Body Weight Changes During Pandemic-Related Shelter-in-Place in a Longitudinal Cohort Study

As of January 22, 2021, there were more than 98 million confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), more than 24 million of which are attributed to the US alone.1 Recent surges in SARS-CoV-2 and the threat of a second wave have prompted many states to reconsider reopening timelines. During the initial US surge, 45 out of 50 state governments issued shelter-in-place (SIP) orders from March 19, 2020, to April 6, 2020, to slow disease transmission.2 The initial SIP coincided with an observed decrease in daily step counts,3 likely reflective of changes in physical activity and patterns of daily living, as well as concurrent self-reported increases in snacking and overeating.4 We therefore sought to investigate ambulatory weight changes of a longitudinal cohort during initial SIP orders to better understand the possible downstream health implications of prolonged SIP.