TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the body weight and lifestyle behaviors of U.S. adults
AU - Sung, Jaesang
AU - Davis, Will
AU - Qiu, Qihua
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Southern Economic Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Southern Economic Association.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic and associated policies may have impacted body weight and related lifestyle behaviors. Using 2017–2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we estimate the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on Body Mass Index (BMI) and the probability of obesity among adults in the United States. Our triple-differences approach, using recent pre-pandemic years as counterfactuals, identifies statistically significant lockdown-induced increases in body weight. Event study results highlight a lagged effect of lockdown on body weight, with BMI increases manifesting 2 months post-lockdown. These effects are particularly pronounced among non-white adults, low-income individuals, females, and metropolitan residents. The lockdown's impact on mental health, a potential mechanism driving BMI increases, is concentrated among non-white, low-income adults. We observe potential post-lockdown changes in diet and sedentary behaviors, evidenced by increased Google searches for high-calorie foods, food delivery apps, and video streaming. Google searches related to healthy habits, such as exercise, yield mixed results.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic and associated policies may have impacted body weight and related lifestyle behaviors. Using 2017–2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we estimate the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on Body Mass Index (BMI) and the probability of obesity among adults in the United States. Our triple-differences approach, using recent pre-pandemic years as counterfactuals, identifies statistically significant lockdown-induced increases in body weight. Event study results highlight a lagged effect of lockdown on body weight, with BMI increases manifesting 2 months post-lockdown. These effects are particularly pronounced among non-white adults, low-income individuals, females, and metropolitan residents. The lockdown's impact on mental health, a potential mechanism driving BMI increases, is concentrated among non-white, low-income adults. We observe potential post-lockdown changes in diet and sedentary behaviors, evidenced by increased Google searches for high-calorie foods, food delivery apps, and video streaming. Google searches related to healthy habits, such as exercise, yield mixed results.
KW - body weight
KW - COVID-19 lockdown
KW - Google search intensity
KW - lifestyle behaviors
KW - mental health
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U2 - 10.1002/soej.12679
DO - 10.1002/soej.12679
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85186850522
SN - 0038-4038
VL - 90
SP - 900
EP - 948
JO - Southern Economic Journal
JF - Southern Economic Journal
IS - 4
ER -