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Increased alcohol consumption and lower smoking rates may have contributed to the increase in adults in the United States obesity New studies observed during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest.
This study is based on nationally representative data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Monitoring System (BRFSS), comparing the year before and the year after the start of the pandemic.the article is Published online April 4th American Journal of Preventive Medicine According to Dr. Brandon J. Restrepo, a research economist at the USDA in Washington, DC.
Restrepo sought to identify factors that contributed significantly to weight gain report What happened during the blockade of the first year of the pandemic.
“Previous studies have shown evidence that dangerous diets and other intra-pandemic changes in health-related behaviors are likely to have contributed to the rapid weight gain during this period. Adults also reported more frequent snacks and alcohol intake, increased diet in response to vision, reduced odor, stress, and physical activity, “Restrepo wrote.
“Clinicians seem to need to pay special attention to public reports of behavioral changes that may increase the risk of obesity,” he said. Medscape Medical News..
I got more exercise, so I got some sleep
Compared to the BRFSS survey results from 2019 to March 12, 2020, the survey results from March 13, 2020 to March 18, 2021 revealed an increase in BMI of approximately 0.6%. rice field(P <.05) and obesity increased by 1.1 percentage points or 3% (3%) compared to sample averageP <.05).
The average number of alcoholic beverage days was 2.7% higher (P <.05), but smoking rates fell by 0.7 percentage points or about 4% (.P <.01).
Increased alcohol intake, Previously reported What happened early in the pandemic “can lead to weight gain, especially if it isn’t compensated for by reducing the intake of other high-calorie foods and drinks,” Restrepo said.
For less smoking, see research We found that tobacco and alcohol are alternatives and may partially explain the change in alcohol intake and smoking opposition during a pandemic. “
And in particular, exercise participation increased by 3.3 percentage points or 4.4 percent (P <.01), average sleep time increased by 1.5% (.P <.01).
There are conflicting reports of exercise levels during a pandemic. Previous research Find a decrease. Restrepo hypothesized that the differences “may be partly due to differences in the definition of activity.”
He acknowledged that the lack of data on food consumption was the limit of the study. “Unfortunately, BRFSS does not ask about daily calorie intake. Some BRFSS years contain information about fruit and vegetable consumption, but these questions were not asked in 2020. In future studies, we need to look at how food intake changed during the pandemic, “he said.
Meanwhile, Restrepo is working on a follow-up study to investigate intra-pandemic changes in adult obesity rates due to demographic subgroups and socioeconomic status.
Restrepo has No relevant financial relationships have been reported.
This is JPrevMed. Published online on April 4, 2022. Full text
Miriam E. Tucker is a freelance journalist based in the Washington, DC region. She is a regular contributor to Medscape, and her other works have been published in The Washington Post, NPR’s Shots blog, and Diabetes Forecast magazine. She is on Twitter: @MiriamETucker.
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