Sitting Time and Screen Time are not associated with Body Weight and Body Mass Index Changes during Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has made significant changes in life. Sedentary lifestyle, increased usage of gadget, and increased sitting duration could lead to body weight and nutritional status changes. This study aimed to analyze the differences of sitting and screen time with weight changes and body mass index (BMI). Methods:: Online cross-sectional survey performed among 401 individuals older than 18 years in Surabaya. Self-administered questionnaire included questions related to sedentary activities, namely sitting and using gadget duration in a day. Self-reported weight and height before and during pandemic were used to calculate BMI before and during COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis used the Chi-square test. Results: Study found that 47.9% of respondents did not experience significant changes in their body weight before and during COVID-19 pandemic. People who experienced no change in their body weight spent less than 6 hours sitting (50.8%) and people who experienced weight loss spent more than six hours using their gadgets (59.3%). It also found that 44.6% of respondents had normal nutritional status where 45.3% used gadgets with a duration of more than 6 hours and 45.8% used the time to sit for less than 6 hours. Body weight changes and BMI changes are not significantly different compared to sitting time (p-value=0.692) and screen time (p-value=0.099) during COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: There are no association between screen time and sitting time to body weight and BMI during pandemic COVID-19.