This March marks a year since the COVID-19 pandemic officially changed everyone’s lives across the globe. The last year has been marked with global change to routines, health habits, eating habits and work habits. It has been a tough year, but many have us have been forced to adapt, some for the better and some for the worse.
To learn more about health trends during the pandemic and how Americans have made changes to their daily routines, Advanced Dermatology recently surveyed over 2,022 Americans to learn more about health habits during the last year of the pandemic, both the good and the bad. They asked Americans about self-care during the pandemic, health habits, unhealthy habits, weight gain and weight loss, remote work, and changes to morning routines without workers commuting to and from work each day. Let us take a deeper dive into the survey results to learn more about what Advanced Dermatology learned from their survey on American’s health habits during the pandemic.
Pandemic health regrets
While this might not come as a huge to surprise to all, there is in fact a lot of people who wish they had taken better care of themselves during the pandemic and made more health choices with both their lifestyle and their diet. An overwhelming 74% of Americans wish they had taken better care of themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about what caused their unhealthy habits most during the pandemic, the top response was stress and anxiety.
Listed below is the full breakdown of responses for what has contributed most to your unhealthy habits during the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. I have had to cope with more stress and or anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic (41% of American respondents).
2. I have had to adjust to a new routine during the COVID-19 pandemic (37% of American respondents).
3. I have been carelessness in a general manner during the COVD-19 pandemic (22% of American respondents).
As you might imagine, there was a large amount of attention on the amount of weigh people gained during the pandemic. Just over 60% of Americans respondents admit to having gained weight during the pandemic, averaging around 10 pounds of weight gain. This is a concern as the risk, as people who are obese have a higher likely of being impacted by COVID-19.
So, the survey found that Americans have gained weight during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic. That is not totally surprising. The survey from Advanced Dermatology aimed to learn more about the reasons why American’s gained weight during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top responses for why Americans gained weight during the pandemic are listed below:
1. I gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic because I am around food more often while at home
2. I gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic because it is a way for me to cope with the stress of the pandemic.
3. I gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic because I am less physically active while stuck at home.
Unhealthy behaviors that gotten worse during the pandemic
Beyond looking at just weight gained during the pandemic, Advanced Dermatology wanted to learn more about what other unhealthy habits have gotten worse as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many common behaviors have gotten worse over the past year because of the stress and time at home for many Americans.
Listed below are the top unhealthy habits that have gotten worse because of the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. I have spent less time outdoors (69% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
2. I did less physical activity (63% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
3. I have been overrating more (61% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
4. I have been eating more junk food (55% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
5. My poor posture has gotten worse (51% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
6. My skincare and grooming habits have gotten worse (51% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
7. I have not been getting enough sleep (48% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
8. I have been drinking more as a direct result of the pandemic (37% of American respondents say this unhealthy habit has gotten worse during the pandemic).
Healthy habits that have improved during the pandemic
As it turns out, not all habits have gotten worse during the pandemic. Many Americans have embraced healthy habits while spending more time at home during the pandemic.
Listed below is the full list of health habits which have improved during the pandemic:
1. I have been sleeping better during the pandemic (41% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
2. I have been eating healthier foods during the pandemic (39% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
3. I have done more physical activity during the pandemic (39% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
4. I have not been overeating as much during the pandemic (38% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
5. I have better skincare and grooming habits during the pandemic (35% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
6. I have spent more time outdoors during the pandemic (32% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
7. I have improved my posture during the pandemic (28% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
8. I have been drinking less during the pandemic (25% of American respondents say this healthy habit has improved during the pandemic).
The final part of the survey asked about changes to remote working habits during the pandemic. 77% of those surveyed say they have noticed other people presenting themselves more casually than usual. 61% say they personally feel less pressure to be presentable during remote work.
Infographic by: advdermatology
