OBJECTIVE: To describe the effects of stay-at-home orders and social distancing during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on mental health and to compare these outcomes between individuals with normal weight and overweight METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1857 Brazilian adults, who were invited through social media to answer an online questionnaire from 5 May 2020 to 17 May 2020 The instrument included questions related to health behaviour, mental health (anxiety, depression, self-esteem, sadness and stress) and overall health Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 Kg/m(2) Multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify whether overweight is associated with mental health variables RESULTS: Women reported increased anxiety (36 5% vs 22 2%, P &lt; 01), depression (16 2% vs 8 8%, P &lt; 01), low self-esteem (19 8% vs 10 6%, P &lt; 01), sadness (17 7% vs 10 2%, P &lt; 01), and stress (29 5% vs 19 3%, P &lt; 01) relative to men Women with overweight are more likely to report higher feeling of anxiety (OR 1 62, CI 95% 1 22-2 14), depression (OR 1 79, CI 95% 1 25-2 55), low self-esteem (OR 1 82, CI95% 1 28-2 58) and sadness (OR 1 51, CI 95% 1 08-2 10), adjusted for age, social isolation days, educational level, chronic diseases, smoke, alcohol intake and physical activity CONCLUSION: Women, specially those with overweight are more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of stay-at-home orders on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
The same storm but not the same boat: Effects of COVID-19 stay-at-home order on mental health in individuals with overweight