Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on eating habits of the Turkish population Eating habits in Covid-19

Abstract

Aim: This study was planned in order to reveal how the quarantine process applied in Turkey due to the pandemic has affected the eating habits of our society.

Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional comparative survey study. The study was carried out using the Attitude Scale for Healthy Nutrition and sociodemographic data in the cities located in the west of Turkey: Eskisehir, Ankara, and Afyonkarahisar. The survey was applied twice to measure pre-quarantine and post-quarantine information, and completed by reaching 306 people via social media.

Results: The majority of the participants in the study were women. The educational and socio-economic levels of the participants were found to be high. The body mass index of the majority of the participants in the study was in the normal or healthy weight status before quarantine, while it shifted to the overweight status after quarantine. The total score of the Attitude Scale for Healthy Nutrition and the knowledge level scores about nutrition were found to be higher than before quarantine.

Discussions: Although the knowledge level of the individuals participating in the study about nutrition increased, it was found that this was not implemented much in practice. Due to the quarantine, individuals began to gain weight During the quarantine process, ready-to-eat food consumption has decreased significantly. We can say that even though the consumption of ready-to-eat food increased a little after quarantine, it did not return to the previous levels.