{
  "abstract": "Objectives To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on body mass index (BMI) and obesity status among Canadian residents and explore how this association varied by sociodemographic and health status.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Canada.Participants 41 302 adults, aged 45–85 at baseline, participating in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.Primary and secondary outcomes BMI and BMI-defined obesity were measured at baseline, follow-up 1 and follow-up 2 (FUP2), with 33% of FUP2 data (n=13 444) gathered after 16 March 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions began. Correction factors were applied for self-reported BMI and weighted generalised estimating equations assessed BMI changes before and during the pandemic.Results We found a significant interaction between follow-up time and timing of FUP2 data collection (before or during the pandemic). Participants measured during the pandemic had an excess BMI increase of 0.21 kg/m² (95% CI 0.15 to 0.28) and 1.06 times higher odds of obesity (95% CI 1.03 to 1.09) compared with prepandemic trends. Increases were more pronounced among females, middle-aged adults and those without diabetes.Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a modest increase in BMI and obesity among Canadian adults. Ongoing research is needed to assess long-term trends.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad Nazmus Sakib"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Lauren E Griffith"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Urun Erbas Oz"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Nicole E Basta"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada",
        "Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Hertzel C Gerstein"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Renfrew County and District Health Unit, Pembroke, Massachusetts, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Jason D Morgenstern"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Communcity Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Susan Kirkland"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada",
        "St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada",
        "University of Johannesburg Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa"
      ],
      "name": "Lehana Thabane"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada",
        "University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Brendan T Smith"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Cynthia Balion"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Jacqueline M McMillan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada",
        "McMaster University McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Parminder Raina"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Laura N Anderson"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obesity: a prospective cohort study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)",
  "uid": "99d821bb-6618-52ec-8e3d-383a804d7a87"
}