Cooking at Home and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet During the COVID-19 Confinement: The Experience From the Croatian COVIDiet Study

Abstract

Introduction: The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the changes in dietary behavior among the Croatian adult population during the COVID-19 outbreak and to explore the impact of confinement on cooking habits.Methods: The study was based on results from COVIDiet_Int cross-sectional study—a part of COVIDiet project (NCT04449731). A self-administered online questionnaire was used to assess the frequency of food consumption, eating habits, and sociodemographic information. A total number of 4,281 participants (80.5% females and 19.4% males) completed the questionnaire.Results: The Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) score before the confinement was 5.02 ± 1.97, while during the confinement, the MEDAS score increased to 5.85 ± 2.04. Participants who had higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) during the confinement were mostly females (88.8%), aged between 20 and 50 years, with the highest level of education (66.3%) and normal BMI (70.6%). The majority of participants maintained their dietary behavior as it was before COVID-19 confinement, while 36.9% decreased their physical activity. Participants with higher MEDAS score were more eager to increase their physical activity. Additionally, higher median values of MEDAS score were noted for participants with body mass index values below 24.9 kg/m2 (6.0 vs. 5.0 for participants with BMI above 25 kg/m2). Participants in all residence places increased their cooking frequency during the confinement (53.8%), which was associated with an increase in vegetables, legumes, as well as fish and seafood consumption.Conclusions: According to our findings, Croatian adults exhibited medium adherence to the MedDiet during the COVID-19 confinement. The results suggest that cooking frequency could be positively associated with overall dietary quality, which is of utmost importance in these demanding times.

Impacts of COVID-19 on changing patterns of household food consumption: An intercultural study of three countries

“…With the patterns of healthy food consumption and spending more time to cook, this paper suggests that life has changed in all countries and even though the population feels depressed and anxious they accept the new normal and use the time they have now to adopt sustainable and healthy lifestyles. Many studies reported more frequent home cooking during pandemic (Skotnicka et al, 2021; Pfeifer et al, 2021 ; Rodríguez-Pérez et al, 2020 ; Sidor and Rzymski, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ). Moreover, a higher frequency of home cooking was associated with greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Croatia ( Pfeifer et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Many studies reported more frequent home cooking during pandemic (Skotnicka et al, 2021; Pfeifer et al, 2021 ; Rodríguez-Pérez et al, 2020 ; Sidor and Rzymski, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ). Moreover, a higher frequency of home cooking was associated with greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Croatia ( Pfeifer et al, 2021 ). Having provided the evidence of positive sights of this unprecedent crisis, the study also presents important cues that need to be taken into account in what concerns the supply and distribution of food as well as helping to reinforce the endeavor of being more sustainable and healthier.…”

The Impact of Nutrition on the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nutrition

“…These changes in nutritional behaviour may be dependent upon the country examined. In Croatia, more than 4000 participants in a study revealed cooking frequency increased during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown with an increased consumption of vegetables, legumes and seafood [ 59 ].…”

“…Social isolation during the pandemic-induced lockdown or quarantine resulted in more severe effects on nutritional status [ 58 ]. In a Belgian study, 10% of participants often or sometimes could not afford to eat a healthy diet during confinement [ 59 ]. Tendencies for fruit and vegetable consumption decreased and the consumption of soft drinks, sweets, bread and salty snacks increased [ 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

“…Exercise in quarantine led to better nutritional choices which in turn had a beneficial effect on mental state as well [ 63 ]. However, it is important to emphasize that exercise frequency has been repeatedly reported to decrease during the pandemic [ 57 , 59 ] The poor nutritional behaviour and lack of exercise have resulted in predictable and unhealthy increases in weight gain during the pandemic [ 64 , 65 ]. These changes in dietary habits have important implications for the health impact of the pandemic.…”