The lockdown effect: Americans’ physical and mental health has deteriorated by every metric since the pandemic – and WFH is partly to blame, major survey says

Americans' mental and physical health have both deteriorated since the Covid pandemic, national data shows.

A Gallup report released Thursday surveyed more than 5,000 American adults in all 50 states in 2023 and tracked changes in mental and physical conditions since 2019.

They found that since pandemic-era lockdowns, Americans have experienced record highs in obesity and diabetes, as well as increases in high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. They also developed worse diets, namely by eating fewer products.

Furthermore, the mental health system in the US is in a downward spiral, with one in ten high school students attempting suicide last year and a record 50,000 people committing suicide last year.

The researchers said: 'Much of the recent increase in obesity may be associated with changed health behaviors as a result of the pandemic.'

This includes adopting a more sedentary lifestyle as a result of working from home, or adopting unhealthy eating habits during lockdown.

Research has also found that mental health worsened during the pandemic, with a record 50,000 Americans taking their own lives in 2022.

The team conducted the survey between August 30 and September 8, 2023. It included 5,316 US adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Respondents self-reported their height and weight, allowing researchers to calculate their body mass index (BMI). A BMI of 25-29 equates to being overweight, while a BMI of 30 or more indicates obesity.

Gallup asked participants, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have diabetes?” The agency did not ask them to indicate whether they had type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

The group was also asked to report their eating habits and how often they consume fruits and vegetables each week.

The researchers found that 38.4 percent of adults surveyed qualified as obese, an increase of six percent since 2019. This was just shy of the record high of 39.9 percent recorded in 2022.

The increase varied by age. Adults aged 45 to 64 showed an increase of 8.2 percent, and those aged 30 to 44 showed an increase of 6.1 percent. Adults under 30 experienced an increase of 3.2 percent.

Additionally, 13.6 percent of respondents said they had been diagnosed with diabetes, an increase of 1.1 percent since 2019.

Researchers attributed the increase in diabetes and obesity largely to poor diet and a lack of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that 1,266 more people committed suicide in 2022 compared to 2021 – an increase of three percent

The researchers attributed these increases to poor diet and a lack of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. “Both diet and exercise habits influence the risk of obesity or being diagnosed with diabetes,” the team wrote.

Since 2019, the percentage of adults who reported eating healthy the day before the survey has fallen by five percent since 2019 – from 51.7 percent to 46.7 percent.

“Production consumption, in turn, has fallen even further, with 42.0 percent of respondents reporting eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables on at least four days in the previous week – an important cutoff point for well-being outcomes,” they wrote the researchers. .

That figure was 7.9 percent lower than in 2019, with the biggest declines among the 45 to 64 and 30 to 44 age groups, which saw declines of 10.5 and 8.5 percent respectively.

Adults under 30 also ate fewer products, with figures falling from 42.8 percent in 2019 to 38.8 percent in 2023.

These dietary changes also led to increased levels of high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Reports of elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol have increased from 21.8 percent in 2019 to 25.1 percent in 2023.

Reports of high blood pressure increased slightly from 28.8 percent to 30.3 percent.

However, training habits remained largely unchanged. The researchers found that 49.1 percent of adults reported exercising at least 30 minutes a day three days a week, compared to 48.1 percent in 2019.

Similar findings have been shown in children.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested obesity doubled during the first year of the pandemic.

In adults, the CDC found this year that 40 percent of adults in three states — West Virginia, Louisiana and Oklahoma — were obese.

Mental health care in the US is also in a downward spiral. A CDC report shows that one in 10 American high school students attempted suicide in 2021.

Additionally, a record 50,000 Americans committed suicide in 2022, which experts blamed on loneliness during pandemic lockdowns, social media and easy access to guns.