Research

Energy balance

Individuals with obesity experienced a 52% prevalence of weight gain during lockdown, driven by reduced physical activity and increased snacking, though longitudinal BMI changes were not statistically significant in pooled analyses.

For individuals with obesity, lockdown led to weight gain in more than half of cases, primarily due to less movement and more snacking. While average BMI didn't shift significantly in longitudinal studies, the individual risk is high. Focus on maintaining daily movement and managing snacking triggers, as the loss of structured activity is a major driver of weight gain.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The pooled prevalence of increased weight in obesity was 52% (95% CI[25,78], k = 4)... More than 50% of the individuals with obesity reported increased weight during lockdown, reduced levels of physical activity, and increased snacking.
Lucia Sideli et al. · European Eating Disorders Review · 2021

Why this rating

Meta-analysis of 4 studies, high heterogeneity, and reliance on self-reported weight in many cases.

Source

Effects of COVID‐19 lockdown on eating disorders and obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Lucia Sideli et al. · European Eating Disorders Review · 2021

DOI 10.1002/erv.2861

Meta-analysis · 26 studiesCited 179×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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