Health Behaviors Before And After Hurricane Helene Among Weight-loss Seeking Adults In South Carolina

PURPOSE: To examine the adherence to self-monitoring behaviors (i.e., weight, dietary intake, and physical activity) and differences in daily energy intake, physical activity, and weight before and after Hurricane Helene among adults participating in a weight loss program in South Carolina. METHODS: Adults with knee replacement participating in a 12-month weight-loss intervention were included in this secondary analysis if they self-monitored at least one of the behaviors in the 30 days before and after 09/27/2024. Self-monitoring behaviors included: (1) body weight via a smart scale, (2) energy intake via a smartphone app (> = 1000 kcal/day) and (3) steps and active minutes via a fitness tracker (> = 1000 steps/day). Multilevel logistic regression models were used to predict the likelihood of adhering to the self-monitoring behaviors after vs before the hurricane. Multilevel linear regression models with piece-wise analysis predicted differences in daily energy intake, physical activity and body mass between the two time periods. RESULTS: Participants (N = 26) were 73.1% female, 66.3 + 7.1 years and 32.4 ± 4.2 kg/m2 at randomization and had spent 134 ± 108 days in the weight loss program at the time of analysis. After the hurricane, participants were 62% less likely to self-monitor body weight (OR = 0.38, p < .001). Body weight decreased during both time periods; however, the slope was steeper before the hurricane (t = -7.51 vs -4.71) suggesting decreases in body mass occurred faster before the disaster. After the hurricane, participants increased the number of steps taken daily (+30.21 steps/day, p < .01) as compared to before. No other significant differences in adherence or behaviors were found. CONCLUSION: Following Hurricane Helene, adults with knee replacement living in South Carolina and participating in a weight-loss intervention were less likely to self-monitor certain health behaviors. However, participants took more daily steps following the disaster, perhaps due to clean up or related activities and continued to lose weight albeit at a reduced rate. These findings could help inform post-disaster efforts to encourage healthy behaviors. Supported by: R01AG070004