Abstract
To assess changes in daily habits, food choices and lifestyle of adult Brazilians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This observational study was carried out with Brazilian adults through an online questionnaire 5 months after the social distance measures implementation. The McNemar, McNemar–Bowker and Wilcoxon tests were used to investigate differences before and during the COVID pandemic period, adopting the statistical significance of P < 0·05. Brazil. Totally, 1368 volunteers aged 18+ years. The volunteers reported a lower frequency of breakfast, morning and lunch snacks (P < 0·05) and a higher frequency of evening snacks and other meal categories during the pandemic period (P < 0·05). The results showed an increase in the consumption of bakery products, instant meals and fast food, while the consumption of vegetables and fruits decreased (P < 0·005). There was a significant increase in the frequency of consumption of alcoholic beverages (P < 0·001), but a reduction in the dose (P < 0·001), increased frequency of smoking (P = 0·007), an increase in sleep and screen time in hours and decrease in physical activity (P < 0·001). It was possible to observe an increase in screen time, hours of sleep, smoking and drinking frequency. On the other hand, there was a reduction in the dose of alcoholic beverages but also in the practice of physical activity. Eating habits also changed, reducing the performance of daytime meals and increasing the performance of nighttime meals. The frequency of consumption of instant meals and fast food has increased, while consumption of fruits and vegetables has decreased.
Highlights
Study design and participants This is an observational study conducted with the Brazilian population, in which data related to daily habits, lifestyle and eating habits were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic
There were significant differences between the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the frequency of alcohol consumption, smoking habits, screen time, physical activity and sleeping time (Table 2). These results indicated an increase in the frequency of consumption of alcoholic beverages, but a reduction in the dose, an increase in the frequency of smoking, but no significant difference in the number of cigarettes smoked per day, an increase in sleep and screen time in hours and a reduction in physical activity in terms of frequency and weekly minutes
This study was dedicated to investigate the changes in daily habits, food choices and lifestyle of adult Brazilians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Studies carried out in different populations have already identified that the security measures adopted to face the new coronavirus, as the lockdown and home quarantine, promoted a lot of changes[4] and interfered in habits and lifestyle, including increased alcohol consumption and smoking frequency[5], reduced physical activity[6] and changes in dietary patterns and food purchases[7,8,9]. Study design and participants This is an observational study conducted with the Brazilian population, in which data related to daily habits (variables related to time and form of work and time of sleep), lifestyle (screen time, smoking and drinking habits and physical activity) and eating habits were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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