Abstract
Our aim is evaluating the changes in weight and dietary habits in a sample of outpatients with obesity after 1 month of enforced lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy. In this observational retrospective study, the patients of our Obesity Unit were invited to answer to a 12-question multiple-choice questionnaire relative to weight changes, working activity, exercise, dietary habits, and conditions potentially impacting on nutritional choices. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations among weight/BMI changes and the analyzed variables. A total of 150 subjects (91.5%) completed the questionnaire. Mean self-reported weight gain was ≈1.5 kg (p < 0.001). Lower exercise, self-reported boredom/solitude, anxiety/depression, enhanced eating, consumption of snacks, unhealthy foods, cereals, and sweets were correlated with a significantly higher weight gain. Multiple regression analyses showed that increased education (inversely, β = −1.15; 95%CI −2.13, −0.17, p = 0.022), self-reported anxiety/depression (β = 1.61; 0.53, 2.69, p = 0.004), and not consuming healthy foods (β = 1.48; 0.19, 2.77, p = 0.026) were significantly associated with increased weight gain. The estimated direct effect of self-reported anxiety/depression on weight was 2.07 kg (1.07, 3.07, p < 0.001). Individuals with obesity significantly gained weight 1 month after the beginning of the quarantine. The adverse mental burden linked to the COVID-19 pandemic was greatly associated with increased weight gain.
Highlights
The pandemic of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has caused significant disruption in everyday lifestyle
Usual lifestyle habits have been heavily disrupted by the mandatory stay-at-home orders, which may result in important behavior changes, dietary habits, in this kind of natural experiment, “forced” by an unpredictable emergency [11]
The questions were relative to the weight before and after 1 month of lockdown and working activity and exercise during quarantine, with many items related to the changes in dietary habits and the conditions potentially impacting on nutritional choices
Summary
The pandemic of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has caused significant disruption in everyday lifestyle. Since the 10th of March, 2020, the month of the start of the “lockdown”, millions of Italians were forced to remain at home. This enforced quarantine can have a heavy psychological impact, above all among persons with obesity who are already at risk of social isolation and experiencing higher rates of depression [4]. Usual lifestyle habits have been heavily disrupted by the mandatory stay-at-home orders, which may result in important behavior changes, dietary habits, in this kind of natural experiment, “forced” by an unpredictable emergency [11]. Social isolation might worse lifestyle behaviors with enhanced sedentarism, as well as decreased outdoor time and increased weight gain [12]. No other data about the effects of quarantine in adult individuals with obesity are currently available
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