Early Pandemic Improvements in Diet Quality Are Associated with Increased Physical Activity and Weight Loss in US Adults

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to restricted vocational (Voc-PA) and recreational physical activity (Rec-PA) outside of the home. We conducted a nation-wide survey in the United States (US) during the mitigation peak of the pandemic (June 2020) to assess health-related changes from the pre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-07, Vol.19 (14), p.8289
Main Authors: Gautreaux, Corinne E, Smith, Kristen S, Dolan, Luke, Marlin, Michael B, Greene, Michael W, Novak, Josh R, Frugé, Andrew D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adult
Adults
Body mass
Body Mass Index
Body size
Body weight loss
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Demographic variables
Diet
Exercise
Female
Females
Humans
Male
Meals
Pandemics
Physical activity
Quality assessment
Sex differences
United States - epidemiology
Weight Loss
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to restricted vocational (Voc-PA) and recreational physical activity (Rec-PA) outside of the home. We conducted a nation-wide survey in the United States (US) during the mitigation peak of the pandemic (June 2020) to assess health-related changes from the previous year. A diet quality (DQ) assessment tool weighted the relative healthfulness of eating occasions from foods prepared-at-home (Home) and away-from-home (Away). Previously-validated instruments assessed PA and demographic variables; height/weight were self-reported to calculate body mass index (BMI). T-tests explored longitudinal, between-sex, and obesity status differences in DQ, PA, and BMI; Pearson correlations explored associations. Of 1648 respondents, 814 valid responses (56.8% female, 81.7% white) were analyzed. Overall and Home DQ was higher for females than males in 2020 (p < 0.001 for both). Respondents increased DQ from 2019 to 2020, primarily from Away (p < 0.001 for both sexes). Total Rec-PA and Voc-PA was higher in males (p = 0.002, p < 0.001) than females in 2020; females reported higher other PA (p = 0.001). Change in BMI was inversely associated with change in both DQ and PA (p < 0.001 for both). In this sample of US adults, early adaptations to the COVID-19 pandemic included improved DQ and BMI. Whether these short-term improvements were maintained warrant further investigation.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph19148289