Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress
Many companies switched to working from home (WFH) after the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aimed to examine the changes in dietary behavior, body weight, sedentary lifestyle, and stress in individuals who practice WFH. A cross-sectional, web-based questionnaire was administered between March and May...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4006 |
| _version_ | 1797477568253788160 |
|---|---|
| author | Merve Güney Coşkun Rabia İclal Öztürk Ayşegül Yabacı Tak Nevin Sanlier |
| author_facet | Merve Güney Coşkun Rabia İclal Öztürk Ayşegül Yabacı Tak Nevin Sanlier |
| author_sort | Merve Güney Coşkun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many companies switched to working from home (WFH) after the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aimed to examine the changes in dietary behavior, body weight, sedentary lifestyle, and stress in individuals who practice WFH. A cross-sectional, web-based questionnaire was administered between March and May 2021 and included socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, WFH arrangement, changes in diet, sedentary lifestyle, and stress status. A total of 328 individuals (260 women, 68 men), aged 31.3 ± 8.3 years with a BMI of 24.9 ± 4.6 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, participated in the study. The questionnaire revealed that the daily working time increased with WFH. The majority of the individuals (59.1%) gained weight. The average daily sedentary time and the Perceived Stress Scale score increased significantly. The daily sedentary time and Non-Healthy Diet Index scores were higher in individuals who gained weight (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A multinominal regression model revealed that increased body weight was less likely in individuals with underweight and normal BMI classifications. Normal BMI, stable work shifts, and no physical activity were positive predictors for gaining weight. These results suggest that WFH may have significant negative effects on physical and mental status of individuals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:19:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29df8067e5b94f97bfa7e286aa65ecd0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:19:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-29df8067e5b94f97bfa7e286aa65ecd02023-11-23T21:23:57ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-09-011419400610.3390/nu14194006Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and StressMerve Güney Coşkun0Rabia İclal Öztürk1Ayşegül Yabacı Tak2Nevin Sanlier3Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul 34810, TurkeyDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul 34810, TurkeyDepartment of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakıf University, Istanbul 34093, TurkeyDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara 06570, TurkeyMany companies switched to working from home (WFH) after the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aimed to examine the changes in dietary behavior, body weight, sedentary lifestyle, and stress in individuals who practice WFH. A cross-sectional, web-based questionnaire was administered between March and May 2021 and included socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, WFH arrangement, changes in diet, sedentary lifestyle, and stress status. A total of 328 individuals (260 women, 68 men), aged 31.3 ± 8.3 years with a BMI of 24.9 ± 4.6 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, participated in the study. The questionnaire revealed that the daily working time increased with WFH. The majority of the individuals (59.1%) gained weight. The average daily sedentary time and the Perceived Stress Scale score increased significantly. The daily sedentary time and Non-Healthy Diet Index scores were higher in individuals who gained weight (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A multinominal regression model revealed that increased body weight was less likely in individuals with underweight and normal BMI classifications. Normal BMI, stable work shifts, and no physical activity were positive predictors for gaining weight. These results suggest that WFH may have significant negative effects on physical and mental status of individuals.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4006COVID-19dietary behaviorsedentary lifestylestressworking from home |
| spellingShingle | Merve Güney Coşkun Rabia İclal Öztürk Ayşegül Yabacı Tak Nevin Sanlier Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress Nutrients COVID-19 dietary behavior sedentary lifestyle stress working from home |
| title | Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress |
| title_full | Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress |
| title_fullStr | Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress |
| title_short | Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effects on Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Stress |
| title_sort | working from home during the covid 19 pandemic and its effects on diet sedentary lifestyle and stress |
| topic | COVID-19 dietary behavior sedentary lifestyle stress working from home |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4006 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT merveguneycoskun workingfromhomeduringthecovid19pandemicanditseffectsondietsedentarylifestyleandstress AT rabiaiclalozturk workingfromhomeduringthecovid19pandemicanditseffectsondietsedentarylifestyleandstress AT aysegulyabacıtak workingfromhomeduringthecovid19pandemicanditseffectsondietsedentarylifestyleandstress AT nevinsanlier workingfromhomeduringthecovid19pandemicanditseffectsondietsedentarylifestyleandstress |