Treating stress during the pandemic has caused physical changes for many Americans – some have gained unwanted weight and others have lost weight unintentionally. The American Psychological Association’s pandemic survey surveyed 3,013 adults in the United States and found that the majority, 61%, said they had experienced unwanted weight changes.
Forty-two percent of American adults said they gained more weight than they intended, and of these, the amount they reported earned an average of £ 29. Ten per cent said they had earned more than £ 50. Weight gain leading to obesity may put people at higher risk for serious coronavirus disease.
More women (45%) reported weight gain than men (39%), but men reported a higher average gain of 37 pounds, compared to the average of 22 pounds for women.
The study also broken down data by age group, finding that 48% of millennials reported weight gain. This group reported the highest average weight gain at 41 pounds. Just over half of Gen Z adults reported an unwanted weight gain, with an average weight gain of 28 kilograms.
Dr. Angela Fitch, vice president of the Obesity Medicine Association, told CBS News that she considers the figures reported by millennials to be “striking.”
“As an obesity specialist … I find it alarming, for sure,” Fitch said. “But you can see where that might be the case. I mean, it’s been a very challenging year, on many levels.”
Fitch, who is associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Weight Loss, said he saw patients at the center struggling with weight due to the pandemic. “We’ve had a lot of patients in the back who say they’ve gained weight, which we’ve seen before the pandemic, and they’ve been doing pretty well with weight loss,” Fitch told CBS News.
While self-reported surveys have often been less accurate than studies in which researchers measure participants, other research looks at evidence of pandemic weight gain. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found participants in a heart health study whose weight was monitored from Feb. 1 to June 1, 2020 gained about 1.5 pounds a month after states placed orders. shelter instead last spring.
Fitch said that if additional data supports the self-reporting of APA survey participants, and Americans have really gained so many pounds, “it will be a significant issue for us in the United States.”
“We haven’t seen any data on this yet,” Fitch said. “So I don’t know if we have anything better to report than this [survey]. “
The survey found that the groups most affected by weight gain were also among those who experienced additional challenges during the pandemic: parents and key workers. About half of each group reported an unwanted weight gain, with parents reporting an average increase of £ 36 and essential workers an average increase of £ 38.
“We’ve seen a lot of our patients who are nurses expressing quite a bit, that they’ve gained weight, because of stress and because it’s hard to eat in the hospital now – taking off your mask to drink, to eat, it’s a difficult situation, so it makes it potentially not as healthy to eat or skip meals and then eat more in one sitting, “Fitch said.
The survey also found that 18% of participants reported unwanted weight loss, paying an average of 26 pounds.
Weight changes were not the only issue reported in the survey. Many people also said they experienced unwanted changes in sleep patterns and increased alcohol consumption. Sixty-seven percent said they had slept more or less than expected since the pandemic began, and 23 percent reported consuming more alcohol to cope with stress.
Fitch added that consuming more alcohol is certainly attributed to higher calorie intake. “Being more at home, eating more from stress and stress itself is a known factor in weight gain and obesity,” she said.