Eating Habits and Diet Diversity of Saudi Arabia Residents during the COVID-19 Locked-down

Abeer S. Alzaben¹, Alaa A. Al-Masud², Reham M. Gaid², Elham F. Almahmoud², Abdullah F. Alghannam², Arwa S. Altalhi², Shaima A. Alothman^2*

¹Clinical Nutrition Program, Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

²Lifestyle and Health Research, Health Science Research Center, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Corresponding Author E-mail: Shaima.alothman.pt@gmail.com

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on overall health and well-being. Therefore, certain preventive measures may affect many lifestyle habits. This study aimed to explore the eating habits, food variety score (FVS), and diet diversity score (DDS) of adults residing in Saudi Arabia during the mandatory stay-at-home advisory for COVID-19. Methods: A cross sectional study was targeted adults living in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 lockdown (May – June 2020). An electronic self-reported survey was conducted through Research Electronic Data Capture (Redcap) distributed on social media platforms. The Arabic version of the questionnaire was previously evaluated for its reliability and validity. A total of 359 individuals who completed the food frequency questionnaire were included in the study. Diet diversity score (DDS) and food variety score (FVS) was calculated. Results: The study found that the distribution of FVS ranged between 4-27 food items. The distribution of DDS ranged between 3-14 food items. Income, working status, and living status were factors associated with the FVS and/or DDS. The majority of the cohort (>67%) had at least one snack/day and 3 meals/day. Conclusion: Diet diversity was acceptable among Saudi adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Age, sex, having children, marital status, education level, and income were factors associated with diet diversity and eating habits (having breakfast, skipping meals, and number of snacks).

Adults; COVID-19 Pandemic; Dietary intake; Dietary behavior; Saudi Arabia

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