The Effects of Quarantine and Corona Virus on Dietary Habits, Physical Activity, and Anthropometric Indices

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Technologies, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Deputy of Research of National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.

3 Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

4 PhD in Nutritional Sciences, Department of Community Nutrition, Deputy of Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Numerous changes occurred in economic, social, and medical fields following the onset of Coronavirus (COVID-19), including lifestyle and dietary habits. This study examined dietary habits, physical activity, and individuals' anthropometric indices during quarantine due to the lack of research on quarantine's effects on lifestyle changes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on adults based on inclusion and exclusion criteria during the COVID-19 quarantine period. Participants were asked to complete a 10- to 15-minute online survey regarding their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic variables and surveys related to eating habits, lifestyle behaviors, and the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity and health were investigated. SPSS 22.0 was used to analyze all data, and the significance level was less than 0.05. Results: A total of 630 participants were enrolled in this study, of whom 537 (85.2%) were women, and their mean age was 38.12 + 3.25 years (range: 19-58). The average of all anthropometric profiles, in general and gender-specific, was significantly higher during quarantine than before (P<0.001 for all). Moderate and high levels of activity were significantly higher before quarantine than during quarantine, while low levels of activity increased significantly during quarantine (P<0.001 for all). The most consumed food groups included fruits (72.9%) and meat (63.8%). Carbonated drinks (16.7%) and fats and oils (21%) were less consumed than other food groups. The most critical factors affecting BMI during quarantine included fat-free body weight before quarantine (importance coefficient (IC) = 0.4097), weight before quarantine (IC = 0.2398), and gender (IC = 0.4097). Conclusions: Based on the results, quarantine probably increased obesity prevalence, altered diet habits, and decreased physical activity levels among individuals. Expanding health development programs is essential to promote healthy lifestyles in communities during quarantine.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Li G, Hu R, Gu X. A close-up on COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2020;30(7):1057-60.
  2. Yadav M. Understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19. Eur J Biol Res. 2020;10(2):105-17.
  3. Javanian M, Masrour-Roudsari J, Bayani M, Ebrahimpour S. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): What we need to know. Caspian J Intern Med. 2020;11(2):235-6.
  4. Parmet W, Sinha M. Covid-19-La ley y los límites de la cuarentena. N Engl J Med. 2020;18.
  5. Anderson RM, Heesterbeek H, Klinkenberg D, Hollingsworth TD. How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic?. Lancet. 2020;395(10228):931-4.
  6. Caulfield T. Pseudoscience and COVID-19 - we've had enough already. Nature. 2020.
  7. Mattioli AV, Ballerini Puviani M. Lifestyle at Time of COVID-19: How Could Quarantine Affect Cardiovascular Risk. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2020;14(3):240-2.
  8. Conway TL, Vickers RR, Jr., Ward HW, Rahe RH. Occupational stress and variation in cigarette, coffee, and alcohol consumption. J Health Soc Behav. 1981;22(2):155-65.
  9. Sciomer S, Moscucci F, Maffei S, Gallina S, Mattioli AV. Prevention of cardiovascular risk factors in women: The lifestyle paradox and stereotypes we need to defeat. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019;26(6):609-10.
  10. Najera H, Nandy S, Carrillo-Larco RM, Miranda JJ. Within-country migration and obesity dynamics: analysis of 94,783 women from the Peruvian demographic and health surveys. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):263.
  11. Di Renzo L, Gualtieri P, Cinelli G, Bigioni G, Soldati L, Attinà A, et al. Psychological Aspects and Eating Habits during COVID-19 Home Confinement: Results of EHLC-COVID-19 Italian Online Survey. Nutrients. 2020;12(7).
  12. Chaput JP, Dutil C. Lack of sleep as a contributor to obesity in adolescents: impacts on eating and activity behaviors. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2016;13(1):103.
  13. Shahriarirad R, Khodamoradi Z, Erfani A, Hosseinpour H, Ranjbar K, Emami Y, et al. Epidemiological and clinical features of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in the South of Iran. BMC Infect Dis. 2020;20(1):427.
  14. Sanders JM, Monogue ML, Jodlowski TZ, Cutrell JB. Pharmacologic Treatments for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review. JAMA. 2020;323(18):1824-36.
  15. Al-Rubeaan K, Bawazeer N, Al Farsi Y, Youssef AM, Al-Yahya AA, AlQumaidi H, et al. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Saudi Arabia - a cross sectional study. BMC Endocr Disord. 2018;18(1):16.
  16. Palaiodimos L, Kokkinidis DG, Li W, Karamanis D, Ognibene J, Arora S, et al. Severe obesity, increasing age and male sex are independently associated with worse in-hospital outcomes, and higher in-hospital mortality, in a cohort of patients with COVID-19 in the Bronx, New York. Metabolism. 2020;108:154262.
  17. Flint SW, Tahrani AA. COVID-19 and obesity-lack of clarity, guidance, and implications for care. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020;8(6):474-5.
  18. Scarmozzino F, Visioli F. Covid-19 and the Subsequent Lockdown Modified Dietary Habits of Almost Half the Population in an Italian Sample. Foods. 2020;9(5):675.
  19. Popkin BM, Du S, Green WD, Beck MA, Algaith T, Herbst CH, et al. Individuals with obesity and COVID-19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and biological relationships. Obes Rev. 2020;21(11):e13128.
  20. Cicero AFG, Fogacci F, Giovannini M, Mezzadri M, Grandi E, Borghi C, et al. COVID-19-Related Quarantine Effect on Dietary Habits in a Northern Italian Rural Population: Data from the Brisighella Heart Study. Nutrients. 2021;13(2).
  21. Al-Domi H, Al-Dalaeen A, Al-Rosan S, Batarseh N, Nawaiseh H. Healthy nutritional behavior during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2021;42:132-7.
  22. Clemmensen C, Petersen MB, Sørensen TIA. Will the COVID-19 pandemic worsen the obesity epidemic? Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2020;16(9):469-70.
  23. Almandoz JP, Xie L, Schellinger JN, Mathew MS, Gazda C, Ofori A, et al. Impact of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders on weight-related behaviours among patients with obesity. Clin Obes. 2020;10(5):e12386.
  24. Iversen T, Soskice D. 5. The politics of the knowledge economy and the rise of populism. democracy and prosperity. Princeton University Press; 2019; 216-56.
  25. Petrou P, Gothelf Y, Argov Z, Gotkine M, Levy YS, Kassis I, et al. Safety and Clinical Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Secreting Neurotrophic Factor Transplantation in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Results of Phase 1/2 and 2a Clinical Trials. JAMA Neurol. 2016;73(3):337-44.
  26. Kim D, Subramanian SV, Gortmaker SL, Kawachi I. US state- and county-level social capital in relation to obesity and physical inactivity: a multilevel, multivariable analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2006;63(4):1045-59.
  27. Maniscalco JW, Kreisler AD, Rinaman L. Satiation and stress-induced hypophagia: examining the role of hindbrain neurons expressing prolactin-releasing Peptide or glucagon-like Peptide 1. Front Neurosci. 2012;6:199.
  28. Razzoli M, Bartolomucci A. The Dichotomous Effect of Chronic Stress on Obesity. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2016;27(7):504-15.
  29. Finer N, Garnett S, Bruun J. COVID 19 e obesidade. Obesidade Clínica. 2020;10(3).
  30. Yu J, Lv Y, Di W, Liu J, Kong X, Sheng Y, et al. MiR-27b-3p Regulation in Browning of Human Visceral Adipose Related to Central Obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018;26(2):387-96.
  31. Parameswaran K, Todd DC, Soth M. Altered respiratory physiology in obesity. Can Respir J. 2006;13(4):203-10.
  32. Liu J, Rehm CD, Micha R, Mozaffarian D. Quality of meals consumed by us adults at full-service and fast-food restaurants, 2003-2016: persistent low quality and widening disparities. J Nutr. 2020;150(4):873-83.
  33. Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015;10(2):227-37.
  34. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults. Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627-42.
  35. Jia P, Cao X, Yang H, Dai S, He P, Huang G, et al. Green space access in the neighbourhood and childhood obesity. Obes Rev. 2021;22 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):e13100.
  36. Jia P. A changed research landscape of youth's obesogenic behaviours and environments in the post-COVID-19 era. Obes Rev. 2021;22 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):e13162.
  37. Rundle AG, Park Y, Herbstman JB, Kinsey EW, Wang YC. COVID-19-Related School Closings and Risk of Weight Gain Among Children. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(6):1008-9.
  38. Adams EL, Caccavale LJ, Smith D, Bean MK. Food Insecurity, the Home Food Environment, and Parent Feeding Practices in the Era of COVID-19. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(11):2056-63.
  39. An R. Projecting the impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on childhood obesity in the United States: A microsimulation model. J Sport Health Sci. 2020;9(4):302-12.
  40. Allabadi H, Dabis J, Aghabekian V, Khader A, Khammash U. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on dietary and lifestyle behaviours among adolescents in Palestine. Dynam Human Health. 2020;7:2170.
  41. Pietrobelli A, Pecoraro L, Ferruzzi A, Heo M, Faith M, Zoller T, et al. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Lifestyle Behaviors in Children with Obesity Living in Verona, Italy: A Longitudinal Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020;28(8):1382-5.
  42. Ruiz-Roso MB, de Carvalho Padilha P, Mantilla-Escalante DC, Ulloa N, Brun P, Acevedo-Correa D, et al. Covid-19 Confinement and Changes of Adolescent's Dietary Trends in Italy, Spain, Chile, Colombia and Brazil. Nutrients. 2020;12(6).
  43. Di Renzo L, Gualtieri P, Pivari F, Soldati L, Attinà A, Cinelli G, et al. Eating habits and lifestyle changes during COVID-19 lockdown: an Italian survey. J Transl Med. 2020;18(1):229.
Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health
Volume 12, Issue 1
March 2024
Pages 42-50

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 21 August 2023
  • Accept Date: 24 December 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics