Weight‐related lifestyle behaviours and the COVID‐19 crisis: An online survey study of UK adults during social lockdown

Robinson, Eric; Gillespie, Steven; Jones, Andrew

BACKGROUND: The COVID‐19 crisis is likely to have had wide‐ranging consequences on lifestyle behaviours and may have affected weight management. The objective of the present study was to examine perceptions of how weight‐related lifestyle changed in social lockdown among UK adults compared with before the emergence of the COVID‐19 crisis. METHODS: As part of an online cross‐sectional survey conducted during social lockdown in the United Kingdom, 723 UK adults reported on the extent to which their eating (healthiness of diet, frequency of bingeing on food), physical activity, sleep and alcohol consumption had changed since the emergence of the COVID‐19 crisis and completed measures of current psychological well‐being. RESULTS: Although both improvements and declines in weight gain protective behaviours were reported, 79% of participants reported a decline in one or more weight gain protective behaviours. Both participants with a diagnosis of psychiatric illness or obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30) were most likely to report declines in weight gain protective behaviours and show an overall profile of weight management behaviours worsening. Participants experiencing high levels of stress also reported reductions in more weight gain protective behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle behaviours associated with weight gain are likely to have been affected by the COVID‐19 crisis. Reductions to the perceived frequency by which people engage in behaviours usually associated with successful weight management appear to be common, and people living with obesity and mental health problems may be at increased risk.