Research

Adherence

During COVID-19 stay-at-home mandates, older adults with type 2 diabetes experienced significant weight loss (average 2.1%) rather than the weight gain often reported in younger populations.

If you are an older adult with type 2 diabetes, do not assume the pandemic shutdown will automatically cause weight gain. This study found that the majority of participants actually lost weight. However, those who did gain weight reported more negative impacts on their health and access to food, so monitoring your weight and mental well-being is still important.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
participants lost an average of 2.10 kg (SD= 5.86 Kg) or 2.1% of their weight (SD=6.0%)... 47% lost >2% and only 18% gained >2%, p<.0001.
Rena R. Wing et al. · Obesity · 2022

Why this rating

Large sample size (N=2177) and rigorous prior data, but reliance on self-reported weight during the pandemic introduces recall bias.

Source

Weight changes during the <scp>COVID‐19</scp> shutdown in older individuals with type 2 diabetes: the Look <scp>AHEAD</scp> Study

Rena R. Wing et al. · Obesity · 2022

cohort · n=2177
Read the paper

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