Self-reported changes in energy balance behaviors during COVID-19 related home confinement: A Cross-Sectional Study (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to shelter-at-home for an extended period, resulting in a sudden rise in unstructured time. This unexpected disruption in everyday life has raised concerns about weight management, especially in high-risk populations of women and individuals with overweight and obesity. This study aimed to investigate the changes in behaviors that may impact energy intake and/or energy expenditure in U.S. adults during the home confinement. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 1,779 adults were collected using an online Qualtrics survey between April 24th and May 4th, 2020. Self-reported data on demographics, eating behaviors, physical activity, sleep, screen time, takeout food intake, and food purchasing behaviors were collected. Chi-Square analyses were conducted to evaluate differences in the percent of participants reporting increasing, decreasing, or staying the same in each health behavior since the COVID-19 outbreak in their area. Each analysis was followed by comparing whether increases or decreases were more likely for each health behavior. Similar comparisons were made between male and female participants and between body mass index (BMI) categories. Results: We observed an increase in the intake of both healthy and energy-dense unhealthy foods and snacks during the home confinement. Participants also reported increases in sedentary activities and decrease in physical activity, alcohol intake, and consumption of takeout meals during this time. In women, several behavioral changes support greater energy intake and less energy expenditure than men. No clear difference in patterns was observed across BMI status. Conclusion: Acute changes in behaviors underscore the significance of a sudden increase in unstructured time at home on potential weight gain. Our findings support the need to implement and support measures that promote strategies to maintain body weight and establish a methodology to collect body weight data at multiple time points to longitudinally assess the dynamic relationship between behaviors and body weight change.