A new\u00a0study\u00a0shows that \u2014 not surprisingly \u2014 some people\u2019s healthy habits have fallen by the wayside during the\u00a0coronavirus\u00a0pandemic, leading to weight gain, while anxiety levels have nearly doubled.<\/p>\n
For the study, which was published in the journal\u00a0Obesity<\/em>, online surveys were distributed in April 2020 to more than 7,700 normal weight, overweight and obese adults across the globe to glean information about how the pandemic affected their dietary habits, physical activity and mental health.<\/p>\n The researchers found that healthy eating actually increased during the pandemic \u201cdue to less eating out and increased cooking.\u201d But people also reported snacking more, as well as consuming more sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages.<\/p>\n They also started moving their bodies less often during the pandemic. The amount of time people spent being physically active (as well as the intensity of their workouts) went down, while sedentary behaviors went up. More than 27 percent of the study\u2019s total participants reported gaining weight during the pandemic. On the flip side, more than 17 percent of people reported losing weight.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that participants who reported gaining weight made few changes to their eating habits, but had the largest declines in physical activity. By comparison, those who lost weight not only improved their healthy eating habits, but they were also more physically active and avoided slipping into more sedentary behaviors.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly,\u00a0stress\u00a0levels shot up during the pandemic, with reported anxiety scores nearly doubling because of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders. In addition, 20 percent reported that their anxiety was severe enough to affect their daily routines. The study authors also noted that the \u201cmagnitude of increase\u201d in anxiety was \u201csignificantly greater in people with\u00a0obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the study, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to \u201csignificant health effects, well beyond the virus itself.\u201d The study authors stated that the \u201cfear of contracting the virus\u201d has \u201csignificantly impacted lifestyle behaviors alongside declines in mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe study findings mirror what I\u2019ve heard from many psychotherapy clients: somewhat better nutrition and somewhat worse exercise during the pandemic,\u201d\u00a0Jennifer Carter, PhD, a sports psychologist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life (she did not participate in the research).<\/p>\n One of the study\u2019s authors,\u00a0Emily Flanagan, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, tells Yahoo Life that one of the reasons physical activity went down for some is that \u201cmany of the gyms, health clubs and other facilities where people usually exercised were closed,\u201d and \u201cexercise equipment was in short supply.\u201d<\/p>\n Flanagan adds: \u201cThere were also drastic changes to people\u2019s work schedules, their children\u2019s school or daycare, which added hours to many parents\u2019 days. Factor in the increase in anxiety and getting less sleep, and it\u2019s not hard to see why people were less motivated to stick to their exercise routines. If you\u2019re tired and grouchy when you get up in the morning, you\u2019re probably not going to exercise as much. If you\u2019re sleep-deprived, you\u2019re not going to make wise food choices.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr.\u00a0Asim Shah, professor and executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, who was not associated with the study, agrees, telling Yahoo Life that with people staying at home and especially for parents who now find themselves managing their kids\u2019 schooling as well, \u201ctheir responsibilities have increased.\u201d Shah adds: \u201cIt\u2019s stressful. You can\u2019t find spare time to do a lot of things. The schedule has become too congested and too busy.\u201d<\/p>\n All of this creates anxiety, which Carter explains is challenging for most people to deal with. \u201cSometimes we use ineffective coping strategies that initially bring temporary relief but in the long term bring more distress,\u201d says Carter. \u201cUnbalanced nutrition and unbalanced exercise are two of these ineffective strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n As far as why people who are obese are having a particularly hard time with anxiety during the pandemic, Carter believes that may be due to fear of the virus. \u201cPeople who are obese constantly hear about obesity as a\u00a0risk factor\u00a0for negative outcomes with COVID-19,\u201d says Carter. \u201cPeople with obesity are likely very frightened. Unfortunately, we sometimes try to cope with such fear by eating comfort foods. Or, we may be so bombarded by fear\/anxiety that we don\u2019t feel the mental energy to get up and exercise, especially when gyms, pools and other facilities are closed.\u201d<\/p>\n Flanagan agrees that fear is likely a factor, saying the fact that people with obesity are at a \u201cmuch higher risk\u201d for severe illness and hospitalization \u201cundoubtedly contributed to the higher anxiety levels.\u201d<\/p>\n Carter also points out that the lack of social support due to physical distancing is taking a toll on people\u2019s mental health. \u201cWe are social beings, wired to seek connection, and the isolation can feel devastating,\u201d Carter says.<\/p>\n Shah backs this up, saying that \u201cpeople are getting lonely.\u201d He notes there\u2019s less physical contact during the pandemic, such as hugs from close friends and family members, which affects both mental and physical health. \u201cTouching releases the hormone called oxytocin, which helps relieve stress and improves immunity,\u201d Shah says.<\/p>\n He adds that these pandemic-related mental health effects will be long-lasting. \u201cThis is an ongoing disaster that\u2019s lasted nearly a year \u2014 you can imagine that the mental health impact will be felt for over a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n With winter ahead \u2014 which spells colder weather and less daylight hours that make it more challenging to spend time outdoors, as well as looming lockdowns in some areas across the U.S. \u2014 some experts are concerned that this will only serve to further worsen people\u2019s mental and physical health.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWe are worried about this,\u201d says Flanagan. \u201cThe holidays are going to be hard. We know that extended periods of isolation aren\u2019t good for people\u2019s mental health. We\u2019re recommending that physicians increase the number of mental health screenings during and after the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n Flanagan also recommends that doctors \u201cremain connected to their patients through virtual visits, which can help assuage patients\u2019 concerns about the safety of in-person visits. Both of these steps can help prevent irreversible health effects from the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n To help people maintain healthy habits while stuck indoors either because of cold weather or stay-at-home orders, Flanagan notes that, as many people have discovered during the pandemic, \u201cthere are any number of online videos that show you how to exercise without equipment and learn to cook healthy meals.\u201d<\/p>\n For mental health, Flanagan points out that the use of telehealth consultations has \u201cdrastically increased\u201d throughout the pandemic, allowing people to conveniently access help at home. \u201cTelehealth sessions with your healthcare provider are also a strategy to treat and manage mental health with less time commitment \u2014 i.e. no travel \u2014 and limit virus exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n Shah recommends spending time with close friends and family outdoors while physically distancing and wearing masks. But if you\u2019re not able to safely see loved ones in person, he says that video calls are \u201cbetter than nothing,\u201d adding: \u201cPeople need to socialize.\u201d<\/p>\n While Carter acknowledges there are \u201cchallenges\u201d ahead, she says that there is also \u201chope related to vaccines, better treatment, and the start of a new year.\u201d She adds: \u201cWe are paying too much attention to what could go wrong without also asking what could go right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n A new\u00a0study\u00a0shows that \u2014 not surprisingly \u2014 some people\u2019s healthy habits have fallen by the wayside during the\u00a0coronavirus\u00a0pandemic, leading to weight gain, while anxiety levels have nearly doubled. For the study, which was published in the journal\u00a0Obesity, online surveys were distributed in April 2020 to more than 7,700 normal weight, overweight and obese adults across …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[4555],"yoast_head":"\nThe stress of the pandemic<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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What does this mean for the winter months?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to stay healthy during the pandemic<\/strong><\/h2>\n