Table 4. Associations between COVID-19 related health behaviours and increased weight.
| Weight gain = Yes | Weight gain = No | Multiple and stepwise logistic regression analysisa | P * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Have consumed substantially more alcohol than usual. | |||||
| Yes | 120 (11.5%) | 141 (10.0%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.18 (0.87–1.58) | ||
| No | 923 (88.5%) | 1270 (90.0%) | .29 | ||
| • Have smoked considerably more cigarettes than usual. | |||||
| Yes | 82 (7.8%) | 115 (8.2%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.01 (0.70–1.47) | .96 | |
| No | 964 (92.2%) | 1294 (91.8%) | aOR2 (95%CI) 0.72 (0.51–1.01) | .06 | |
| • Exercised less than I did before the pandemic. | |||||
| Yes | 442 (42.3%) | 430 (30.6%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.65 (1.37–1.97) | < .001 | |
| No | 602 (57.7%) | 977 (69.4%) | aOR2 (95%CI) 1.34 (1.10–1.62) | .004 | |
| • Ate more unhealthy food than I did before the pandemic (such as fried food, coke, etc). | |||||
| Yes | 409 (39.1%) | 288 (20.5%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 2.46 (2.02–2.99) | < .001 | |
| No | 636 (60.9%) | 1120 (79.5%) | aOR2 (95%CI) 2.39 (1.93–2.95) | < .001 | |
| • Postponed vaccination for myself or my child. | |||||
| Yes | 138 (13.3%) | 163 (11.6%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.16 (0.88–1.52) | .31 | |
| No | 902 (86.7%) | 1246 (88.4%) | |||
| • Frequently washed my hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. | |||||
| Yes | 810 (76.8%) | 1047 (74.0%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.12 (0.91–1.37) | .28 | |
| No | 245 (23.2%) | 367 (26.0%) | |||
| • Avoided touching my eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. | |||||
| Yes | 767 (72.7%) | 983 (69.6%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.16 (0.95–1.41) | .14 | |
| No | 288 (27.3%) | 430 (30.4%) | |||
| • Used disinfectants/sanitizer to clean hands when soap and water were not available. | |||||
| Yes | 838 (79.5%) | 1074 (76.1%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.21 (0.98–1.50) | .07 | |
| No | 216 (20.5%) | 337 (23.9%) | |||
| • Avoided a social event I wanted to attend. | |||||
| Yes | 703 (66.8%) | 913 (64.7%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.04 (0.87–1.26) | .65 | |
| No | 349 (33.2%) | 498 (35.3%) | |||
| • Stayed at home from work/school. | |||||
| Yes | 632 (60.1%) | 832 (59.0%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.05 (0.88–1.26) | .58 | |
| No | 420 (39.9%) | 579 (41.0%) | |||
| • Wore a mask in public. | |||||
| Yes | 969 (91.8%) | 1273 (90.2%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.11 (0.81–1.53) | .51 | |
| No | 87 (8.2%) | 139 (9.8%) | |||
| • Ensured physical distancing in public. | |||||
| Yes | 896 (85.3%) | 1187 (84.2%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.06 (0.82–1.35) | .67 | |
| No | 155 (14.7%) | 223 (15.8%) | |||
| • Disinfected surfaces. | |||||
| Yes | 749 (70.9%) | 957 (67.7%) | aOR1 (95%CI) 1.11 (0.92–1.34) | .29 | |
| No | 307 (29.1%) | 456 (32.3%) | |||
aAdjusted for all socio-demographic factors, presence of chronic physical conditions and mental illnesses or conditions
aOR1 Adjusted odd ratios derived from multiple logistic regression
aOR2 Adjusted odd ratios derived from stepwise logistic regression
*Significant at p < 0.05