Domiciliary confinement of people is one of the main strategies to limit the impact of COVID-19. Lockdowns have led to changes in lifestyle, emotional health, and eating habits. We aimed to evaluate the association of differences in dietary behaviours and lifestyle with self-reported weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown in Chile. In this cross-sectional analytical study, five previously validated surveys were condensed into a single 86-item online questionnaire. The survey was sent to 1000 potential participants of the university community; it was kept online for 28 days to be answered. Of the 639 respondents, the mean self-reported weight gain during confinement was 1.99 kg (standard deviation [SE]: 0.17) and 0.7 (SE: 0.06) units of body mass index (BMI) (both p < 0.001) and the median difference in body weight during lockdown was 3.3% (interquartile range [IQR]: 0.0–6.7). The differences of intake of most food groups before and during lockdown were associated with greater self-reported weight, BMI and percentage weight gain. Differences in lifestyle (odds ratio [OR] = 14.21, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 2.35–85.82) worsening eating habits (OR = 3.43, 95%CI: 2.31–5.09), and more consumption of sweet or filled cookies and cakes during lockdown (OR = 2.11, 95%CI: 1.42–3.13) were associated with self-reported weight gain. In conclusion, different dietary behaviours (mainly consumption of industrialized foods) during lockdown, as well as quality of life deterioration were the main factors associated with self-reported weight gain during lockdown.

Domiciliary confinement of people is one of the main strategies to limit the impact of COVID-19. However, lockdowns have led to changes in lifestyle, emotional health, and eating habits. We aimed to evaluate the effect of changes in dietary behaviours and lifestyle on weight gain during the COVID-19 lockdown in Chile. In this crosssectional analytical study, five surveys were condensed into a single 86-item online questionnaire comprising general and sociodemographic history, eating habits before and during confinement, measurement of the emotional influence on eating behaviour, lifestyle before and during confinement, and food safety. The survey was previously validated by experts in nutrition and public health and subsequently sent to 1000 potential participants of the university community; it was kept online for 28 days to be answered. Of the 639 respondents, the mean weight gain during confinement was 1.99 kg and 0.7 units of body mass index (BMI). The increases in dietary intake of most food groups were associated with greater weight gain, BMI and percentage weight gain. Lifestyle deterioration, worsening eating habits, and increased consumption of sweet or filled cookies and cakes were the main risk factors associated with weight gain. Only 2% of BMI changes were explained by the interaction between lifestyle changes and emotional influence, whereas 64% of changes were due to a deterioration in lifestyle during confinement. In conclusion, changes in dietary behaviours (mainly increased consumption of ultra-processed foods), as well as quality of life deterioration were the main factors associated with weight gain during lockdown.

The objective was to investigate the representations and beliefs among overweight and obese schoolchildren regarding consumption and health consequences of sugar-sweetened beverages. This was a qualitative hermeneutical study of cases using focus group information collection techniques. The study was conducted among overweight and obese schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 from rural and urban schools from Ñuble Province. These were associations between representations of sugar-sweetened beverage flavor and the pleasure it produced when consumed, especially at home and during the summer season. Children expressed knowing the consequences of excess consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and identified their parents as being primarily responsible for the consumption of these products. They revealed that leisure time, especially at home, encouraged sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

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Background: There is worldwide interest in measuring local food environments (FEs). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a set of instruments to evaluate FEs in Chile. Methods: Based on the development and validation of four instruments to measure FEs, a literature review, an evaluation by experts, and the implementation of a pilot tool in the FEs of schoolchildren from nine public schools in the commune of Chillán, Chile, were used. Results: A tool to evaluate FEs was provided, based on three dimensions: availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods. A total of 1928 foods points of purchase were evaluated. The reliability was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha. Some 74% of the foods’ points of purchase were store locations. The reliability of the four instruments was high to acceptable (store: 0.90; institution: 0.77; street food: 0.74; restaurant: 0.68). Unhealthy foods were highlighted by the scores obtained: store (6.08 ± 4.07; range: 0–13), restaurant (3.95 ± 1.75; range: 0–10), street food (1.18 ± 1.56; range: 0–7), and institution FEs (3.38 ± 2.78; range: 0–9). Conclusions: The results of this tool can provide information to governments for incorporating structural measures to ensure adequate availability, variety, and advertising of healthy foods in different FEs.