TY - JOUR

T1 - Changes in Population Health-Related Behaviors During a COVID-19 Surge

T2 - A Natural Experiment

AU - Delgado-Ortiz, Laura

AU - Carsin, Anne-Elie

AU - Merino, Jordi

AU - Diego, Inés Cobo

AU - Koch, Sarah

AU - Goldberg, Ximena

AU - Chevance, Guillaume

AU - Gómez, Magda Bosch de Basea

AU - Castaño-Vinyals, Gemma

AU - Espinosa, Ana

AU - carreras, anna

AU - Martínez, Beatriz Cortés

AU - Straif, K

AU - RdeCid, null

AU - Kogevinas, M

AU - Garcia-Aymerich, J

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - BackgroundThe study of impact of lockdowns on individual health-related behaviors has produced divergent results.PurposeTo identify patterns of change in multiple health-related behaviors analyzed as a whole, and their individual determinants.MethodsBetween March and August 2020, we collected data on smoking, alcohol, physical activity, weight, and sleep in a population-based cohort from Catalonia who had available pre-pandemic data. We performed multiple correspondence and cluster analyses to identify patterns of change in health-related behaviors and built multivariable multinomial logistic regressions to identify determinants of behavioral change.ResultsIn 10,032 participants (59% female, mean (SD) age 55 (8) years), 8,606 individuals (86%) modified their behavior during the lockdown. We identified five patterns of behavioral change that were heterogeneous and directed both towards worsening and improvement in diverse combinations. Patterns ranged from "global worsening" (2,063 participants, 21%) characterized by increases in smoking, alcohol consumption, and weight, and decreases in physical activity levels and sleep time, to "improvement" (2,548 participants, 25%) characterized by increases in physical activity levels, decreases in weight and alcohol consumption, and both increases and decreases in sleep time. Being female, of older age, teleworking, having a higher education level, assuming caregiving responsibilities, and being more exposed to pandemic news were associated with changing behavior (all p < .05), but did not discriminate between favorable or unfavorable changes.ConclusionsMost of the population experienced changes in health-related behavior during lockdowns. Determinants of behavior modification were not explicitly associated with the direction of changes but allowed the identification of older, teleworking, and highly educated women who assumed caregiving responsibilities at home as susceptible population groups more vulnerable to lockdowns.

AB - BackgroundThe study of impact of lockdowns on individual health-related behaviors has produced divergent results.PurposeTo identify patterns of change in multiple health-related behaviors analyzed as a whole, and their individual determinants.MethodsBetween March and August 2020, we collected data on smoking, alcohol, physical activity, weight, and sleep in a population-based cohort from Catalonia who had available pre-pandemic data. We performed multiple correspondence and cluster analyses to identify patterns of change in health-related behaviors and built multivariable multinomial logistic regressions to identify determinants of behavioral change.ResultsIn 10,032 participants (59% female, mean (SD) age 55 (8) years), 8,606 individuals (86%) modified their behavior during the lockdown. We identified five patterns of behavioral change that were heterogeneous and directed both towards worsening and improvement in diverse combinations. Patterns ranged from "global worsening" (2,063 participants, 21%) characterized by increases in smoking, alcohol consumption, and weight, and decreases in physical activity levels and sleep time, to "improvement" (2,548 participants, 25%) characterized by increases in physical activity levels, decreases in weight and alcohol consumption, and both increases and decreases in sleep time. Being female, of older age, teleworking, having a higher education level, assuming caregiving responsibilities, and being more exposed to pandemic news were associated with changing behavior (all p < .05), but did not discriminate between favorable or unfavorable changes.ConclusionsMost of the population experienced changes in health-related behavior during lockdowns. Determinants of behavior modification were not explicitly associated with the direction of changes but allowed the identification of older, teleworking, and highly educated women who assumed caregiving responsibilities at home as susceptible population groups more vulnerable to lockdowns.

U2 - 10.1093/abm/kaac054

DO - 10.1093/abm/kaac054

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36394497

VL - 57

SP - 216

EP - 226

JO - Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine

JF - Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine

IS - 3

ER -