THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON DIETARY HABITS OF THE ADULT POPULATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Obzirom na pandemiju COVID-19 koja je zahvatila cijeli svijet i utjecala na mnoge aspekte naših života, ovo istraživanje imalo je za cilj ispitati utjecaj pandemije COVID-19 na promjenu prehrambenih navika i ponašanja odraslog stanovništva u Republici Hrvatskoj. Dodatni cilj bio je utvrditi da li je došlo do promjene tjelesne mase ispitanika u odnosu na razdoblje prije pandemije te postoje li razlike s obzirom na spol, dob, obrazovni status i status zaposlenosti. Istraživanje je provedeno anketnim upitnikom putem interneta u periodu od travnja do lipnja 2021. godine. Sudjelovalo je ukupno 297 ispitanika od kojih većinu čine osobe ženskog spola (75%). Najviše ispitanika je u dobnoj skupini od 20 do 29 godina. Među ispitanicima visok je udio pušača (32%), kao i onih koji konzumiraju alkohol (68%). Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazuju da je trećina ispitanika povećala tjelesnu masu (34.6%), većina je zadržala istu (48.8%), a ostali su reducirali tjelesnu masu. Činjenica da je u čak trećine ispitanika došlo do porasta tjelesne mase za vrijeme pandemije je zabrinjavajući podatak, ali u skladu s rezultatima sličnih istraživanja. Međutim s druge strane dobiveni rezultati iznenađuju s obzirom da se većina ispitanika izjasnila da je u vrijeme pandemije povećala unos povrća u odnosu na vrijeme prije pandemije bez značajnije promjene u konzumaciji ostalih skupina namirnica. Nije utvrđena povezanost promjene tjelesne mase s obzirom na spol, dob, zaposlenost, obrazovanje te konzumaciju alkohola i duhanskih proizvoda. Nadalje, tjelesna aktivnost nije utjecala na promjenu tjelesne mase jer se većina ispitanika izjasnila da nije mijenjala razinu tjelesne aktivnosti u odnosu na vrijeme prije pandemije. Većina ispitanika se izjasnila da je izložena većoj razini stresa što se nije odrazilo na duljinu i kvalitetu sna. Među zaposlenim ljudima uočena je češća konzumacija brze hrane, u odnosu na nezaposlene. Podatak koji nije u skladu s očekivanim je da žene konzumiraju meso češće od muškaraca. I ovo istraživanje potvrđuje potrebu o podizanju svijesti o negativnim posljedicama pandemije COVID-19 na zdravlje te važnosti pravilnog načina prehrane i redovite tjelesne aktivnosti u ova izazovna vremena.Considering the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the whole world and many aspects of our lives, this research aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the chnage of eating habits and behavior of the adult population in the Republic of Croatia. An additional aim was to determine whether there was a change in the body weight of the respondents compared to the period before the pandemic and if there were differences considering to gender, age, educational and employment status. The research was conducted with an online survey questionnare in the period from April to June 2021. A total of 297 respondents participated, most of whom were female (75%). Most of them are in the age group of 20 to 29 years. Among the respondents, there is a high percentage of smokers (32%), ae well as those who consume alcohol (68%). The results of this study show that one third of the subjects gained weight (34.6%), the majority maintained the same weight (48.8%), and the rest reduced their body weight. The fact that as many as a third of the respondents gained weight during the pandemic is a worrying, but in line with the results of similar research. However, on the other hand, the obtained results are surprising considering that the majority of respondents stated that at the time of the pandemic they increased their vegetable intake compared to the time before the pandemic, without a significant change in the consumption of other food groups. No correlation was found between body weight change with regard to gender, age, employment, education, and consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. Furthermore, physical activity did not affect the change in body weight as the majority of respondents stated that the level of their physical activity did not change compared to the time before the pandemic. Most respondents stated that they were exposed to the higher level of stress which did not affect the length and quality of sleep. More frequent consumption of fast food was reported by the employed compared to the unemployed participants. Data that is not in line with the expetations is that women consume more meat than men. This research confirms as well the need to raise the awareness about the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and the importance of a proper diet and regular physical activity during this challenging times