The impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on weight management practices in UK adults: A self-regulation perspective

Genes, Denisa; Sirois, Fuschia M; Buckland, Nicola J

doi:10.1177/20551029231214058

The impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on weight management practices in UK adults: A self-regulation perspective

Genes, Denisa; Sirois, Fuschia M; Buckland, Nicola J

Authors

Denisa Genes

Professor Fuschia Sirois fuschia.sirois@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Nicola J Buckland

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the impact of the first UK COVID-19 lockdown on individuals’ weight management attempts (WMA). A self-regulation theoretical framework was used to identify predictors of continuing with a WMA, and weight change during the lockdown. An online retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted after the first UK COVID-19 lockdown. The sample consisted of 166 UK adults (M:31.08, SD:12.15) that were trying to manage their weight before the lockdown started. The survey assessed changes in WMA and practices, and measured perceived stress, flexible/rigid restraint, uncontrolled eating, craving control, and self-compassion. Results showed that 56% of participants reported disruption to their WMA during the lockdown. Participants with lower levels of perceived stress and higher flexible restraint were more likely to continue their WMA. Flexible restraint was a significant predictor of weight change. Interventions that promote flexibility in weight management may be beneficial for at-risk individuals under lockdown conditions.

Citation

Genes, D., Sirois, F. M., & Buckland, N. J. (2023). The impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on weight management practices in UK adults: A self-regulation perspective. Health Psychology Open, 10(2), https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029231214058

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Sep 30, 2023
Online Publication Date	Nov 8, 2023
Publication Date	2023-07
Deposit Date	Nov 15, 2023
Publicly Available Date	Nov 15, 2023
Journal	Health Psychology Open
Electronic ISSN	2055-1029
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	10
Issue	2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029231214058
Keywords	weight management, obesity, COVID-19 lockdown, self-regulation, physical activity, energy intake
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1907315

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).