COVID-19 control measures have impacted our weight

The impact of the pandemic on our weight is becoming clearer. Adults in Scotland have reported gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic control measures, and changes in diet reported at the beginning of the pandemic, such as eating out of boredom, have persisted over time.  There is also a concerning rise in the weight of our children reported through the national child measurement programme.

Today, Obesity Action Scotland publish the results of polling at various points throughout the pandemic – May 2020, March 2021 and November 2021 which highlight many of these issues.

In May 2020 and March 2021, Obesity Action Scotland commissioned Diffley Partnership to ask people in Scotland about their eating habits and health following the initial national lockdown in 2020. Our new report out today provides a further analysis on these surveys to compare the results. The analysis showed that many changes first reported in 2020 persisted into 2021, with some habits getting worse. Findings included people saying they still ate more out of boredom, all age groups reporting worsening mental health between 2020 and 2021, and nearly all age groups saying they ate more takeaways in 2021 than in 2020. Households with children displayed poorer eating habits than households without children between the two time points. Concerningly, over half of people on reduced incomes and those placed on the government furlough scheme believed their body weight had increased since the first lockdown.

In a separate report also released today Obesity Action Scotland commissioned Ipsos Scotland to carry out a survey in November-December 2021 aimed at understanding parents’ views on weight change throughout the pandemic, and how they felt about their child being weighed in school. The results indicate that more parents believed they themselves had gained weight (44%) than those who believed it had decreased (24%). Whilst 76% of parents believed their child’s weight was unchanged, 14% believed their child’s weight had increased since March 2020.

This perceived increase in weight in some children is supported by the latest Primary 1 BMI data which showed a significant uptick in rates of children at risk of overweight and obesity in 2021.

We also asked whether parents supported their children being weighed at school.  The majority of parents (56%) said they supported the practice of weighing children in school, however a large proportion (29%) said they were opposed to it. Support was shown to vary between different groups. Men were most supportive of the practice, however the overall majority of both men (66%) and women (51%) were in favour of it. Parents in households with 3+ children showed more support compared to households with only one child (67% vs 52%).

Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead of Obesity Action Scotland said:

“The Scottish Government has made a commitment to halve childhood obesity by 2030 however we are heading in completely the wrong direction. All the signs are that control measures for the pandemic made a bad situation worse for children’s weight, for the diet of families, and for inequalities in health across a range of conditions.  We urgently need bold, effective, progressive and sustained measures across governments, communities and places where we buy and consume food to get back on track in tackling this important issue. 

Many parents recognise their own weight has increased.  This alongside the evidence of a concerning rise in primary one children at risk of obesity, makes it clear that families need support in being able to prevent unhealthy weight gain.

The majority of parents in our recent survey are in favour of weighing children in school.  Nonetheless, the public discussion of overweight, and weighing children, needs to be carried out sensitively. Decision-takers should ensure that adequate measures are in place to assure parents, and children of the steps they are taking, and specifically to allay concerns about mental health when discussing overweight and weighing children.”