Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
Int J Eat Disord. 2020 Nov;53(11):1801-1808. doi: 10.1002/eat.23375. Epub 2020 Aug 28.
Amidst restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, jokes have surfaced regarding weight gain during the pandemic. The current study documents perceived changes since COVID-19 and compares these to observed longitudinal changes in reported weight, BMI, and how college students described their weight from January to April 2020.
Undergraduates (N = 90; 88% female) completed on-line assessments before and after students were required to leave campus due to COVID-19. Time 1 and Time 2 surveys collected demographic information, height, weight, and a Likert-scale rating to describe perceived weight, ranging from 1 = very underweight to 5 = very overweight (weight description). Time 2 surveys added questions for perceived changes since COVID-19 in body weight, eating, physical activity, various forms of screen time, and concerns about weight, shape, and eating.
Time 2 surveys indicated perceived increases in body weight, eating, and screen time, and decreases in physical activity along with increased concerns about weight, shape and eating since COVID-19. Longitudinal data indicated no significant change in weight, body mass index (BMI), or BMI category, but how participants described their weight changed significantly from January to April 2020. Compared to longitudinal changes in BMI category, students' weight description was significantly more likely to fall into a higher category from Time 1 to Time 2.
Shifts in how body weight is experienced in the wake of COVID-19 that do not align with observed changes in reported weight may reflect cognitive distortions that could increase risk for disordered eating in some individuals.
在限制新冠病毒传播的背景下，有关疫情期间体重增加的笑话层出不穷。本研究记录了新冠疫情后的感知变化，并将这些变化与 2020 年 1 月至 4 月期间报告的体重、体重指数的纵向变化进行比较，以及大学生对体重的描述。
大学生（N=90；88%为女性）在因新冠疫情而离开校园前后完成了在线评估。时间 1 和时间 2 的调查收集了人口统计学信息、身高、体重和用于描述感知体重的李克特量表评分，评分范围为 1=非常消瘦至 5=非常超重（体重描述）。时间 2 的调查增加了关于新冠疫情以来体重、饮食、身体活动、各种形式的屏幕时间以及对体重、体型和饮食的担忧的感知变化的问题。
时间 2 的调查表明，自新冠疫情以来，体重、饮食和屏幕时间的感知增加，身体活动减少，同时对体重、体型和饮食的担忧增加。纵向数据显示体重、体重指数（BMI）或 BMI 类别没有显著变化，但 2020 年 1 月至 4 月期间参与者对体重的描述发生了显著变化。与 BMI 类别的纵向变化相比，学生的体重描述在从时间 1 到时间 2 时更有可能进入更高的类别。
新冠疫情后对体重的体验发生变化，与报告的体重变化不一致，这可能反映了认知扭曲，这可能会增加某些人出现饮食失调的风险。
