Global Impact of COVID-19 on Weight and Weight-Related Behaviors in the Adult Population: A Scoping Review

Han Shi Jocelyn Chew and Violeta Lopez
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Han Shi Jocelyn Chew: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
Violeta Lopez: School of Nursing, Hubei University of Medicine, 30 South Renmin Road, Shiyan 442000, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-27

Abstract: Objective: To provide an overview of what is known about the impact of COVID-19 on weight and weight-related behaviors. Methods : Systematic scoping review using the Arksey and O’Malley methodology. Results : A total of 19 out of 396 articles were included. All studies were conducted using online self-report surveys. The average age of respondents ranged from 19 to 47 years old, comprised of more females. Almost one-half and one-fifth of the respondents gained and lost weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Among articles that examined weight, diet and physical activity changes concurrently, weight gain was reported alongside a 36.3% to 59.6% increase in total food consumption and a 67.4% to 61.4% decrease in physical activities. Weight gain predictors included female sex, middle-age, increased appetite, snacking after dinner, less physical exercise, sedentary behaviors of ?6 h/day, low water consumption and less sleep at night. Included articles did not illustrate significant associations between alcohol consumption, screen time, education, place of living and employment status, although sedentary behaviors, including screen time, did increase significantly. Conclusions: Examining behavioral differences alone is insufficient in predicting weight status. Future research could examine differences in personality and coping mechanisms to design more personalized and effective weight management interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; weight; obesity, behavior, health; pandemic; adult; diet; physical activity; scoping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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