COVID‐19–Related Home Confinement in Adults: Weight Gain Risks and Opportunities

Abstract

As the global COVID‐19 pandemic unfolds, over 90% of U.S. adult residents are confined to their homes, with restaurants, shops, schools, and workplaces shut down to prevent disease spread. While it is a priority to mitigate the immediate impact, one area of great concern is the long‐term effects of this pandemic on weight management in adults. As evident from previous research, small changes in body weight in relatively short time periods can become permanent and lead to substantial weight gain over time(1). Considering that the current situation could last a total of several months, this extended home confinement could exacerbate the problem of obesity in adults by substantially contributing to or exceeding annual weight gain.