The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and diet, physical activity, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight longitudinal population surveys
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Background In March 2020 the UK implemented the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) to minimize job losses. Our aim was to investigate associations between furlough and diet, physical activity, and sleep during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We analysed data from 25,092 participants aged 16 to 66 years from eight UK longitudinal studies. Changes in employment (including being furloughed) were defined by comparing employment status pre- and during the first lockdown. Health behaviours included fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and sleeping patterns. Study-specific estimates obtained using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and pre-pandemic health and health behaviours, were statistically pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Associations were also stratified by sex, age, and education. Results Across studies, between 8 and 25% of participants were furloughed. Compared to those who remained working, furloughed workers were slightly less likely to be physically inactive (RR:0.85, [0.75-0.97], I 2= 59%) and did not differ in diet and sleep behaviours, although findings for sleep were heterogenous (I 2= 85%). In stratified analyses, furlough was associated with low fruit and vegetable consumption among males (RR=1.11; 95%CI: 1.01-1.22; I 2 : 0%) but not females (RR=0.84; 95%CI: 0.68-1.04; I 2 : 65%). Considering change in these health behaviours, furloughed workers were more likely than those who remained working to report increased fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, and hours of sleep. Conclusions Those furloughed exhibited broadly similar levels of health behaviours to those who remained in employment during the initial stages of the pandemic. There was little evidence to suggest that such social protection policies if used in the post-pandemic recovery period and during future economic crises would have adverse impacts on population health behaviours.
Source: BMC Medicine
Authors: Bożena Wielgoszewska, Jane Maddock, Michael J. Green, Giorgio Di Gessa, Sam Parsons, Gareth J Griffith, Jazz Croft, Anna J. Stevenson, Charlotte Booth, Richard J. Silverwood, David Bann, Praveetha Patalay, Alun D. Hughes, Nish Chaturvedi, Laura D Howe, Emla Fitzsimons, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, George B. Ploubidis
Language: English
Topic: COVID-19 and Mental Health
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,690
Funders: University of Essex, Wellcome Trust, Scottish Government, UK Research and Innovation, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Scottish Funding Council, Health and Safety Executive, Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate, Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council
Awards: G1278851761, Understanding Society Waves 6 to 8, G162713286, Understanding the economic, social and health impacts of COVID-19 using lifetime data: evidence from 5 nationally representative UK cohorts, Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Resource Centre 2015-20, G2162646731, G2437620908, G2473454548, G2572913257, G259633682, G2720107755, Generation Scotland:NextGenScot, G3353681036, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi- generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well- being., Generation Scotland:NextGenScot, G4069887101, G4171378011, Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally (STRADL), G5036004720, Centre for Longitudinal Studies Resource Centre 2022 - 2025, G5214497848, G5231239147, G5274634927, G5277938394, How do 'effects' differ across time? Understanding health inequalities by triangulating across multiple data sources and empirical strategies, Inequalities in health, G5694248314, Investigating the differential geographical, sociodemographic and genetic predictors of mental illness and wellbeing using longitudinal survey data, Longitudinal Study of Young People (LSYPE) data linkage, G6689231961, G6807676582, G6856951272, Millennium Cohort Study Wave 8, G801210579, G8158107655, G8159760624, G8292008543, G839044655, G8415457339, ESRC Institute for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy, G8600011123, G8724570043
OpenAlex ID: W4223503963