Reported Changes in Dietary Habits During the COVID-19 Lockdown in the Danish Population: The Danish COVIDiet Study

Davide Giacalone, Michael Bom Frøst, Celia Rodríguez-Pérez, Davide Giacalone, Michael Bom Frøst, Celia Rodríguez-Pérez

Abstract

This paper focuses on the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the dietary habits of adult Danes. Two aspects were specifically considered: 1) reported changes in intake of specific food categories and 2) effect on healthy eating, operationalized as adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MEDAS score). Respondents (N = 2,462) completed a 44-items self-administered online survey designed for the assessment of their socio-demographic characteristics, general food habits, and consumption frequency of selected foods (mainly related to the MedDiet) during the lockdown. The data indicated that the lockdown has affected dietary habits of adult Danes to a relatively limited degree. The most important findings were that a substantial proportion of respondents (≥28%) reported eating more, snacking more, exercising less, and gaining weight during the lockdown. Results could be linked to the amount of time spent at home (e.g., a higher cooking frequency) a higher degree of emotional eating during the lockdown (e.g., a higher consumption of pastries and alcohol). Women were generally affected to a higher degree than men. Additionally, dietary changes during the lockdown to a certain degree reflected pre-existing (un)healthy eating habits, as positive health outcomes were observed in respondents with a high MEDAS score and negative outcomes (e.g., weight gain and higher intakes of pastries and carbonated beverages) were associated with respondents with a low MEDAS score. These changes, if sustained long-term, are potentially concerning from a public health perspective, especially given that more than half of the respondents were characterized by a low adherence to the MedDiet.

Keywords: COVID-19; Denmark; dietary habits; lockdown; public health nutrition.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2020 Giacalone, Frøst and Rodríguez-Pérez.

References

    1. Lipsitch M, Swerdlow DL, Finelli L. Defining the epidemiology of COVID-19—studies needed. N Eng J Med. (2020) 382:1194–96. 10.1056/NEJMp2002125
    1. ECDC COVID-19: Situation Update Worldwide. (2020). Available online at: (accessed July 29, 2020).
    1. Ruktanonchai NW, Floyd J, Lai S, Ruktanonchai CW, Sadilek A, Rente-Lourenco P, et al. . Assessing the impact of coordinated COVID-19 exit strategies across Europe. Science (2020) 369:1465–70. 10.1126/science.abc5096
    1. 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) 18:1–15. 10.1186/s12967-020-02399-5
    1. Rodríguez-Pérez C, Molina-Montes E, Verardo V, Artacho R, García-Villanova B, Guerra-Hernandez EJ, et al. . Changes in dietary behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak confinement in the Spanish COVIDiet study. Nutrients. (2020) 12:1730. 10.3390/nu12061730
    1. Pérez-Escamilla R, Cunningham K, Moran VH. COVID-19, food and nutrition insecurity and the wellbeing of children, pregnant and lactating women: a complex syndemic. Maternal and Child Nutrition. (2020) e13036. 10.1111/mcn.13036
    1. Holmes EA, O'Connor RC, Perry VH, Tracey I, Wessely S, Arseneault L, et al. . Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science. Lancet Psychiatry. (2020) 7:547–60. 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1
    1. Yannakoulia M, Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Tsetsekou E, Fappa E, Papageorgiou C, et al. . Eating habits in relations to anxiety symptoms among apparently healthy adults. a pattern analysis from the ATTICA study. Appetite. (2008) 51:519–25. 10.1016/j.appet.2008.04.002
    1. Rodríguez-Pérez C, Ruíz-Lopez MD. Changes in dietary behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak confinement in the adult Population (COVIDiet_Int). . (2020). Available online at: (accessed July 29, 2020).
    1. Muscogiuri G, Barrea L, Savastano S, Colao A. Nutritional recommendations for COVID-19 quarantine. Eur J Clin Nutr. (2020) 74:850–1 10.1038/s41430-020-0635-2
    1. Sundhedstyrelsen Tal og overvågning af COVID-19 [ENG: Data and Monitoring of COVID-19) (2020). Available online at: (accessed June 23, 2020).
    1. Schröder H, Fitó M, Estruch R, Martínez-González MA, Corella D, Salas-Salvadó J, et al. . A short screener is valid for assessing Mediterranean diet adherence among older Spanish men and women. J Nutr. (2011) 141:1140–5. 10.3945/jn.110.135566
    1. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Elbaum Associates; (1988).
    1. R Core Team R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; (2017). Available online at: (accessed July 19, 2020).
    1. Aarup L. (2020) Sådan har Corona påvirket danskernes forbrug [WWW document]. Coop Analyse. Available online at: (accessed July 31, 2020).
    1. Frandsen AH. Rødvin og spiritus er skiftet ud med hjemmebag under krisen [ENG: “Red wine and spirits have been replaced by homebaking during the crisis”]. FødevareWatch. (2020). Available online at: (accessed May 28, 2020).
    1. Hoff H, Stamer NB, Jakobsen GS, Levinsen EH. Madkultur i en krisetid [ENG: “Food culture in a time of crisis”]. Roskilde. (2020). (accessed July 29, 2020).
    1. Fraser GE, Butler TL, Shavlik D. Correlations between estimated and true dietary intakes: using two instrumental variables. Annal Epidemiol. (2005) 15:509–18. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2004.12.012

Source: PubMed

Sponsorzy i współpracownicy

Warunki medyczne

Interwencje lekowe

3
Subskrybuj