Health behaviors and obesity impacts of remote work patterns during the late COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Many studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have associated working from home with decreased physical activity, increased alcohol consumption, and weight gain, primarily under strict lockdown conditions. We examined how change in the amount of remote work from the pre-pandemic to the later phase of the pandemic influenced health behaviors, accounting for various family- and work-related factors. Methods Using data from 8,195 participants in the 2022 wave of the Swedish Longitudinal Survey of Health, we employed logistic regression to examine associations between changes in the extent of remote work from the pre-pandemic to the late pandemic period and three outcomes: physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, and obesity. The models were adjusted in three steps: first for age and sex; then for civil status, number of children under 12, and occupation; and finally for job stress, work-family conflict, and family-work conflict. Results Individuals who decreased work from home had 17% higher odds of being physically inactive (fully adjusted model OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00-1.37) compared to those who did not change their amount of work from during late pandemic. Changes in work from home were not significantly associated with excessive alcohol consumption or obesity. However, there was a tendency for those who decreased work from home to have higher odds of excessive alcohol consumption (OR: 1.05, 0.83-1.34) and obesity (OR: 1.08, 0.94-1.24), although these associations did not reach statistical significance Conclusions While associations were modest, the results suggest that maintaining or increasing remote work may contribute to healthier behavior patterns in some contexts. These findings can inform workplace policies aimed at promoting health via flexible work arrangements. Enhancing access to remote work options could be a low-cost, scalable intervention to support physical activity, particularly in settings with limited public health resources. Key messages • Maintaining remote work may help reduce physical inactivity in post-pandemic contexts. • Flexible work policies could support health promotion in the workforce.