from a self-reported questionnaire on behavioral changes and glycemic information from flash glucose monitoring (FGM) during the lockdown in 1,378 individuals living with type 1 diabetes who used a French dedicated nationwide web application (CoviDIAB). RESULTS: The main outcome was the change of the mean glucose level 2 months before and 1 month after the lockdown. We found that mean glucose improved from 9.1 ± 1.7 mmol/L to 8.7 ± 1.7 mmol/L (P < 0.001). Factors associated with better glycemic control were a decrease of alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] 1.75 [95% CI 1.04-2.94]), an increase in the frequency of FGM scans (OR 1.48 [1.04-2.10]) and in the number of hypoglycemia events (OR 1.67 [1.13-2.46]), and an easier diabetes control perception (OR 1.71 [1.18-2.49]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that lockdown has a positive impact on glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes.