Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic-Induced Dietary and Lifestyle Changes and Their Associations with Perceived Health Status and Self-Reported Body Weight Changes in India: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Jagmeet Madan,Ritika Samaddar,Eram Rao,Oliver Chen,Yifang Chu,Eunice Mah,Richa Bharti,Traci Blonquist,Joshya Mehra,Varsha Shete,Ankita Marwaha,Sandhya Pandey,Nishi Sharma

doi:10.3390/nu13113682

Abstract

Home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by dramatic changes in lifestyle and dietary behaviors that can significantly influence health. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey to assess COVID-19 pandemic-induced dietary and lifestyle changes and their association with perceived health status and self-reported body weight changes among 1000 Indian adults in early 2021. Positive improvements in dietary habits, e.g., eating more nutritious (85% of participants) and home-cooked food (89%) and an increase in overall nutrition intake (79%), were observed. Sixty-five percent of participants self-reported increased oat consumption to support immunity. There were some negative changes, e.g., more binge eating (69%), eating more in between meals (67%), and increasing meal portion size (72%). Two-thirds of participants reported no change in lifestyles, whereas 21 and 23% reported an increase, and 13 and 10% reported a decrease in physical activity and sleep, respectively. Overall, 64 and 65% of participants reported an improvement in perceived health and an increase in body weight during the COVID-19 period compared to pre-COVID-19, respectively. The top motivations for improving dietary habits included improving physical and mental health and building immunity. In conclusion, the overall perceived health was improved and there was an increase in self-reported body weight in most participants during COVID-19. Diet emerged as the most crucial determinant for these changes.

Highlights

The implementation of measures, such as closing borders, home confinement, quarantine, and physical distancing, are crucial for controlling pandemics such as COVID-19, which has posed a global public health emergency threat since early 2019. Despite their apparent benefits to safety and health related to pandemics, these measures can have a significant repercussion on health and well-being because they can drastically and suddenly alter lifestyle behaviors of people in confinement, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, mealtime, sleep pattern, and alcohol use [1,2,3,4,5]
Changes in lifestyle and dietary habits resulting from stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 period can affect perceived health status since this can be influenced by psychological well-being and access to adequate nutrition and exercise space or equipment [27,28,29]
This observation appears in line with the results of a cross-national online survey administered during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, which showed that 41% of participants in India rated their health status high as compared to much smaller percentages in China, Italy, and Japan [19]

Summary

Introduction

The implementation of measures, such as closing borders, home confinement, quarantine, and physical (social) distancing, are crucial for controlling pandemics such as COVID-19, which has posed a global public health emergency threat since early 2019 Despite their apparent benefits to safety and health related to pandemics, these measures can have a significant repercussion on health and well-being because they can drastically and suddenly alter lifestyle behaviors of people in confinement, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, mealtime, sleep pattern, and alcohol use [1,2,3,4,5]. Long-term isolation from staying home can negatively impact mental health, potentially leading to disorders such as depression and anxiety The consequences of these behavior changes can be impactful if the negative habits established during this challenging time remain after lifting of the COVID-19-related policies

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion