Longitudinal Analysis of Body Weight Trends in Hispanic Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2019-2023): Insights from the N3C Data

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in March 2020, disrupted dietary habits, lifestyles, and mental health, potentially exacerbating weight-related health disparities.Existing evidence lacks a comprehensive nationwide longitudinal analysis of pandemic-related weight changes among Hispanic adults, particularly across demographic subgroups and comorbidities.OBJECTIVE: To examine national longitudinal changes in body weight among U.S. Hispanic adults during COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2023).METHODS: We utilized electronic health records from National Clinical Cohort Consortium (N3C) database (January 2019 to December 2023), covering Hispanic adults aged21 years in 2019 with complete data records over these five years.Statistical approaches included paired/independent t-tests, ANOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, McNemar-Bowker tests, and linear mixed models.RESULTS: The study included 11,452 Hispanics aged 21-83 years; 65.1% were female; 83.5% were overweight/obese at baseline.Mean weight exhibited a peak-then-decline pattern, increasing from 80.6 kg (pre-pandemic) to 81.1 kg (2021), then decreasing to 80.8 kg (2023).This trajectory persisted across demographic and clinical subgroups.Younger adults (<40 years) and under-or healthy-weight individuals continued gain weight, while older adults (>59 years) and those with obese II/III continued to lose weight.Differences in weight gain during 2019-2021 were seen in sex, race, smoking status, dietary environment, and COVID-19 infection.Chronic conditions showed divergent associations, with diabetes, stroke, cancer, kidney disease and dementia experienced weight loss.CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic adults exhibited shifts in weight patterns during COVID-19 pandemic, with significant disparities observed across population subgroups.These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions that address the prolonged metabolic impacts of the pandemic in this population.