Nearly 70 percent of the patients reported that it was more difficult to achieve their weight loss goals during the pandemic, with about half spending less time on exercise. These findings were similar to another paper authored by Almandoz last spring, which was one of the first studies to show the impact of shelter-in-place orders on health behaviors in people with obesity.

"This study demonstrates that adults with obesity continued to engage in the same behaviors and struggled with mental health challenges, even after lockdown orders were lifted. We need to develop interventions targeting these vulnerable groups, such as telehealth options and outreach efforts," says senior author Sarah Messiah, Ph.D., M.P.H., an adjunct professor in the UTSW department of population and data sciences and a professor in the department of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at the UTHealth School of Public Health.

The researchers noted that the patients surveyed were predominantly white, college-educated individuals with middle- to high-income levels. Thus, the survey results may not be generalizable to other populations, and may not accurately assess the burden of the pandemic on obesity-related health behaviors in lower socioeconomic status and/or ethnic minority populations disproportionately affected more by obesity and COVID-19. The survey participants were established weight management patients with health insurance - not representative of the average American challenged with obesity, in which less than 2 percent receive anti-obesity medications and fewer than 1 percent undergo bariatric surgery.