Abstract
The World Health Organization on 30th January,2020 declared Covid-19 pandemic, which emerged from Wuhan, China as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This study was conducted to understand changes in eating habits and lifestyle among adult population of Rawalpindi, Pakistan due to Covid-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using purposive sampling technique. A total of 550 respondents completed the survey consisting of eight sectioned structured questionnaire. SPSS-28 Software was used for interpretation of results. Frequencies and percentages of variables were calculated. Chi-square and t-paired test were used for comparison of variables. More than half of the participants (57.0%) were female. The mean age of respondents was 28.57 ± 10.12 years. Nearly half of the participants (48.2%) were students. 61% respondents acquired some graduation degree. During the pandemic, 31.6% individuals had maintained their weight while weight gain and weight loss was reported by 31.3% and 19.6% participants, respectively. There was an increase in consumption of fast foods as 53.3% were eating these foods frequently, when compared to 22.4% participants before the pandemic. During the pandemic, 66% participants consumed more than 3 meals daily and 69.8% had less than 8 cups of water per day. 59.6% survey participants used plain water for sanitizing fruits and vegetables. More than a quarter (31.6% ) respondents were not engaged in any sort of physical activity. The screen-time for entertainment showed 44% participants were using different gadgets for 3-5 hours daily. A significant increase in stress level parameters (p<0.05) was observed. Physical and emotional exhaustion was faced by 23% and 20% participants, respectively and 22% were irritable and tensed during this period. 67.1% participants were sleeping for more than 7 hours daily due to distressed daily routine caused by online mode of work and education. The fatigue levels also showed an increase from 10% to 54% when compared with figures of before and during the pandemic, respectively. Changes in eating habits and lifestyle during pandemic presents a major health concern requiring immediate attention of public health authorities. A good information, education and communication system is needed to for future pandemics preparation.
Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic; adult population; eating habits; stress; lifestyle change
Declaration: The abstract is reviewed and accepted by the Conference Organization Committee of 11th Pak Pharma Healthcare Expo. The presenter was permitted to share his research after final approval of the committee. The scientific research information was presented at 3rd Pakistan Food -Nutrition International Summit 2022 held on December 21-22, 2022 at Pak-China Friendship Centre, Garden Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan. Hence, the journal is publishing this abstract on behalf of the aforesaid Conference Organization Committee.