Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul;46(7):1280-1287.
doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01100-8. Epub 2022 Mar 19.

Determinants of weight, psychological status, food contemplation and lifestyle changes in patients with obesity during the COVID-19 lockdown: a nationwide survey using multiple correspondence analysis

A Caretto  1 , S Pintus  2 , M L Petroni  3 , A R Osella  4 , C Bonfiglio  4 , S Morabito  5 , P Zuliani  6 , A Sturda  7 , M Castronuovo  8 , V Lagattolla  7 , A Maghetti  3 , E Lapini  9 , A M Bianco  10 , M Cisternino  11 , N Cerutti  12 , C A Mulas  13 , O Hassan  14 , N Cardamone  15 , M Parillo  16 , L Sonni  17 ; ADI (Italian Dietetic and Clinical Nutrition Association) Foundation
Collaborators, Affiliations

Determinants of weight, psychological status, food contemplation and lifestyle changes in patients with obesity during the COVID-19 lockdown: a nationwide survey using multiple correspondence analysis

A Caretto et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Introduction: The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced most of the Italian population into lockdown from 11 March to 18 May 2020. A nationwide survey of Italian Clinical Nutrition and Dietetic Services (Obesity Centers or OCs) was carried out to assess the impact of lockdown restrictions on the physical and mental wellbeing of patients with obesity (PWO) who had follow-up appointments postponed due to lockdown restrictions and to compare determinants of weight gain before and after the pandemic.

Methods: We designed a structured 77-item questionnaire covering employment status, diet, physical activity and psychological aspects, that was disseminated through follow-up calls and online between 2 May and 25 June 2020. Data were analyzed by multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and multiple linear regression.

Results: A total of 1,232 PWO from 26 OCs completed the questionnaires (72% female, mean age 50.2 ± 14.2 years; mean BMI 34.7 ± 7.6 kg/m2; 41% obesity class II to III). During the lockdown, 48.8% gained, 27.1% lost, while the remainder (24.1%) maintained their weight. The mean weight change was +2.3 ± 4.8 kg (in weight gainers: +4.0 ± 2.4 kg; +4.2% ± 5.4%). Approximately 37% of participants experienced increased emotional difficulties, mostly fear and dissatisfaction. Sixty-one percent reduced their physical activity (PA) and 55% experienced a change in sleep quality/quantity. The lack of online contact (37.5%) with the OC during lockdown strongly correlated with weight gain (p < 0.001). Using MCA, two main clusters were identified: those with unchanged or even improved lifestyles during lockdown (Cluster 1) and those with worse lifestyles during the same time (Cluster 2). The latter includes unemployed people experiencing depression, boredom, dissatisfaction and increased food contemplation and weight gain. Within Cluster 2, homemakers reported gaining weight and experiencing anger due to home confinement.

Conclusions: Among Italian PWO, work status, emotional dysregulation, and lack of online communication with OCs were determinants of weight gain during the lockdown period.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Multiple correspondence analysis.
Weight changes and emotional characteristics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. COVID-19 Data Repository by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, Maryland, USA. https://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19.
    1. Decree of the President of the Italian Council of Ministers. Rome, Italy. http://governo.it/sites/new.governo.it/files/dcpm20202322.pdf
    1. Data from the Italian Ministry of Health. Rome, Italy. https://www.istat.it/it/files//2020/12/Rapp_Istat_Iss.pdf
    1. Telemedicine-Opportunities and developments in member states, 2nd ed. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO press; 2010. https://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_telemedicine_2010.pdf.
    1. Runfola M, Fantola G, Pintus S, Iafrancesco M, Moroni R. Telemedicine implementation on a bariatric outpatient clinic during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: an unexpected hill-start. Obes Surg. 2020;30:5145–9. doi: 10.1007/s11695-020-05007-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types