Will Our Trousers Fit After the Quarantine? Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns and Digital Social Support on Personal Health Choices

Abstract

Abstract Background: In this paper, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 lock-downs on individual health choices, especially weight management. Method: Exploiting rich consumer-level data, we find that introducing the shelter-in-place (SIP) order leads to a significant increase in calorie consumption, an increase in the weekly number of calories burned via physical exercise (by 39.845 units), and a one percentage point reduction in the probability of being obese. Results: Result suggests that individuals with active text-based coach messaging are more likely to achieve their health investment goals compared with their inactive counterparts. Concretely, more digitally active people increase their inputs in managing calorie consumption by setting a more restrictive calorie budget than those receiving less text-based coach messaging. Conclusion: These results indicate that reducing obesity via these SIP orders and digital social support during the pandemic saved the U.S. health care system $1.47 billion. JEL codes: I12, I18, I31