Poor self-regulation in eating behaviour during the COVID-19 lockdown contributes to weight gain among young adults in Malaysia

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study aims to investigate physical activity, self-regulation in eating behaviour, and their associations with body weight trajectory during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown (Movement Control Order, MCO) in Malaysia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to assess physical activity and sitting time during the MCO. Self-regulation in eating behaviour was evaluated with the Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ), while weight trajectory was self-reported by the respondents. Of the 200 young adults, 82.0% were reported to be physically active during the MCO, with a weekly physical activity intensity of 4551.16 ± 4744.89 MET-minute. Young adults in this study spent 8.63 ± 4.47 hours/day on sedentary activities during the MCO. It is also noted that the majority (71.0%) had medium self-regulation in eating behaviour during the lockdown, with a mean score of 3.08 ± 0.49. Slightly more than half of the young adults (57.0%) gained weight since the MCO enforcement, with an average weight increment of 1.28 ± 0.60 kg. Findings from the multinomial logistic regression suggested that self-regulation in eating behaviour was a significant predictor for weight trajectory during the MCO. Young adults who attained a higher score in SREBQ were more likely in sustained weight (AOR = 2.514, p = 0.024, CI: 1.129–5.597) and weight loss (AOR = 2.624, p = 0.011, CI: 1.250–5.507) categories. In conclusion, poor response to food cues (poor self-regulation in eating behaviour), but not physical inactivity, led to weight gain during the MCO in Malaysia.