Advanced Dermatology, a dermatological services provider, recently announced the results of a consumer survey which highlighted some of the healthy and unhealthy behavioral shifts reported by 2,022 American adults a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
 
During the 2020 pandemic, 74% of respondents said that they wish they’d taken better care of themselves during the past year, including many who admitted to sub-par skincare. 37% of respondents said that the reason had to do with adjusting to a new routine, and the remaining 22% attributed unhealthy habits to general carelessness.
 
 The most common reason for declines in healthy behaviors was the emotional toll of the public health crisis, namely feelings of stress and anxiety. The good news is that 61% of the respondents who say they should’ve taken better care of themselves have already started to make progress toward healthier lifestyles.
 
Not surprisingly, much of the attention was on weight gain. 61% of respondents said they’ve gained weight during the pandemic, an average of ten pounds per person. Of note is the fact that obesity is one of the primary comorbidities of COVID-19.
 
“We asked people why they think they gained weight,” Advanced Dermatology reported. “The reasons are unsurprising, but not always as simple as eating more and moving less. For example, one in five said part of their weight gain was due to not feeling the pressure of having to see other people in social situations.”
 
Other reasons included “I’m around food more at home,” “It’s a way to cope with stress,” and “I’m less physically active.”
 
Looking beyond weight gain, in particular, consumers were asked about a broad range of unhealthy behaviors known to correlate with unique pressures of life during the pandemic. These included lack of time spent outdoors, poor posture (which more than half of the participants said they suffer from), poor skincare/grooming, not enough sleep, and drinking more.
 
Some, however, took the opportunity to make positive changes in their lives. While bad habits were more prevalent on the whole, a significant number of people bucked the trends, such as sleeping better (41%), eating healthier foods (39%), more physical activity (39%), and more.
 
With less in-person encounters as a result of social distancing, people are also loosening up on the cosmetic end, spending less time focused on how they present themselves – 77% of respondents said they’ve noticed a trend toward more casual looks, and 61% who work remotely reported that they feel less pressure to be presentable than they did in-office.
 
Fortunately, only 14% have been slacking on oral hygiene, Advanced Dermatology said. The more common low-maintenance approaches to routines included less time on outfits (49%), less time on hair (43%), less time on makeup (39%), and less shaving (34%).
 
When it comes to how people are spending the extra time they have in lieu of time spent commuting to and from the office, the top activities were more sleep, more time on the phone computer, or TV, more chores, more work, and more time on hobbies.