Self-reported Changes in Energy Balance Behaviors during COVID-19-related Home Confinement: A Cross-sectional Study
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Abstract
Objectives: Cross-sectional reports on weight gain during the COVID-19 shelter-at-home have raised concerns for weight increases as the pandemic continues. We examined behaviors that impact energy intake and/or energy expenditure among adults in the United States during shelter-at-home. Methods: Cross-sectional data (N=1779; April 24 – May4, 2020) were collected on demographics, diet, physical activity, sleep, and food purchasing behaviors. Percent of participants reporting increase/ decrease/no change in these behaviors during the COVID-19 shelter-at-home were assessed. Each analysis was followed by comparing whether increases or decreases were more likely for each health behavior, in all participants and across sex (43.38% males). Results: Increased consumption of healthy foods, energy-dense unhealthy foods, and snacks, and increased sedentary activities (p < .001) was reported. Physical activity and alcohol intake declined (p < .001). Females were more likely than males (p < .001) to report ultra-processed foods/high-calorie snack intake, fruit/vegetable intake (p < .001) and increase (p < .01) sleep and sedentary behavior. Conclusion: Acute behavioral changes supporting greater energy intake and less energy expenditure, especially in females, underscore the significance of COVID-19-related increase in unstructured time. Longitudinal assessment of body weight and health behaviors is warranted to understand the impact of pandemic
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SciScore for 10.1101/2020.06.10.20127753: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Institutional Review Board Statement Consent: An informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection through the questionnaire.
IRB: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at San Diego State University.Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Sex as a biological variable Participants: A total of 1,779 men (43.38%) and women (56.62 %) between the age of 18 and 75 years who had access to the internet, and are living in the U.S, completed the online questionnaire. Table 2: Resources
Software and Algorithms Sentences Resources Data analysis: SAS version 9.4 (Cary, NC) was used for all statistical analysis, and significance was set … SciScore for 10.1101/2020.06.10.20127753: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Institutional Review Board Statement Consent: An informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection through the questionnaire.
IRB: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at San Diego State University.Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Sex as a biological variable Participants: A total of 1,779 men (43.38%) and women (56.62 %) between the age of 18 and 75 years who had access to the internet, and are living in the U.S, completed the online questionnaire. Table 2: Resources
Software and Algorithms Sentences Resources Data analysis: SAS version 9.4 (Cary, NC) was used for all statistical analysis, and significance was set two-tailed at p<0.05. SASsuggested: (SASqPCR, RRID:SCR_003056)Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).
Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:This study should be considered in light of some limitations. Our sample, though relatively large, was a convenience sample. Moreover, degree of shelter-in-place guidelines and the number of COVID-19 cases in participants area of residence likely differed, creating differences in flexibility with stepping outside the house. Additionally, due to the nature of data collected, our results may be subject to self-reporting bias and/or recall bias. The time frame of data collection may have influenced our results as well. As such, at the time of data collection in early May (April 24th - May 4th), although most states had implemented shelter-in-place guidelines, a few states were considering lifting the restriction after May 1st. Additionally, this study was cross-sectional, so although associations can be assessed as a result of the pandemic, we cannot establish cause and effect. Finally, we did not use a validated tool for eating behavior measures, or a validated tool for assessing behavior changes, so care should be taken to integrate these findings with the broader literature. In conclusion, the current findings strongly support the need to implement and support measures that promote strategies to maintain body weight by limiting energy-dense but nutrient poor foods, maintaining healthy eating patterns, performing short bouts of PA, scheduling structured exercises that can be done at home, using tracking applications, and using well-established strategies such as daily self-wei...
Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.
Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.
Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.
Results from rtransparent:- Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- No protocol registration statement was detected.
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