Changes in Dietary Habits and Eating Behaviors during COVID-19 Induced Confinement

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dietary habits (DH) and eating behaviors (EB) among adults during COVID19-induced confinement. For this purpose, an online survey designed to assess the change in DH and EB during April and May of 2020 was distributed using various social media platforms. A total of 1844 participants aged 18-72 years completed the survey. The results outlined an increase (42.5-61.8%) in most of the DH and EB examined in the current study in the majority of the participants. Among these changes, increased (p<0.05) prevalence of fruit and vegetable, immune boosters, water, and hot beverage consumption as well as decreased (p<0.05) eating in restaurants and fatty food consumption, suggesting a positive change. Conversely, a greater (p<0.05) percentage of the participants reported an increase in high-calorie food consumption and late-night eating indicating a risky behavior for obesity and subsequent chronic complications. Additionally, age, gender, obesity, education, income, and job type seem to contribute (p