Research

Adherence

Stronger individual identities as a 'healthy eater' or 'exerciser' are associated with positive changes in eating and physical activity behaviors, which mediate weight loss during major life events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

To maintain weight during stressful life events, focus on reinforcing your identity as a 'healthy eater' or 'exerciser' rather than relying solely on your environment. The study shows that identifying with these behaviors is a stronger predictor of success than neighborhood walkability or food availability.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Stronger healthy eater and exercise identities (individual factors) were associated with higher EB scores (EBS) and PA scores (PAS), respectively (p's < 0.00001)... Higher EBS and PAS were associated with weight loss.
Tsz-Kiu Chui et al. · Obesity Science & Practice · 2024

Why this rating

Cross-sectional observational study; associations are significant but causality is inferred via mediation models.

Source

Evaluation of socioecological factors on health behaviors and weight change during major life event: A cross‐sectional study using data collected during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Tsz-Kiu Chui et al. · Obesity Science & Practice · 2024

DOI 10.1002/osp4.785

cross_sectional · n=1283Cited 2×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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