The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and diet, physical activity, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight longitudinal population surveys.

Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College, London, UK. MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK. jane.maddock@ucl.ac.uk. MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK. Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, UK. MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK. Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute, University College, London, UK. g.ploubidis@ucl.ac.uk.

BMC medicine. 2022;(1):147
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Abstract

BACKGROUND In March 2020, the UK implemented the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) to minimise 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 on 25,092 participants aged 16-66 years from eight UK longitudinal studies. Changes in employment, including being furloughed, were based on employment status before and during the first lockdown. Health behaviours included fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and sleep. 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; [95% CI 0.75-0.97]; I 2 = 59%) and did not differ overall with respect to low fruit and vegetable consumption or atypical sleep, although findings for sleep were heterogenous (I 2 = 85%). In stratified analyses, furlough was associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption among males (RR = 1.11; [1.01-1.22]; I 2 = 0%) but not females (RR = 0.84; [0.68-1.04]; I 2 = 65%). Considering changes in quantity, furloughed workers were more likely than those who remained working to report increases in fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, and hours of sleep. CONCLUSIONS Those furloughed exhibited similar health behaviours to those who remained in employment during the initial stages of the pandemic. There was little evidence to suggest that adoption of such social protection policies in the post-pandemic recovery period and during future economic crises had adverse effects on population health behaviours.

Methodological quality

Publication Type : Meta-Analysis

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