How pandemic is affecting America’s health behaviors, for better and for worse

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Life has changed dramatically over the past six months since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic in March.

While some people have taken the opportunity to focus on developing a healthier lifestyle, others have turned to unhealthy behaviors such as stress eating and neglecting their overall health and fitness. 

News 8 spoke with Alvin Tran, assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences at University of New Haven, about how the outbreak is affecting health behaviors specific to nutrition and physical activity. Tran also discussed the link between obesity and higher rates of COVID-19 infections as well as what those who are struggling to make positive changes can do to help themselves.

Gillis: One of your areas of research is how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting our nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Let’s start with nutrition. Is this for better, worse or both? And what type of changes are we seeing?

Tran: I focus on both–on healthy eating behaviors, but also eating behaviors that are not necessarily recommended. What we’re seeing now during COVID-19 is people’s regular regimes…their eating behaviors are a little bit atypical now because of everything that is happening. So, what I study is trying to figure out how do they navigate that? How are people adjusting and adapting to this different environment given that we’re living through a global pandemic? 

For me, a lot of what I’m seeing is that they have been adapting. There is a lot of stress eating and emotional eating going on. But other families have become very creative in thinking about “How do I incorporate healthier meals into my household now that my kids are back?” Some [kids] are taking classes remotely so they are not at school where they typically get some of their meals. So, parents are having to get very creative with trying to figure out healthy meals with my kids. That’s what I’m looking at right now. 

Gillis: Same question for PA. Better, worse or both?

Tran: As public health professionals we try to encourage people to try and not live too sedentary a lifestyle. We want people to get up on their feet. Go for a walk. Get that heart rate up. 

With all of those shelters in place and home orders in place there is some growing concern that is still sticking around to this day whether people are getting enough physical activity or exercise. So, it’s important for people working from home or if you are at home with your kids…what are some creative ways to build in exercise into your daily routine?

Does this mean kicking a ball back and forth in your backyard? It might be. But there are still many other creative ways. Many people have access to the internet where you can watch exercise videos. You can dance to music. There are so many creative ways. Go for a walk with your family members around your neighborhood. Definitely bring your mask though and make sure to keep a safe distance from other people. But there are so many safe ways to incorporate physical activity into your everyday life. 

Gillis: An international team of researchers pooled data from dozens of peer-reviewed papers capturing 399,000 patients–this paper was published in Obesity Reviews recently. They found that people who are obese who contracted COVID-19 were: 113% more likely than people of A healthy weight to land in the hospital; 74% more likely to be admitted to an ICU; and 48% more likely to die. These statistics are quite alarming. What are your thoughts?

Tran: These statistics are alarming and I think some research shows the risk of mortality is at a 5 fold increase for those who do live in larger bodies compared to those who don’t. 

I think the number one thing to acknowledge is that the research is still out there and people are still learning more about COVID-19 and its impact on humans and the population. And I think what’s out there right now is that some researchers are pointing to inflammation. 

It’s people who have obesity, people who are obese…it has been shown they have low-grade inflammation. So, this just underscores the importance of turning back to and focusing back on nutrition and physical activity, which is what I like to focus on. Eating foods that are anti-inflammatory like your fruits and your vegetables. As a public health nutrition researcher, it’s important to remind parents, kids and teens to eat fruits and vegetables. Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables because they do often contain anti-inflammatory properties. This all goes back to the importance of physical activity and eating healthy. 

What we’re seeing now during COVID-19 is people are purchasing a lot of highly processed foods. Those foods aren’t necessarily recommended and they are not healthy for you. And it’s important that even during these anxious and stressful times we do keep in mind that our nutrition and our health needs to come first. That means incorporating those fruits and vegetables. And now is the time for parents to figure out innovative ways to prepare meals. That might mean cooking with their kids and creating recipes with them because right now it’s important to maintain optimal nutrition and physical activity. 

And I do want to bring up concerns with weight stigma. I know there is an association between obesity and mortality during the time of COVID-19. So, it’s important to have friendly and strategic conversations about weight because we’re also seeing some people gaining weight during this time. There’s a saying going around called the ‘quarantine 15.’ With that said, it’s important we do not stigmatize and shame people for any weight gain whatsoever because that is harmful in and of itself. It deters people from going to the doctor and that causes a lot of feelings of shame and can have both physical and mental adverse outcomes. So, it’s very important to bring that up as well. 

Gillis: Health behavior change is hard–what advice would you give people struggling to make a change?

Tran: What I think this pandemic has brought out in people is this fear and anxiety. Sometimes I feel that way, but it’s important to think about what I have control over. What parents and families and teens and kids have control over. So, you can still get physical activity. Try to figure out innovative ways because that does help alleviate some of that stress. 

Think about cues to action, which are basically putting things around the house to remind you that you do need to get some exercise. You need to eat healthy. Maybe putting a pair of tennis shoes next to your door to remind you “Oh, maybe I should go for a walk.”

But also empower the people that you live with, especially if you’re living in a large household with friends and family. Take long walks together at a certain time. Build these activities in. Let’s encourage and empower each other to eat healthier during this time. There are many positive ways to do it. Empowering each other is very important.  

News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over 5 years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Instagram @reportergillis and Facebook @DrMaryGillis.