Changes in Eating Habits and Lifestyles in a Peruvian Population during Social Isolation for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background. Peru has one of the highest infection and death rates in the world for the COVID-19 pandemic. The government implemented house confinement measures with probable consequences on lifestyle, particularly affecting eating habits, physical activity, sleep quality, and mental health. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyles, physical activity, and sleep characteristics, as well as changes in eating habits in a Peruvian population during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed. We analyzed Peruvian adults based on an online self-administered questionnaire divided into sociodemographic, anthropometrics, COVID-19 diagnosis reported, lifestyle habits, and frequency of consumption of foods. Results. During confinement for COVID-19, 1176 participants were studied. Of these, most reported weight gain (1 to 3 kg) and 35.7% were overweight. The lifestyles habits showed that 54.8% reported doing physical activity and 37.2% sleep less. The Peruvian sample presented a main meal pattern of breakfast (95.7%), lunch (97.5%), and dinner (89.1%). Likewise, eating habits before and during COVID-19 pandemic showed that vegetables (OR:1.56, CI95% 1.21–200), fruit (OR: 1.42, CI95% 1.10–1.81), legumes (OR:1.67, CI95% 1.23–2.28), and eggs (OR: 2.00, CI95% 1.52–2.65) presented significant consumption increase during social isolation, while bakery products (OR: 0.74, CI95% 0.56–0.97), meat, snack, refreshment, and fast food decreased in consumption. Other foods showed no significant differences. Conclusion. This study showed an important frequency of overweight and sleep changes. There was a slight increase in physical activity despite the social isolation measures and an increase in healthy eating habits; nevertheless, the majority reported gaining weight.

The effect of COVID‐19 pandemic on lifestyle‐related behaviours in Turkey: A web‐based cross‐sectional study

“…In the current study, more than half of the participants experienced weight gain during COVID‐19 pandemic. Likewise, Özenoğlu et al (2021) and Önal et al (2021) found in their studies in Turkey that people gained weight during the pandemic, which was compatible with the evidence from the international literature (Abdulsalam et al, 2021; Catucci et al, 2021; di Renzo et al, 2020; Huancahuire‐Vega et al, 2021). Weight gain was attributed to increased unhealthy food consumption and decreased physical activity (Bakaloudi et al, 2021; Zachary et al, 2020).…”

“…Similarly, several studies performed in some countries during the lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic also revealed a rise in consumption of unhealthy food (Alfawaz et al, 2021; Ammar et al, 2020; Catucci et al, 2021; Górnicka et al, 2020; Sánchez‐Sánchez et al, 2020; Scarmozzino & Visioli, 2020). However, some studies have shown an increase in consumption of healthy food during the lockdown (Chopra, Ranjan, Singh, et al, 2020; Guzek et al, 2021; Huancahuire‐Vega et al, 2021). The reason for the conflicting evidence can be that measures taken during the lockdown change from country to country and that eating habits differ between cultures.…”

“…These factors, which create stress and anxiety, lead to an impaired quality of sleep (Chopra, Ranjan, Singh, et al, 2020; Sher, 2020; Znazen et al, 2021). Several studies have demonstrated that while sleep duration increased, sleep quality decreased (Alothman et al, 2021; Huancahuire‐Vega et al, 2021; Kaur et al, 2021; Kolokotroni et al, 2021).…”

Telehealth-based interventions on lifestyle, body mass index, and glucose concentration in university staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A pre-experimental study

“…Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19), which was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, caused major impacts on the lifestyle and physical and mental health status of faculty, staff, university students, and the general population. 1,2 The negative impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis on the daily lives of people working in educational centers are evident due to the changes observed in the levels and frequency of physical activity, quality and duration of sleep, food preparation and consumption, and body weight status. [3][4][5] On the other hand, previous studies have shown a significant deterioration in glucose control during the pandemic.…”

Asociación entre hábitos alimentarios, actividad física y calidad de sueño en adolescentes mujeres de una institución educativa pública de Lima, 2021

“…Huancahuire-Vega S .et al (29) , en el 2021 en Perú buscaba evaluar los estilos de vida, las características del sueño, los niveles de actividad física y los cambios en los hábitos alimentarios en peruanos de entre 18 a 70 años durante el periodo de aislamiento social en primera ola de la pandemia de SARS-CoV-2. En el estudio participaron 1176 personas, entre hombres y mujeres de las diferentes regiones del Perú, que realizaron un cuestionario autoaplicado virtual elaborado por los autores del estudio que contenía preguntas sobre datos sociodemográficas, actividad física, hábitos alimentarios y características de sueño.…”