COVID-19 lockdowns linked to rise in eating disorder symptoms

 New research indicated that lockdowns to assist curb the spread of COVID-19 might be linked to a rise in symptoms related to eating disorders.

The findings of the study were published within the journal 'Psychiatry Research'.


The longitudinal study, administered by academics from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England, examined the behavior and attitudes of 319 health spa members during the summer of 2020.

The researchers followed up initial research into addictive or unhealthy behaviors, conducted in 2019, to research the consequences of the primary COVID-19 restrictions introduced within the spring of 2020.

Participants, with a mean age of 37, completed the eating attitudes test, called EAT-26, which involved answering questions associated with statements like 'I am terrified about being overweight, 'I have the impulse to vomit after meals, and 'I feel extremely guilty after eating.

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The researchers found that average EAT-26 scores had significantly increased in 2020, post-lockdown, compared to 2019, suggesting higher levels of morbid eating behaviors like anorexia and bulimia.

However, at an equivalent time, the study found a discount in exercise addiction symptoms post-lockdown, while levels of individual exercise increased from 6.5 hours per week in 2019 to 7.5 hours per week post-lockdown in 2020.

Mike Trott, a Ph.D. researcher at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) who led the study, said, "We can't say surely that COVID-19 is liable for this increase in behavior related to eating disorders. However, we do know that folks often use food as a coping mechanism for stress, and clearly, many of us are impacted by stressful events and significant changes over the last 12 months."

"If future lockdowns or periods of enforced quarantine are required, practitioners working with people with suspected eating disorders, like bulimia and anorexia, should monitor these behaviors closely," Trott added.

Trott further noted, "Encouragingly, we also found that symptoms of exercise addiction fell following the primary lockdown, but average exercise rates increased by an hour every week compared to 2019."

"It might be that the participants in our study were wanting to restart their exercise routines post-lockdown and structure for time lost by exercising more. no matter motives, there are many physical and psychological state benefits to regular exercise, so this is often a positive finding," Trott concluded. (ANI)

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