NuMoOS - COVID-19 Nutrition and Mood Online Survey: Perception about dietary aspects, stress, anxiety, and depression in the social isolation of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background: COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an infectious disease which led to a pandemic. Social isolation was therefore adopted as the main measure to prevent contamination and maintain public health. Some changes can occur in stress levels, sleep quality, dietary consumption, and mood (such as levels of anxiety and depression). The aim of this study is to describe the association and prediction between social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and food consumption self-reported.

Methods: This cross-sectional, quantitative, and descriptive study, with a non-probabilistic sample design for convenience, was carried out with 1,004 Brazilians, aged between 18 and 85 years old, from August to December 2020. A virtual questionnaire was applied on socioeconomic and lifestyle data, changing in food consumption, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) self-reported. The data were analyzed applying the chi-square test for comparison between male and female, and a linear regression was applied to explore associations and predictions of variables that may be strongly associated, using anxiety, depression and stress as dependent and self-reported changes in food consumption. The strength of association of each category of independent variables on the levels of change in food consumption was estimated using β coefficient and 95%CI, in the SPSS software (version 26.0).

Results: Although most declared that consumption remained the same, a small important increase was detected in some groups such as bread, pasta, potatoes, cassava. The consumption of plant-based foods remained unchanged according to the data collected. An increase of 13.25% of sugar sweetened beverages, 23.51% of alcoholic beverages, 37.25% of added of sugar, and 20.42% of fast foods was self-reported, and 52.7% stopped or reduced the practice of physical activity. The self-reported level of stress, anxiety, and depression reached 38.8%, 40.90% and 32.90. Changes in food consumption to predict stress, anxiety or depression symptoms were observed in relation to decrease red meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, to increased consumption were associated to dairy, fats, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast foods.

Conclusions: A remarkable increase in Fast foods and alcoholic beverages were observed. Carbohydrate-rich foods was associated to stress, and anxiety symptoms. The same was observed in increase of caloric foods such as fats, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast foods. Besides the decrease of proteins, vitamins, and fibers sources foods had a strength association with stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.