Has the pandemic affected academic personnel’s nutrition habits in Türkiye?

Abstract

Objective Analyze the impact of the pandemic period on the healthy living, nutrition and anxiety states of university academic personnel. Methods Cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 507 academic personnel from Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Türkiye. Changes in consumption amounts of food and beverages and lifestyle were determined through a prepared questionnaire, and anxiety states were determined through the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Statistical analyses of the study were performed with IBM®SPSS® 23.0 program. The Pearson Chi-square test, Yates correction, and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare variables. Results During the pandemic, the rate of eating and the use of additional vitamins and minerals were significantly higher in women (p=0.03, p<0.001, respectively). In the pandemic period, male participants consumed more fish than women (p=0.037), and women consumed more coffee than men during this period (p=0.004). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, those who regularly eat breakfast have increased, while those who regularly eat lunch and dinner have decreased. It was determined that as the BAI score increased, the sleep duration gradually decreased (p=0.001), and the consumption of canned food and the use of takeaway food increased (p=0.011, p=0.001, respectively). It was stated that the weight of the participants increased, except for those with minimal anxiety. Conclusion It was found that most of the participants tended to consume more food during the pandemic period. It was observed that the rate of those who gained weight during the pandemic was higher. Despite this, it has been determined that healthier choices are made as the consumption of some food increases. The level of anxiety was found to be more positive than in some similar studies. Education level may have a partial effect on choosing healthy food and coping with anxiety.