Health Behaviors and Health Status in Couples Experiencing Pandemic Stress

Abstract

When individuals are in duress, they often neglect health habits. Research shows romantic partners often adopt similar health habits. This study sought to examine the relationship between health habits and current health status as couples endured the winter (2020–2021) peak of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed gender couples ( N = 228) completed this ecological momentary assessment designed study over a 2-week period. Regression analysis tested the relationship between physical health status and health habits including healthy weekday eating, weekend emotional eating, exercise, sleep quality, troubled sleep, tobacco use, and alcohol use. Tobacco and alcohol use were not significant, and all other predictors were significant. Next, we tested actor partner effects between physical health status and health habits using the predictors that were significant in the regression model. Weekday healthy eating and sleep quality were related to physical health status for both men and women. Weekend emotional eating was related to health status for women. Exercise showed actor effects for women only and partner effects for men only. Sleep quality showed partner effects for men only. Surprisingly, our findings showed no potential regulatory effects for men regulating women's physical health status through their health habits. However, women's health habits were related to their male partners’ physical health status. This adds to the growing body of research showing a regulatory effect for women to men in different-gender relationships.