Influence of the COVID-19 Lockdown on the Lifestyles and Eating Behavior of Cihan University Students

Abstract

Recent studies found that a city confinement as a result to Covid-19 outbreak resulted on eating and lifestyle behavior changes. This study investigated the influence of lockdown on eating and life style changes.  A cross-sectional study was done from December 18, 2021, to February 20, 2022.  The research composed of three parts. Part I  (6 questions) contained socio-demographic statues; section two (11 questions) studied dietary behavior through that included) a Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence using 14-scaled items with an MD screener tool ranging from 0 to 13; and section three (12 questions) studying lifestyle habit changes such as physical activity, sleeping habits, and smoking habits. The results showed that, 17% (63) of individuals that believed their lifestyle had improved, while 38.6% (143) stated it had worsened. Specifically, during lockdown, the physical activity frequency seems  reduced from 50% (185) to 33% (127), and sleeping hours for those sleeping more than 9 hours were dramatically raised from 17% to 31.4%. In terms of eating habits, 36.8% of participants stated appetite improvement, whereas 22.7% reported a decrease. The appetite change during confinement  was not connected with body mass index, although it was significantly associated with weight change (p =0.0001). Similarly, 47% of participant said they had gained weight. The data also showed that 67% (248) medium adhered to MD diet. Thus, the Covid-19 lockdown has negatively affected both lifestyle and eating behavior of the students.