Health Behaviors and Associated Feelings of Remote Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Silesia (Poland)

Orthorectic behavior among students and motivation for physical activity, dietary habits, and restrictive eating

Introduction

Orthorexia lacks official recognition as an eating disorder; however, orthorexic behaviors, associated with a stringent selection of food, may serve as a predisposing factor to the development of eating disorders. It is characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with healthy eating and strict dietary standards, often prevalent in high-risk groups such as athletes and individuals concerned with their physical appearance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence of orthorexia among students exhibiting varying lifestyles (including dietary habits and levels of physical activity, along with their respective motivational factors). The research involved 600 participants equally distributed between health-related (HRF) and non-health-related (NRF) academic categories, with the majority of participants in the HRF category being women.

Methods

Assessments included BMI calculations, dietary evaluation based on Polish standards, categorization of physical activity levels, the EMI-2 questionnaire on motivation to exercise, the DOS test for orthorexia propensity, and the TFEQ-13 questionnaire for eating behavior.

Results and discussion

Results showed that primary motivators for physical activity included disease prevention, health maintenance, strength/endurance, and physical appearance. Orthorexia tendencies were prevalent, particularly in the HRF group, linked to lower BMI, better diet quality, higher physical activity levels, and a higher prevalence of restrictive eating. In conclusion, students in health-related fields, driven by a strong health consciousness, are at risk of orthorexia. This emphasizes the need for balanced health education and support.

Conclusion

Orthorexic tendencies are associated with distorted perceptions of food portions and calories, underscoring the importance of awareness and intervention.

Nurse-led lifestyle counseling in Polish primary care: the effect of current health status and perceived barriers

Introduction

Our study included counseling on diet and physical activity, smoking, e-cigarette use, and alcohol consumption. The aim was to examine the correlates of counseling provided by primary care nurses with the health status/health behaviors of nurses and the barriers in the advice provided.

Materials and methods

In 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 331 nurses employed in the primary care sector in Lodz. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: characteristics of the patient population receiving treatment and provided with healthy lifestyle counseling by nurses, barriers to the process of assessing, controlling, and guiding patients, and health status/health behaviors of nurses.

Results

Eighty percent of the nurses in our study provided advice on diet and physical activity to primary care patients. Over 70% of the survey participants performed minimal anti-smoking interventions forsmokers, 67.7% for alcohol drinkers, and 56.8% for e-cigarette users. The correlates of counseling in the field of diet and physical activity turned out to be the knowledge and skills, which enabled nurses to provide advice (OR = 2.57, p < 0.01). The correlates of the conducted minimal anti-smoking interventions in smoking patients were: subjective assessment of overweight and obesity in nurses, knowledge and skills in conducting counseling (OR = 1.92, p < 0.05), and measuring body weight, height and BMI (OR = 2.18, p < 0.01). Among the three most common barriers identified by the nurses in the process of assessing, monitoring, and guiding patients were the opinion that patients are not interested in improving their diet, physical activity, and weight loss (60.7%), lack of time (51.4%), as well as the belief that patients find it too difficult to change their current habits (54.1%).

Conclusion

The results of our survey indicate that nurses' participation in healthy lifestyle counseling in adult patients is unsatisfactory. Interventions in primary care should be designed considering the specific obstacles nurses may face in leading healthy lifestyles. Further training of nursing staff is required to increase their knowledge on healthy lifestyles.

Exploring the characteristics and health outcomes of working from home: Analysis of 2021 California Health Interview Survey data

BACKGROUND

Working from home (WFH) may affect health behaviors and mental health. The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic saw many US employees transition to WFH, which has persisted in various job sectors and significantly impacted employees. However, its effects on health outcomes have remained unclear. We aimed to explore the characteristics and health outcomes of, and health-related differences between, WFH and not-WFH groups.

METHODS

Using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey data, we analyzed health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and fruit-related nutrition) and the mental health status of 12,438 individuals using descriptive statistics, Pearson's χ2 test, and regressions.

RESULTS

A total of 39% were WFH and 61% were not-WFH. Overall, the WFH group had worse health behaviors and mental health than the not-WFH group. Age was associated with smoking in both groups (WFH: b = 0.37; not-WFH: b = 0.35), but with fruit-related nutrition only in the WFH group. Household income and occupation were associated with alcohol consumption in both groups. Age (WFH: b = -1.58; not-WFH: b = -1.39), household income (WFH: b = -0.75; not-WFH: b = -0.34), and job duration (WFH: b = -0.34; not-WFH: b = -0.40) were associated with mental health in both groups; those who were younger and had lower household incomes and job durations had worse mental health.

CONCLUSION

Health management is a clear necessity for the WFH group. Irrespective of WFH status, young workers with shorter than 5 years' job duration reported mental distress, highlighting a need for distress assessment and management for the young workforce.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nutrition, Sleep, Physical Activity, and Mood Disorders of Polish Children

The harmful consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on children are its impact on eating habits, physical activity, sleep, and mood disorders. In the future, this may result in a higher prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's eating behavior and lifestyle. The study was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire on dietary and lifestyle habits before and during the pandemic, and the reasons for changes due to the pandemic. The study involved 294 parents of children in grades 1-8 in elementary schools in two regions of Poland. The survey showed that during the pandemic, the percentage of children eating five regular meals daily, including fruits and vegetables, and engaging in daily physical activity decreased. However, the percentage of children spending more than 4 h a day in front of a screen increased (p < 0.05). The main reasons for changes in eating habits and physical activity were less eating out, lack of motivation, obstruction, and lack of access to sports facilities (p < 0.05). The pandemic had a significant impact on reduced levels of physical activity and increased time spent in front of a screen. In summary, among the reasons for changes in children's dietary and lifestyle habits, factors related to the pandemic itself, i.e., social restrictions, restrictions, closure of schools and other facilities, and fear of coronavirus infection, had the greatest impact.

An intervention to promote positive homeworker health and wellbeing through effective home-working practices: a feasibility and acceptability study

BACKGROUND

In the wake of Covid-19, the prevalence of working from home ('home-working') is expected to rise. Yet, working from home can have negative health and wellbeing impacts. Interventions are needed to promote effective ways of working that also protect workers' health and wellbeing. This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention intended to promote home-working practices that would protect and promote health behaviour and wellbeing.

METHODS

An uncontrolled, single-arm mixed-methods trial design was employed. Forty-two normally-office-based UK workers, working from home between January-February 2021 (during the Covid pandemic), consented to receive the intervention. The intervention: a digital document offering evidence-based recommendations for home-working in ways conducive to health behaviour and wellbeing. Feasibility and acceptability were quantitatively indexed by: expressions of interest within 1 week (target threshold ≥ 35); attrition across the one-week study period (threshold ≤ 20%); and the absence of any apparent detriments in self-reported physical activity, sedentary behaviour, snacking, and work-related wellbeing prior to and one week after receiving the intervention. Qualitative think-aloud data, obtained while participants read through the intervention, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, explored acceptability. Semi-structured interviews conducted one week after intervention exposure were content-analysed to identify whether and which behaviour changes were adopted.

RESULTS

Two feasibility criteria were met: 85 expressions of interest indicated satisfactory intervention demand, and no detriments were observed in health behaviours or wellbeing. Forty-two participants (i.e., maximum capacity for the study; 26 females, 16 males, aged 22-63) consented to take part. 31% dropped out over the one-week study period leaving a final sample of 29 (18 females, 11 males, aged 22-63), exceeding identified attrition thresholds. Think-aloud data showed that participants concurred with intervention guidance, but felt it lacked novelty and practicality. Follow-up interviews produced 18 (62%) participant reports of intervention adherence, where nine recommendations reportedly prompted behaviour change in at least one participant.

CONCLUSIONS

Mixed evidence was found for intervention feasibility and acceptability. Whilst the information was deemed relevant and of value, further development is required to increase its novelty. It may also be more fruitful to provide this information via employers, to encourage and emphasise employer endorsement.

Relationship between Mental Health and Emotional Eating during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Obesity is one of the most dangerous epidemics of the 21st century. In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began and caused many deaths among patients with obesity with and without complications. Simultaneously, the lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a host of emotional problems including anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Many people began to cope with their emotions by increasing food (emotional eating) and alcohol consumption and in combination with decreased physical activity, promoted the development of overweight and obesity. Emotional eating, also known as stress eating, is defined as the propensity to eat in response to positive and negative emotions and not physical need. It should be noted that emotional eating may be the first step in the development of binge eating disorder and its extreme subtypes such as food addiction. Interestingly in some post-bariatric surgery patients, an increased frequency of addictive disorders has been observed, for example food addiction replaced by alcohol addiction called: “cross addiction” or “addiction transfer”. This data indicates that obesity should be treated as a psychosomatic disease, in the development of which external factors causing the formation of negative emotions may play a significant role. Currently, one of these factors is the COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript discusses the relationships between the COVID-19 pandemic and development of emotional eating as well as potential implications of the viral pandemic on the obesity pandemic, and the need to change the approach to the treatment of obesity in the future.

Prevalence of Emotional Eating in Groups of Students with Varied Diets and Physical Activity in Poland

Background: Emotional eating (EE) is not a separate eating disorder, but rather a type of behavior within a group of various eating behaviors that are influenced by habits, stress, emotions, and individual attitudes toward eating. The relationship between eating and emotions can be considered on two parallel levels: psychological and physiological. In the case of the psychological response, stress generates a variety of bodily responses relating to coping with stress. Objective: Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the prevalence of emotional eating in groups of students in health-related and non-health-related fields in terms of their differential health behaviors—diet and physical activity levels. Material and Methods: The cross-sectional survey study included 300 individuals representing two groups of students distinguished by their fields of study—one group was in health-related fields (HRF) and the other was in non-health-related fields (NRF). The study used standardized questionnaires: the PSS-10 and TFEQ-13. Results: The gender of the subjects was as follows: women, 60.0% (174 subjects) (HRF: 47.1%, n= 82; NRF: 52.9%, n = 92); men, 40.0% (116 subjects) (HRF: 53.4%, n = 62; NRF: 46.6%, n = 54). The age of the subjects was 26 years (±2 years). Based on the results of the TFEQ-13, among 120 subjects (41.4%) there were behaviors consistent with limiting food intake (HRF: 72.4%; NRF: 11.0%), while 64 subjects (20.7%) were characterized by a lack of control over food intake (HRF: 13.8%, 20 subjects; NRF: 27.4%, 20 subjects). Emotional eating was characteristic of 106 students (37.9%), with the NRF group dominating (61.6%, n = 90). It was observed that a high PSS-10 score is mainly characteristic of individuals who exhibit EE. Conclusions: The results obtained in the study indicate that lifestyle can have a real impact on the development of emotional eating problems. Individuals who are characterized by elevated BMI values, unhealthy diets, low rates of physical activity, who underestimate meal size in terms of weight and calories, and have high-stress feelings are more likely to develop emotional eating. These results also indicate that further research in this area should be undertaken to indicate whether the relationships shown can be generalized.