Changes in dietary behaviours and lifestyle as risk factors for weight gain during the covid-19 lockdown in chile: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Domiciliary confinement of people is one of the main strategies to limit the impact of COVID-19. However, lockdowns have led to changes in lifestyle, emotional health, and eating habits. We aimed to evaluate the effect of changes in dietary behaviours and lifestyle on weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown in Chile. In this crosssectional analytical study, five surveys were condensed into a single 86-item online questionnaire comprising general and sociodemographic history, eating habits before and during confinement, measurement of the emotional influence on eating behaviour, lifestyle before and during confinement, and food safety. The survey was previously validated by experts in nutrition and public health and subsequently sent to 1000 potential participants of the university community; it was kept online for 28 days to be answered. Of the 639 respondents, the mean weight gain during confinement was 1.99 kg and 0.7 units of body mass index (BMI). The increases in dietary intake of most food groups were associated with greater weight gain, BMI and percentage weight gain. Lifestyle deterioration, worsening eating habits, and increased consumption of sweet or filled cookies and cakes were the main risk factors associated with weight gain. Only 2% of BMI changes were explained by the interaction between lifestyle changes and emotional influence, whereas 64% of changes were due to a deterioration in lifestyle during confinement. In conclusion, changes in dietary behaviours (mainly increased consumption of ultra-processed foods), as well as quality of life deterioration were the main factors associated with weight gain during lockdown.

Dietary habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are work environments part of the problem?

“…The authors also found longer quarantines to be associated with a greater desire for pleasant foods. On the other hand, an increase in fruit and vegetable cooking was associated with weight loss (Navarro-Cruz et al, 2021), whereas weight gain was associated with lifestyle deterioration during confinement and not due to emotional influence. As said before, women cooked more during the pandemic, and this could be related to significantly higher healthy eating index scores in female compared to male workers (Schifferli-Castro et al, 2020).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has had important impacts on living and eating habits worldwide. Weight gains of 10% modify the brain, causing personality impairments leading to impulsiveness and lesser resistance to desires (Navarro-Cruz et al, 2021). Due to at least temporary lockdowns and teleworking, for many people eating has shifted from at work canteens and restaurants to home cooking or food delivery (Ferrante et al, 2021).…”

“…The pandemic has also changed the diet in Chile. A subnational study that surveyed students, administrative officials, and teachers of the University of Bio-Bio found the pandemic to be positive in relation to higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Navarro-Cruz et al, 2021), therefore, the confinement led in some cases to healthier dietary habits. One study carried out on a total of 700 adults found that increased cooking was higher in women compared to men, and more than a half responded to eating more than before the pandemic, including junk and fried food up to two times a week by 63% of respondents (Reyes-Olavarría et al, 2020).…”