Perceived Diet Quality, Eating Behaviour, and Lifestyle Changes in a Mexican Population with Internet Access during Confinement for the COVID-19 Pandemic: ESCAN-COVID19Mx Survey
Sophia Eugenia Martínez-Vázquez,
Marena Ceballos-Rasgado,
Rafael Posada-Velázquez,
Claudia Hunot-Alexander,
Edna Judith Nava-González,
Ivonne Ramírez-Silva,
Daisy Karina Aguilar-López,
Gabriela Quiroz-Olguín,
Beatriz López-Jara,
Cristina Delgado-de-la-Cruz,
Sol Huescas-Juárez,
Mónica Silva,
Martha Kaufer-Horwitz
Affiliations
Sophia Eugenia Martínez-Vázquez
Gastroenterology Department, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico
Marena Ceballos-Rasgado
School of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
Rafael Posada-Velázquez
Academic Technical Committee, Red de Estudios Latinoamericanos en Administración y Negocios, San Juan del Río Querétaro 76807, Mexico
Claudia Hunot-Alexander
Institute of Human Nutrition, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara Jalisco 44340, Mexico
Edna Judith Nava-González
Facultad de Salud Pública y Nutrición, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León 64460, Mexico
Ivonne Ramírez-Silva
Maternal, Children and Adolescent Nutrition Department, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca Morelos 62100, Mexico
Daisy Karina Aguilar-López
Clinical Nutrition Unit, Unit of Medical Specialties in Chronic Diseases, Tula Hidalgo 42780, Mexico
Gabriela Quiroz-Olguín
Clinical Nutrition Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico
Beatriz López-Jara
Clínica la Jolla Echegaray, Naucalpan Estado de México 03020, Mexico
Cristina Delgado-de-la-Cruz
Independent Consultant, Lerma Estado de México 52004, Mexico
Sol Huescas-Juárez
Independent Consultant, Ciudad de México 06700, Mexico
Obesity and Eating Disorders Clinic, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico
Perceived changes in diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle were evaluated in a group of Mexican adults before and during COVID-19 confinement. In this study, 8289 adults answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported weight and height, diet quality, emotional eating, physical activity, and lifestyle changes were collected. Before and after confinement, differences by sociodemographic characteristics were assessed with Wilcoxon, Anova, and linear regression analyses. Most participants were women (80%) between 18 and 38 years old (70%), with a low degree of marginalisation (82.8%) and a high educational level (84.2%); 53.1% had a normal weight and 31.4% were overweight. Half (46.8%) of the participants perceived a change in the quality of their diet. The Diet Quality Index (DQI) was higher during confinement (it improved by 3 points) in all groups, regardless of education level, marginalisation level, or place of residence (p < 0.001). Lifestyle changes were present among some of the participants, 6.1% stopped smoking, 12.1% stopped consuming alcohol, 53.3% sleep later, 9% became more sedentary, and increased their screen (43%) as well as sitting and lying down time (81.6%). Mexicans with Internet access staying at home during COVID-19 confinement perceived positive changes in the quality of their diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption, but negative changes in the level of physical activity and sleep quality. These results emphasise the relevance of encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviours during and after times of crisis to prevent the risk of complications due to infectious and chronic diseases.