Changes in the eating behavior of highly educated adults during the different stages of home confinement by COVID-19 in Iberoamerica

Abstract

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments of affected countries to implement preventive measures including quarantine or house confinement. This situation has generally been seen to have affected the dietary patterns of the population. Objective: to evaluate changes in dietary habits and food acquisition during the different stages of home confinement caused by COVID-19 in the highly educated adult population in different Latin American countries. Methods: an observational and cross-sectional study was carried out in which 9,572 people from 58 different countries and with university studies participated. The instrument used for data collection was a survey designed by the International Ibero-American University of Mexico (UNINI-México) to study food habits during home confinement due to COVID-19 as part of the HALCON-COVID-19 study. Results: most of the respondents indicated having maintained their weight during quarantine (57.3 %), although they reported having reduced their physical activity (23.9 %) and eliminated the consumption of ultra-processed foods (53.4 %), alcoholic beverages (43.3 %), chocolates and sweets (41.1 %), while including vegetables (37.7 %), fruits (37 %) and eggs (30.6 %) in their diet. Conclusions: people who usually do not eat healthily have been even more affected in the way they eat during confinement, reducing their physical activity and increasing their body weight, while those with healthier lifestyles have not changed their habits or even maintained their healthy lifestyles during the pandemic.