COVID- 19 outbreak: Does confinement have any impact on weight change perception?

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the relationship between factors related to COVID-19 confinement (i.e., fear of COVID-19, anxiety, anger, boredom, eating disorders, and duration of confinement) and weight perception in a sample of the Lebanese population. MethodsA cross-sectional web-based survey carried out at a one-time point between April 3 and 18, 2020, enrolled 407 participants. Due to the imposed lockdown, respondents self-reported their weight and height. One dichotomized question (positive/negative) assessed the perception of weight change (yes=change perception, and no=no change perception). The variation in BMI was calculated by subtracting the estimated weight during confinement from the estimated weight before. ResultsNo significant variation in BMI was detected before and during the confinement (p=0.40), while a perceived weight change was found in 212 (52.1%) participants. The regression analysis showed that higher fear of COVID-19 score (ORa=0.96) and higher self-reported weight change (ORa=0.47) were associated with lower weight change perception. However, longer confinement duration (ORa=1.07), higher anxiety (ORa=1.05), and high eating concerns (ORa=1.81) were associated with higher weight change perception. ConclusionOur results revealed that both the fear of COVID-19 and self-reported weight change were negatively associated with weight change perception, while higher anxiety and a longer duration of confinement correlated with a higher weight change perception. Further studies are necessary to confirm our findings.