Covid-19 Confinement and Changes of Adolescent’s Dietary Trends in Italy, Spain, Chile, Colombia and Brazil

TLDR

COVID‑19 confinement can alter adolescents’ dietary habits, heightening their risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The study aimed to assess how confinement changed adolescents’ diets, compare them to usual patterns and guidelines, and identify factors influencing these changes to inform future public‑health policies. Data were gathered via an anonymous online questionnaire from 820 adolescents across Spain, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. Confinement altered adolescents’ food choices, increasing fried and sweet foods while reducing legumes, vegetables, and fruits, with gender, household composition, TV use, country, and maternal education influencing nutritional adequacy.

Abstract

Confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic can influence dietary profiles, especially those of adolescents, who are highly susceptible to acquiring bad eating habits. Adolescents’ poor dietary habits increase their subsequent risk of degenerative diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular pathologies, etc. Our aim was to study nutritional modifications during COVID-19 confinement in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, compare them with their usual diet and dietary guidelines, and identify variables that may have influenced changes. Data were collected by an anonymous online questionnaire on food intake among 820 adolescents from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. The results show that COVID-19 confinement did influence their dietary habits. In particular, we recorded modified consumption of fried food, sweet food, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. Moreover, gender, family members at home, watching TV during mealtime, country of residence, and maternal education were diversely correlated with adequate nutrition during COVID-19 confinement. Understanding the adolescents’ nutrition behavior during COVID-19 lockdown will help public health authorities reshape future policies on their nutritional recommendations, in preparation for future pandemics.